Connect Somerset is about all professionals and community groups working together to help families and residents to improve their lives. It is a partnership between Somerset Council, Somerset NHS, Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprises, and Schools, Colleges and Early Years settings.

We are really excited to share with you details on the Connect Somerset programme, which will make it easier for our families and residents to access the help they need earlier. Here’s a quick snapshot of what we are doing now:

• Twelve Champions – to lead changes to the public sector, removing barriers and blockers, so professionals can work more easily and closely together.
• Hubs – a community hub in each of the 12 neighbourhoods, and another 100 hubs we’re planning to work with. More support will be delivered from hubs all across the county, with services closer to home and rooted in communities.
• Neighbourhood teams – bringing Council services closer to communities and working better together with partners. We’re joining up health and care, children and adults and people and place – working closely with local community networks.
• Team around the school — setting up new virtual teams bespoke to each school, enabling schools to better access local support and to be anchors in their communities.
• #Help4All offer — more universal early help, increasing the amount of early help available to help more families and residents. By offering more help, we can reduce the demand to more expensive acute services.
• Information sharing – multi-agency data in one place, new shared case management, a database of local community resources and better understanding residents’ needs.

We’re at the start of rolling out Connect Somerset.  Look out for more info and an opportunity to contribute.  Or just get in touch to share your ideas and be part of this exciting change at hello@connectsomerset.org.uk. Find out more at www.connectsomerset.org.uk