Annual Report 2021
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<strong>2021</strong><br />
<strong>Annual</strong><br />
<strong>Report</strong>
CONTENTS<br />
INTRODUCTIONS<br />
3-7<br />
OUR STRATEGIC AIMS AND OBJECTIVES<br />
8<br />
AVA SPECIALISMS<br />
11<br />
MAGPIE<br />
12-13<br />
SPOTLIGHT<br />
14-15<br />
FUNDING<br />
16-19<br />
SPOTLIGHT<br />
20-21<br />
CHILDREN & FAMILIES<br />
22-23<br />
VOLUNTEERING<br />
24<br />
YPG PROJECT<br />
25<br />
HOSPITAL HOMECOMING PROJECT<br />
26-27<br />
AVA FINANCES & FUTURE PLANS<br />
28-30
AVA <strong>2021</strong> ANNUAL REPORT<br />
✻<br />
2020-21<br />
... MIKE ADAMS, CHAIRPERSON<br />
This annual report comes 20 months after the start of the global pandemic that<br />
continues to affect every one of us in many different ways. For the community,<br />
voluntary and third sectors within Aberdeenshire, those 20 months have shone a<br />
very bright light on how they continue to adapt to enable themselves to provide the<br />
changing types of support that people require because of the altered times we now<br />
live within.<br />
I, along with my fellow directors/trustees are proud of the way that AVA has stepped up<br />
in its role as our Third Sector Interface (TSI) to support the many groups and organisations<br />
that comprise those sectors, and the way it continues to support, connect and promote<br />
those sectors in any way that it possibly can.<br />
Since April <strong>2021</strong>, AVA’s TSI team of 10.2 full time equivalent staff has interacted with the<br />
sectors more than 3,000 recorded times, delivering governance, volunteering, funding,<br />
and office services advice, and they have been building networks of likeminded<br />
organisations to enable them to have a stronger and more connected voice. The<br />
team continues to engage at operational and strategic levels with public sector<br />
partners through our connections with Aberdeenshire’s Council, Health & Social Care<br />
Partnership, and Community Planning teams, and our connections with the national TSI<br />
network allows us to deliver outcomes for people that make a difference to peoples’<br />
lives.
Our Magpie team of 3.5 full time equivalent staff, and the many invaluable volunteers<br />
have successfully reopened the shops and created some really important outcomes,<br />
especially in this year when COP 26 arrived in Scotland. Through their efforts, a significant<br />
amount of furniture and other household goods have been diverted from entering<br />
landfill, and they have supported families in crisis to move and start over following<br />
difficult circumstances.<br />
AVA remains a key partner to the public sector in Aberdeenshire and continues to<br />
work hard to have the voice of the sector represented at decision making tables; we<br />
will continue to champion the values that drive the sector to do the right things by<br />
those who need support; and we will work tirelessly to bring recognition to the people<br />
who make the community, voluntary, and third sectors the amazing places they are.<br />
Thank you for your continued support of AVA.<br />
Mike Adams<br />
Chairperson<br />
we have<br />
contact with<br />
1265<br />
third sector<br />
organisations who<br />
deliver services in<br />
Aberdeenshire<br />
538<br />
members<br />
407 organisations<br />
& 131 individuals<br />
Banff & Buchan 166<br />
Buchan<br />
97<br />
Formartine<br />
174<br />
Garioch<br />
176<br />
Kincardine & Mearns 148<br />
Marr<br />
276<br />
Aberdeenshire-wide 228
3044<br />
Interactions with organisations since april <strong>2021</strong><br />
✻<br />
46%<br />
CONTRIBUTED TO<br />
CROSS-SECTOR<br />
COLLABORATION<br />
32%<br />
used AVA as<br />
a voice for<br />
the sector<br />
54%<br />
used AVA as<br />
a source<br />
of knowledge<br />
65%<br />
CONTRIBUTED TO<br />
ORGANISATIONS<br />
RESPONDING TO<br />
LOCAL NEED<br />
61%<br />
CONTRIBUTED TO<br />
MORE PEOPLE<br />
BEING INVOLVED IN<br />
THEIR COMMUNITY<br />
56%<br />
used AVA to facilitate<br />
capacity building<br />
within the sector<br />
13%<br />
CONTRIBUTED TO<br />
THE THIRD SECTOR<br />
BEING INCLUDED IN<br />
KEY DECISIONS<br />
65%<br />
used AVA to act<br />
as a connector for<br />
the sector<br />
26%<br />
CONTRIBUTED<br />
TO A THRIVING<br />
LOCAL SOCIAL<br />
ECONOMY
2020-21<br />
✻<br />
OUR YEAR<br />
... DANIEL SHAW, CEO<br />
