Breakout session - NGN plans for the rest of GD2

Overall feedback to question 1 – What are your priorities for the next two years?

Stakeholders told us that their priorities are focused on helping those that are seldom heard and do not walk in asking for support but need it.

Other concerns were listed below with some feedback included:

How to access those who aren’t walking in for support?
Supporting those individuals who are really struggling / early interventions are key
Utilising outreach facilities to get to those who are not proactively coming for help
Trying to identify the hidden vulnerabilities
Being more proactive / engage with more partners especially around vulnerability
Continuing to provide the services we are – capacity and capability. Able to respond to changing needs eg. cold and energy price increases
Not just spending money for the sake of spending money – really reaching those who need it most
Getting through the doors of those who are hard to reach and wouldn’t otherwise come to us. Through tenancy support visits we can see who is hiding behind those doors and help them

Fuel poverty support is important, but also we have targets to reach in providing advice on low carbon technologies and support to decarbonise homes – both those who are fuel poor/vulnerable but also those who are able to pay. Ensuring that energy advice is therefore holistic
Sustainability and integrating more
Ageing population and more people becoming carents therefore important to make every contact count
Providing emotional / wellbeing support as well as physical/practical support
Cost of living crisis is now a long-term issue, not a moment in time, we are seeing many more people with deficit budgets and debts are increasing
Priority for us is expanding networks and influencing at a strategic level. Holistic support – bespoke to the individual
Continuing to improve and meet demands.

Other risks were listed below with some feedback included:

Services reducing (CA closed in Huddersfield) v rising demand for help and support
Flexibility around funding is needed – partners need to be able to react and have ongoing conversations with NGN
Partners acknowledged that they need diversity in terms of the funding they receive and not become too reliant on one funder (namely NGN)
Smaller organisations being funded may be more ‘at risk’ than some of the larger ones
Breaking down barriers for people. COL terminology – as this is long term, should we now be thinking about this more as sustainable living?
Giving people a choice of channel to engage. Prolonging the period of access to support to allow breathing space so that people can tackle the issues at the right pace for them. ‘Make it simpler'

Feedback was received from our stakeholders to say that NGN should keep doing what they’re doing.