Welsh Government, Timebanking, and resilient communities

[Ruth Dineen]

More good news from Wales!

The Welsh Government's Building Resilient Communities strategy published a couple of days ago makes explicit reference to timebanking and to the need for a co-produced approach to service design and delivery by 'Communities First' (which operates in all deprived communities across Wales).

Best bits are:

The Communities First Clusters will each focus on supporting the most vulnerable people in those areas working to make the communities wealthier, healthier, more skilled and better informed, under three main objectives:

•Prosperous communities •Learning communities •Healthier communities

Critically each Cluster has a Community Involvement Plan which shows how local people and community organisations will be central in planning and delivering work with other key partners working with them supporting all aspects of the programme. There is an emphasis on tackling the needs identified by the communities themselves, alongside the joining up of work across the Welsh Government to make a bigger difference to tackling poverty in these areas.

Time Banking

The development of time banking within the Communities First programme can support active volunteering in communities and rewards people with time credits. Timebanking is being undertaken in a number of Clusters and is being further supported by a project jointly funded by Interreg. The project will support 12 Clusters and will further develop this model of working with local businesses, service providers and other funders.

Another hopeful step towards radical transformation!