This year has been one of considerable change for AVA. Early in the year we<br />
undertook a significant review of our Third Sector Interface operations and rebuilt<br />
them from the ground up. Every member of the Third Sector Interface team was<br />
involved in making sure we were repositioning ourselves in a meaningful way without<br />
losing the connections we had worked hard to build up over the previous years, and<br />
every step along the way, we kept asking ourselves the ‘so what?’ question to make<br />
sure that what we did had clear meaning for our service users.<br />
We undertook a significant review and refreshed the services that we offer our members<br />
and the wider community, voluntary, and third sectors. We examined the way that<br />
we record, store, use, and evaluate our data, and invested in a new data system to<br />
enable us to capture and control the data that enables us to offer tailored support. We<br />
also examined the way that we use our different communication channels, launching<br />
a new style members’ magazine, and reinventing our Forums programme which has<br />
been really well attended by a range of groups and organisations.<br />
The biggest and most important change was to recognise that in a world changed<br />
forever by the pandemic, groups and organisations would benefit from being able to<br />
access specialist support, advice, and guidance. Being able to connect with a network<br />
of Development Officers specialising in specific and relevant knowledge areas such as<br />
governance, volunteering, and funding that enable those groups and organisations<br />
to survive, revive and eventually thrive underpins our new operating model. Coupling<br />
this with our desire to build networks of likeminded organisations, starting with groups<br />
that support children & families and supported living, along with Social Enterprises,
your Third Sector Interface has spent the last 12 months reinventing itself. One constant<br />
however is the delivery of office services, incorporating independent examination of<br />
accounts, payroll, and a PVG checking service that take the headache out of some<br />
of the necessary tasks that groups and organisations must perform.<br />
Magpie has also been on a significant journey this year, facing its own challenges as a<br />
retail outlet, like so many have in recent times. However, with a lot of hard work by our<br />
dedicated staff team and our volunteers, we are really proud of the often understated<br />
work that happens there, and the role it plays in improving people’s lives. As a reuse<br />
outlet, Magpie offers people a chance to buy a bargain, but more importantly than<br />
that, it offers a chance to make a small contribution to climate sustainability, whilst also<br />
directly supporting people who for many reasons find themselves in crisis; this includes<br />
making donations of goods to those in need, or enabling people to make a fresh start<br />
in life.<br />
AVA has also secured project funding for two very different projects this year that<br />
have the opportunity to make significant differences in the lives of individual people:<br />
The Community Volunteering Enterprise project supports young people to gain skills<br />
and experiences that will help them to secure paid work in the future. The Hospital<br />
Homecoming project provides a community-based support programme for patients<br />
being discharged from inpatient hospital care. Both are based on volunteering and<br />
each demonstrates the invaluable role that volunteers play in todays’ society.<br />
We have more plans for delivering more services that support Aberdeenshire’s<br />
community, voluntary, and third sectors, and we look forward to sharing these with<br />
you in the coming 12 months.<br />
Everything that AVA does is because of the dedicated and passionate team that we<br />
have, and is based on working in partnership with groups and organisations that are<br />
supported by people who selflessly go about doing what they do; who believe in the<br />
power of working together for a better future. To every single person that works or<br />
volunteers in the sectors that we support, thank you for the difference that you make.<br />
Dan Shaw<br />
Chief Executive Officer
AVA<br />
✻<br />
AVA<br />
OUR STRATEGIC AIMS<br />
AVA will contribute to the delivery of positive outcomes for people in Aberdeenshire by supporting:<br />
