Local Area Coordination in England and Wales
January 2023
Updates on Local Area Coordination, the work of the Network and
the areas implementing Local Area Coordination.
In this month’s edition we’ll be covering:
- Hello and welcome
- Publications
- Safe Waiting
- Events
A note from from Nick Sinclair and Tom Richards,
Director of the Local Area Coordination Network and Local Area Coordination Network Manager
Hello and welcome to the Local Area Coordination Network Newsletter!
Happy 2023 to our wonderful members and supporters! We hope you’re all feeling refreshed and looking forward to the year ahead. We certainly are.
Last year we saw an encouraging growth in interest for Local Area Coordination spurred on by the difficult circumstances many people experienced as a consequence of the ongoing cost of living crisis. We are on a mission to bring our work to as many communities as possible as we know from the huge amount of evidence that Local Area Coordination works and that 2023 is absolutely THE time for it. For all of our followers who have heard of the Local Area Coordination Network or met the team at various events, but don’t know exactly what Local Area Coordination is or what we do, we thought we’d take this opportunity to explain things again in the hope that you can help spread the message.
Firstly, Local Area Coordination is a ‘strengths-based’ (building on what’s strong in people and communities) practice originating in Australia that has developed globally over the course of 30+ years. It starts with Local Area Coordinators, who are employed by councils and work in areas of around 10,000 people, taking the time to get to know people in the community and to really understand what their vision for a good life is. Local Area Coordinators walk alongside people as they plan and take action which helps them to move closer towards their good life, using their own gifts and skills to achieve their goals, drawing on support from the people around them. Anyone in the community can access the support of a Local Area Coordinator as there are no criteria or referral pathways for people to navigate. In this month’s newsletter, you’ll find a reflective piece on Safe Waiting from Nick. In recent months, we have found Safe Waiting to be a useful way of articulating the way Local Area Coordinators walk alongside people, families, communities and colleagues in the wider system – please do check it out. In general, you can read more about Local Area Coordination by visiting our website.
The Network is the home of Local Area Coordination in England and Wales. We support councils to understand the principles and design features of Local Area Coordination and to tailor this approach to the local context. We also work closely with our members, the growing number of councils who are already doing Local Area Coordination, which includes inducting new members of the team, convening networking opportunities, peer learning and support, working together to continuously develop Local Area Coordination theory and practice, and lots, lots more.
We’re always happy to talk about Local Area Coordination and what makes this approach so special, so please do get in touch for a chat if you’d like to know more. We hope to hear from you soon, and for now, enjoy the newsletter!
Nick Sinclair and Tom Richards