Host Organisation for a Care Navigators Service

Community and local voluntary groups already provide much valued support to local communities. They are likely to play an even greater and more significant role in the future as Health and Social Care providers integrate services, share pooled resources and work more closely in integrated teams to deliver care and support to the local population.

The demand for social services is increasing at a time of limited and reducing budgets and resources. We recognise the clear benefits of promoting early help, prevention and ‘self-care’ for individuals and are seeking to improve their experience of support. This means that we will need to work with the voluntary and community sector in a more coordinated and cooperative way to mobilise more of the local community’s assets. This will create a web of support which catches those members of society who feel socially isolated, lonely and without family and friends to call on for help.

A recent review of Adult Care Services has sought to ensure that the specialist skills of Adult Social Care staff are used appropriately and are focussed primarily on assessment, review and risk management with people in Dorset who need support. The co-ordination of community based voluntary sector support for people who have significant needs, as part of their support plan, is a time consuming role which requires detailed knowledge of local communities. We have found that staff often do not have either the time or the local knowledge required to ensure that community support is an integral part of support plans for customers.

To add to this capacity, a minimum of six full-time ‘Care Navigator’ posts will be created. Funding has arisen from resources allocated within the Council’s operational budget drawn from revisions to our current staffing structure and the Navigators would be based in locality offices across Dorset (excluding Bournemouth and Poole).

It is intended that through their role, Care Navigators will be able to reduce the workload for Adult Social Care staff and reduce the ultimate need for high cost support. Individuals will be redirected towards community based and co-produced solutions to meet their needs. It will be critical to support individuals’ timely access to appropriate support – including that of universal services, early help and intervention to improve their capacity for ‘self-care’ and their ultimate experience of support.



Through their work, Care Navigators would aim to:-

- Integrate community services into social service support plans for people with long term conditions.

- Reduce the cost of service provision for meeting an individual’s identified outcomes, at the point of ‘assessment’ or ‘review’.

- Identify any gaps in community support services and informing Early Help/ POPPs and commissioning.

- Build relationships with the Voluntary and Community Sector in their locality and increasing knowledge of the sector in their local offices.

This tender is for a contract starting on 01 August 2016 for a period of two years to 31 July 2018 with an option to extend for up to one further year dependent upon performance during the initial contract period and continued availability of funding.