1. Connected community, voluntary, and third sectors engaging in mutually beneficial<br />
collaborations with the public and private sectors.<br />
2. Diverse and responsive community, voluntary, and third sectors with the necessary capacity<br />
and capability to deliver its services.<br />
3. Resilient community, voluntary, and third sectors able to adapt when circumstances require.<br />
OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES<br />
AVA will prioritise its activities in the follow ways:<br />
1. Nurturing a culture of volunteering across Aberdeenshire.<br />
2. Enabling capacity building for groups and organisations.<br />
3. Promoting the community, voluntary, and third sectors as a source of knowledge, skills, and<br />
experience.<br />
4. Empowering community, voluntary, and third sector organisations to engage in public sector<br />
decision making that affects their service users.<br />
5. Facilitating effective partnership working that benefits communities across Aberdeenshire.<br />
6. Advocating for an inclusive, sustainable, and social values-led Aberdeenshire.
“The support from AVA gave me confidence in my work on<br />
funding applications, in particular: Donna Speed gave me<br />
constructive guidance and support at a time when I had<br />
very little confidence in my ability.”<br />
Rape Crisis Grampian<br />
✻<br />
“Invaluable guidance on where to find the correct<br />
information on GDPR compliance for our group. Wonderful<br />
sounding board for ideas on governance arrangements<br />
and the process of setting up bank accounts and applying<br />
for funding.”<br />
Oldmeldrum Green Growing Space SCIO<br />
✻<br />
“[AVA’s involvement] highlighted our need for volunteers in<br />
the geographical areas that I requested, and made it very<br />
easy for me - one email to Aileen resulted in multiple areas<br />
of publicity, with good results”<br />
Kincardine & Deeside Befriending<br />
✻<br />
“Spoke with Rhona and she provided information and<br />
practical advice as well as ongoing support which was<br />
fantastic.”<br />
Houseability
volunteering<br />
Our Development Officer, Lorna Sandison matches volunteers<br />
with opportunities, signposts volunteers, promotes volunteer<br />
roles, hosts a volunteering forum and has introduced a regular<br />
Aberdeenshire-wide Volunteer Bulletin.<br />
social enterprise<br />
Our Development Officer, Aileen Longino offers support to<br />
social enterprises across Aberdeenshire in a variety of areas<br />
such as governance, bank accounts, charitable status, funding<br />
and plans to run forums as well as a social enterprise network.<br />
governance<br />
Our Development Officer, Rhona Davidson offers support to<br />
organisations of all shapes and sizes across Aberdeenshire.<br />
Support includes advice on charitable status, funding, GDPR<br />
regulations, bank accounts, policies and group management.<br />
supported living<br />
Our Development Officer, Sharon Francis works specifically<br />
with organisations who offer health, social care, and wellbeing<br />
services to people across Aberdeenshire. Sharon enables<br />
partnership working, knowledge sharing and policy awareness.<br />
funding<br />
Our Funding Officer, Donna Speed, supports groups searching<br />
for the right funding and offers support and advice with<br />
applications and business plans. Donna also contributes to a<br />
weekly Funding Bulletin and is establishing funding forums.<br />
children & families<br />
Our Development Officer, Sandra McGuigan works specifically with<br />
groups and partners that support families, children and young people.<br />
Sandra sources training, assists with organisational development and<br />
also runs forums and a Children & Families Network.<br />
1055<br />
people<br />
subscribe to our<br />
information<br />
sharing bulletins<br />
12,790<br />
visitors to<br />
our website<br />
in the past<br />
year<br />
In <strong>2021</strong><br />
we introduced<br />
a digital ava<br />
magazine to<br />
spotlight our<br />
work and our<br />
members’ work
MAGPIE<br />
✻<br />
MAGPIE<br />
... OUR SOCIAL ENTERPRISE<br />
The past year at Magpie has been very different to any other. Like most other retailers,<br />
we couldn’t welcome customers into our shop for many months in 2020/21, but<br />
work continued for our staff and volunteers. Magpie continued to work tirelessly<br />
behind the scenes to accommodate requests for emergency household items, gifting<br />
around 50 items to families in crisis. Those items might be a fridge, or a table to allow a<br />
family to sit and eat together, or beds – whatever is needed, we were happy to help.<br />
