Building on the success of ‘Living Well’ in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, ‘Living Well to Work’ is a £1.2m European Social Fund project to test and evaluate innovative ways of working with older people and those with mental ill-health, learning difficulties or disability, autism and diabetes to help them into training, job search and employment.

The three-year project will run until December 2019 and will benefit 260 individuals. It is being delivered by a partnership led by The Learning Partnership for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and will receive up to £992,374 from the European Social Fund.

‘Living Well’ was piloted in the health and social care sector, specifically to help older people at risk of needing repeat emergency hospital admissions, due to their health conditions and living circumstances.

Priscilla Samuel, Senior Contract Manager at The Learning Partnership, said:

‘The Living Well approach revealed that a place-based, people-centred approach delivers better outcomes for individuals and cost-savings to health and social care services. It also highlighted that the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector has a major part to play in the design and delivery of services across a range of areas from health and social care to employment.

‘We are pleased to be building on this success with twelve exciting pilots taking place around Cornwall, using a variety of innovative models. The University of Exeter is evaluating the impact they have, so that we can capture and share our learning about effective methods of engagement and support with those who will be commissioning support services in the future.’

Examples of the pilot work include:

• Volunteer Cornwall is working with employers and all the project partners to develop linkages between volunteering opportunities in the business sector and jobs seekers being supported by the voluntary and community sector.
• The Eden Project is piloting a number of social prescribing activities on the themes of engaging with the outdoors for adults with mental health issues, and walking/exercise groups for people living with diabetes.
• Volunteer Cornwall in collaboration with Cascade Theatre aim to transform the way in which those with autism view themselves and how capable they really are. Through drama, creative arts and cutting edge psychological insights, they will help high-functioning young people on the autistic spectrum develop confidence, courage, relationship skills, employment skills, motivation and a self-belief which will be unshakeable.
• Young People Cornwall will run a mental health mentoring programme for young people with issues impacting on their ability to access work or education. A team of volunteer mentors will be recruited to provide early intervention support young people.

The partnership is led by The Learning Partnership for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and includes:

• Cascade Theatre Company
• Centre for Geography, Environment and Society, University of Exeter
• Cornwall Adult Education Service
• Cornwall Voluntary Sector Forum
• Eden Project Ltd
• Newquay for Excellence Training Ltd
• Pentreath Ltd
• Truro and Penwith College
• United Response
• Urban Biodiversity – Newquay Community Orchard
• Volunteer Cornwall
• Young People Cornwall

For more information about the project, contact Priscilla Samuel at The Learning Partnership for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly: pasamuel@cornwall-learning-partnership.org, 07792 065321.