Care workers and people in receipt of adult social care in Oxfordshire are being invited to take part in a programme to develop new approaches to service delivery in the county.
The Oxfordshire Care Co-op is a year long pilot, funded by Oxfordshire County Council and delivered in collaboration with a network of local partners, looking to identify any gaps in the local care market and design innovative solutions.
The community led programme is designed to test, develop and coproduce new models of care, broadening services that are currently available to make them more suitable for a wider range of people.
Councillor Tim Bearder, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, said: “We are pleased to be supporting this new pilot.
“The Oxfordshire Care Co-op is an exciting initiative that brings together a diverse network of partners to develop innovative solutions for our local care market.
“By involving care workers and those who receive care services in the decision making process, we are ensuring that the services we provide are better suited to more people who need them.”
The Oxfordshire Care Co-op brings together partners including African Families in the UK, Community Catalysts, Co-operative Futures, Oxford Community Action and Oxford Brookes University, and is supported by the community wealth-building initiative Owned by Oxford.
The Owned by Oxford initiative is designed to develop a business model which is owed and run by care workers and/or people who receive the services. Members make decisions together on things such as pay and working conditions and profits are reinvested into improving services or shared among members.
The pilot continues with a community led research phase where care providers and people who draw on care services are invited to take part in an upcoming workshop. Here participants will learn more about co-operative care, share their experiences and help identify the needs and priorities for people in Oxfordshire.
The next session will be taking place online on 21 July between 5.30pm and 7pm.
People who are unable to attend in person can sign up future opportunities to get involved.
You can find out more and register for the event online.