During that time, we also used our resources to deliver food parcels throughout South<br />
Aberdeenshire to those who needed them. Customers also continued to donate<br />
goods for us to sell on too – and that invaluable support allows us to keep going.<br />
Throughout 2020, we diverted an amazing 22.5 tonnes of goods from landfill - an<br />
impressive amount considering our shop was closed for much of the time.<br />
Magpie spent time establishing a system for when restrictions eased and customers<br />
could return, making sure the shop was safe for everyone. With safety measures in<br />
place, face masks on, sanitising stations and one-way systems in store we opened our<br />
doors to the public once again in July <strong>2021</strong>.<br />
At the same time Magpie also opened an online shop - allowing customers to purchase<br />
goods from our website and social media and collect from the shop. We were keen<br />
to provide an alternative selling space. Along with our refurbished website, Magpie<br />
continues to build our presence on social media, coordinating posts on Facebook and<br />
Instagram to widen our customer base in Aberdeenshire.
18.1<br />
tonnes<br />
of goods have<br />
been diverted from<br />
landfill during<br />
<strong>2021</strong> so far<br />
72<br />
items<br />
were donated<br />
to families in<br />
need in the past<br />
year<br />
15<br />
volunteers<br />
currently<br />
support magpie<br />
and together<br />
they donate over<br />
55 hours weekly
DEVELOPMENT<br />
✻<br />
SPOTLIGHT<br />
... ZERO CARBON DAVIOT<br />
“Thank you for your ongoing support,<br />
and we look forward to working with you<br />
and AVA over the next few months and years.”<br />
Zero Carbon Daviot<br />
Zero Carbon Daviot are a very proactive, engaging community group in the village<br />
of Daviot, which is just west of Oldmeldrum. The village has around 450 homes. The<br />
group was established to bring about radical reductions in carbon emissions to<br />
avoid runaway climate change. This is driven through a range of projects that aim to<br />
decarbonise how they live and to restore their natural environment for the wellbeing of<br />
the community in Daviot, Aberdeenshire. Some of their project themes are biodiversity<br />
and community gardening, home retrofit, renewable energy generation, electric<br />
vehicles and car club, farming and soil carbon sequestration, outdoor access and<br />
paths. Big themes and issues never more vital in the current climate.<br />
This energetic group have had support over the last couple of years from Aileen Longino,<br />
one of our Development Officers, with setting up their organisation. Aileen’s support<br />
helped the group with writing a constitution, establishing their policies and registering<br />
with OSCR. She gave them advice on youth membership and child protection<br />
related policies as well as being a grant referee, offering bank account advice and<br />
independent examination help. Zero Carbon Daviot are now AVA Members with<br />
Aileen’s support and she has also advised the group on funding.
FUNDING<br />
✻<br />
FUNDING<br />
... COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH<br />
& WELLBEING FUND<br />
In February <strong>2021</strong>, an additional £120 million was announced by the Scottish Government<br />
for a Recovery and Renewal Fund for delivery of the commitments set out in the Mental<br />
Health Transition and Recovery Plan. The Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing<br />
Fund has been established to provide grants to small, grassroots community groups and<br />
organisations. This funding comes in response to the mental health need arising from the<br />
pandemic and the intended outcome of The Fund is to develop a culture of mental<br />
wellbeing and prevention within local communities and across Scotland with improved<br />
awareness of how we can all stay well and help ourselves and others. Over £631,000 will<br />
be distributed in Aberdeenshire. Applications will be assessed by the AVA team on a<br />
rolling basis to enable faster distribution of the funds.<br />
We have now rolled out the fund and invite applications of up to £50,000 to deliver<br />
community-based initiatives that promote and develop good mental health and<br />
wellbeing, and/or mitigate and protect against the impact of distress and mental ill<br />
health within Aberdeenshire.<br />
Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action are leading assessment teams comprising of AVA staff<br />
and a small number of external, public sector panel members working within cognisant<br />
areas who will meet on a weekly basis to assess applications. Applications are being<br />
invited through the AVA website.
The RRR Fund<br />
... RESPONSE, RECOVERY & RESILIENCE<br />
The 2020 Foundation Scotland Response,<br />
Recovery & Resilience funding offered<br />
additional financial support to community<br />
groups, charities and third sector organisations, to<br />
enable them to mitigate the impact of Covid-19<br />
on their services and to help facilitate their work in<br />
supporting communities during challenging times.<br />
In total £292k of funding was distributed nationally<br />
by TSIs. Any non-profit group or organisations that<br />
had been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic<br />
in Aberdeenshire were invited to apply for funding<br />
awards of up to £1,000.<br />
In Aberdeenshire, AVA administered the two<br />
RRR fund rounds: £14,000 awarded in November<br />
2020 then a further £2,550 in February <strong>2021</strong>. The<br />
application process was simple and fast, designed<br />
to get help to those who need it as soon as<br />
possible. In total, 15 Aberdeenshire groups were<br />
supported through this fund.<br />
HomeStart North East Aberdeenshire<br />
Awarded: £1000<br />
The fund helped to provide winter coats,<br />
hats, gloves, scarves, pyjamas, boots,<br />
socks and underwear for vulnerable<br />
families who were struggling during<br />
lockdown - supporting 21 families which<br />
is around 52 individuals.<br />
Bervie Pantry<br />
Awarded: £1000<br />
“The money awarded to the Pantry<br />
has ensured we were able to maintain<br />
stock levels and continue to help those<br />
in need. The number of people/families<br />
requiring support has now increased to<br />
around 80-85 in total.”<br />
Garioch Community Kitchen<br />
Awarded: £956<br />
“In total we provided 73 families with a<br />
Christmas Food Parcel which supported<br />
154 children. The funding you provided<br />
was able to support 28 families<br />
including 66 children. This really helped<br />
the families as it took away some of the<br />
worry around where the food was going<br />
to come from at Christmas.”
FUNDING<br />
✻<br />
FUNDING<br />
... SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES FUND<br />
On 18th March 2020, the Scottish Government announced an investment of £350<br />
million to support local communities and households in the context of the Covid-19<br />
pandemic. This funding was established as part of an investment package to<br />
provide financial support targeted through community anchor organisations, working in<br />
partnership with others in the community and with public services, in co-ordinating local<br />
responses to the pandemic.<br />
The £50K Supporting Communities Fund was launched in May 2020 and sought to disperse<br />
awards to voluntary organisations across Aberdeenshire in response to Covid-19. Any<br />
non-profit group or organisations were invited to apply for funding awards of up to £1,250<br />
to help support their activity in response to Covid-19.<br />
In total 58 groups received funding for a range of projects and activities.<br />
Cromar Future Group<br />
Awarded: £165<br />
“AVA kindly provided funding to cover<br />
the costs of two Adobe software<br />
subscriptions used in the online activities<br />
of their “Everything Electronic Club”.<br />
The group has a membership of 12, all<br />
aged between 8 years and 15 years.”<br />
Waulkmill Menagerie<br />
Awarded: £1000<br />
“We used the funding to purchase PPE,<br />
equipment, materials and utility costs.<br />
Approximately 80 people attended the farm<br />
due to this funding, all struggling with their<br />
mental health, made worse by lockdown. They<br />
left the farm relaxed, happy, de-stressed.”
FUNDING<br />
✻<br />
SPOTLIGHT<br />
... TURRIFF & DISTRICT MEN’S SHED<br />
“Support for our Shed has secured some serious money<br />
and enabled us to develop our facilities and contribute<br />
to our community in a very positive way.”<br />
Turriff & District Men’s Shed<br />
Turriff and District Men’s Shed describe themselves as being a free workshop and<br />
social area open to all, where you can work on your own project or hobby, help<br />
others or get help, share your knowledge, talents and abilities, or just relax over a<br />
tea or coffee.<br />
In 2020, AVA’s Funding Officer, Donna Speed, connected with the Men’s Shed to offer<br />
advice about where to find grants, funding criteria, and alternative ways of fundraising.<br />
She also carried out a bespoke funding search for the group for their revenue costs<br />
and the cost of materials. Their first application for a grant to help pay their rent was<br />
successful. They said it came “at a critical time for the Shed as we cannot raise any<br />
funds through our normal streams of stalls at local events due to the lockdown. Having<br />
the grant will ensure we can survive until things return to normal.”<br />
Further grants they received included contributions to their core running costs, a<br />
commercial grade gazebo, a storage container, a flammable storage container,<br />
and safety equipment. Anyone can purchase already made items, or have your own<br />
bespoke project made by the Men’s Shed members, and they look forward to seeing<br />
you at the Shed.
DEVELOPMENT<br />
✻<br />
CHILDREN<br />
& FAMILIES<br />
Aberdeenshire has a fantastic range of organisations that support families,<br />
children and young people at a local level, who have long established<br />
relationships with their communities and have a real understanding of the<br />
challenges that are faced. As part of Development Officer, Sandra McGuigan’s<br />
Children & Families role last year she joined Aberdeenshire’s Child Protection<br />
Committee, the GIRFEC Coordination and Support Hub and the Supporting the<br />
Third Sector Project led by Children in Scotland. There is a key role for sharing the<br />
third sector’s views at local and national level and also for AVA to share information<br />
locally.<br />
Sandra launched AVA’s Children and Families forums in May <strong>2021</strong>, with the<br />
purpose of giving opportunities for organisations providing services for children<br />
and families to connect and come together to network and share good practice<br />
and experience. The forum has since launched a Children & Families Network and<br />
both events offer a place for groups to benefit from mutual support and gain the<br />
opportunity to work collaboratively forging partnerships and linking organisations<br />
with statutory partners.<br />
“Thank you Sandra, [the forum] has been<br />
really useful and informative.”<br />
Aleisha Douglas, Befriend A Child
DEVELOPMENT<br />
✻<br />
VOLUNTEERING<br />
... IN UNUSUAL TIMES<br />
The Third Sector really came into its own at the head of the tsunami of care and<br />
concern that came over the country over the past year. This was replicated here<br />
in Aberdeenshire and at AVA we found ourselves having to up our own pace to<br />
keep up with the new local Covid-related support groups and networks that popped up,<br />
almost overnight in some cases.<br />
By the time things had begun to settle AVA were aware of 21 new Covid-specific support<br />
groups that were operating in communities bringing much needed support, care and<br />
essential sustenance to people affected by the lockdown and those who were having to<br />
isolate because of the increased risks to their own health. As well as these new groups we<br />
became aware that 142 existing third sector groups and organisations were adapting their<br />
normal practice to either directly provide Covid-related support or continue providing<br />
their normal services.<br />
While the response in our communities to the lockdown was incredible it also came<br />
with the task of ensuring that all the new volunteering was going on safely, was being<br />
coordinated, supported and everyone involved – both volunteers and their beneficiaries<br />
– were protected. We were able to connect with all the new groups, making them aware<br />
of their local TSI and what we could do by way of support and guidance. We responded<br />
to requests for help interpreting government issued guidelines and what these mean to<br />
groups being able to start activity again in local communities.<br />
AVA also became key members of new local Covid-focused resilience groups, created<br />
with local Council support across our area – our staff contributed to more than 100 of<br />
these local meetings, and in some cases have led on activities.
PROJECT<br />
✻<br />
PROJECT<br />
... COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERING<br />
ENTERPRISE<br />
Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action is facilitating a year-long Community<br />
Volunteering Enterprise Project specifically for young people aged between<br />
16-24. This exciting project is funded through the YPG Fund and subsequently<br />
participants have to meet the YPG criteria. This project allows us to offer a challenging<br />
and rewarding opportunity for young people that has three main aims; firstly to engage<br />
young people who have been unable to engage in other development opportunities;<br />
secondly to work with the young people on a SQA qualification and thirdly to offer<br />
access to supported volunteering with all the potential benefits that volunteering<br />
brings. The project is delivered in three phases:<br />
1. Initial engagement in a learning environment where the participants interest,<br />
existing skills, knowledge, and abilities would be assessed<br />
2. The participant being offered an opportunity to enrol in a SQA Employability Award,<br />
which if completed would lead to the achievement of an SQA certificated award<br />
3. Support to engage in a relevant volunteering activity with all the benefits that can<br />
come from volunteering in the community (volunteering can continue beyond the<br />
planned end of the phase)<br />
For our CVE Project Officer, Pauline Anderson, the impact of Covid 19 has meant the<br />
project has taken slightly longer to establish as many of our partner organisations were<br />
trying to re-establish their services again. However, as restrictions have eased and with<br />
supportive information and positive engagement about the project, referrals started<br />
to come in and Pauline is working with participants across Aberdeenshire. The project<br />
is delivered face-to-face or by video calls ensuring everyone can access the project.
PROJECT<br />
✻<br />
PROJECT<br />
... HOSPITAL HOMECOMING<br />
Hospital Homecoming is a two-year Test of Change project aiming for faster<br />
discharge of patients from acute settings, back home, by providing support from<br />
community groups and volunteers. The project is funded by the NHS Endowment<br />
Fund/NHS Charities Together and aims to co-produce a solution with the three TSIs<br />
(AVA, ACVO, tsiMORAY), NHS Grampian, the Health and Social Care Partnerships and<br />
the community. A Steering Group encompassing these partners is in the process of<br />
being established.<br />
Work to date includes looking at identifying community groups who could provide<br />
support in the three Aberdeenshire project sites (Huntly and Clashindarroch, New<br />
Pitsligo, and Portlethen) and understanding the capability and capacity of these<br />
groups. Lived experience of hospital discharge is being sought, as part of the baseline,<br />
to understand the support activities that would be valued.<br />
Health and Social Care Partnership contacts for each locality are being met, awareness<br />
of the project is being raised and their ideas and suggestions taken on board. In<br />
addition to speeding up hospital discharge working in partnership may also free up<br />
caring resources which can be utilised to discharge another patient from hospital.<br />
Work with NHS Grampian has begun on looking at the discharge process and how<br />
patients can be identified and referred; in addition initial steps have been taken to set<br />
up Information governance protocols for the third sector to receive NHS patient data.
AVA Finances<br />
TSI Income Magpie Income AVA Group Income<br />
Donations & Grants Charitable Activities Donations & Grants Charitable Activities Donations & Grants Charitable Activities<br />
Trading Activities Other Income Trading Activities Other Income Trading Activities Other Income<br />
TSI Expenditure Allocations<br />
Magpie Expenditure Allocations<br />
AVA Group Expenditure Allocations<br />
Staff Operations Staff Operations Staff Operations<br />
Property Property Property
AVA FINANCES<br />
✻<br />
✻<br />
✻
AVA <strong>2021</strong> ANNUAL REPORT<br />
✻<br />
OUR PLANS<br />
IN THE COMING YEAR, AVA WILL:<br />
Enhance our support services, ensuring they<br />
remain relevant to our members and fit for the future.<br />
✻<br />
Expand our reach across the breadth of our partners, making<br />
better connections for the benefit of our members.<br />
✻<br />
Advocate for a fairer and just society, promoting the capabilities<br />
of the community, voluntary, and third sectors, and the<br />
improvements in people’s lives that they deliver.
Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action<br />
is a charitable company<br />
limited by guarantee.<br />
Company number: SC137343.<br />
Scottish Charity Number: SC014223<br />
Registered office: 57 Station Road,<br />
Ellon, Aberdeenshire AB41 9AR<br />
Tel: 03718 110008<br />
Email: enquiries@avashire.org.uk<br />
Website: www.avashire.org.uk<br />
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