Welcome to the February Network Newsletter!

Welcome to our February edition!

The Newsletter brings together news, stories and events which we hope will be of interest to the Network. 

In this month's edition we have information about how your CLW programme could run work a workshop at our first annual conference in May. We also have lots of events and training information including a Network event specifically for CLW programme leads on 26th April.

The Scottish Community Link Worker Network is the national network, developed and facilitated by VHS, for primary care community link working in Scotland. Please visit our webpage for the latest blogs, reports and information about the Network. And don't forget to follow us on Twitter @ScotCLWnetwork.

Events, Workshops and Training

Scottish CLW Network Events

Community Link Worker Mapping – Online Survey

Thanks to all the CLWs that have already completed our online survey which will help us to learn more about the experiences of CLWs working in primary care settings across Scotland.

The information you provide will help us to understand more about the delivery of CLW programmes across Scotland. It will inform VHS and SCLWN policy engagement over the next year, particularly our engagement with the Scottish Government Primary Care Directorate and the future development of link working in Scotland.

You still have time to complete the survey and to thank you for your participation, we are also offering the chance to enter a prize draw for a £25 book token. Please click here to take part. 

If you have any questions about this survey or other research, please contact:

Findlay Smith Policy and Research Officer or Roisin Hurst SCLWN Development Coordinator 

Community Link Worker Programme Leads Event - Wednesday 26th April

We haven't run an event for the Network's Programme Leads and thought it was about time we did! 

The event aims to bring together Programme Leads from Community Link Worker Programmes across Scotland to enable you to share learning about their CLW programmes. The event will be an open space for you to discuss with your peers how you manage delivery of your CLW programmes as well as discuss current opportunities and challenges.   Some suggested areas for discussion could include:

• What kind of induction, training and development does your programme offer?
• What data do you routinely collect as part of your CLW programme?
• How do you try and measure impact of your programme?
• What is your model of delivery for your programme?

However, to help us plan the most effective use of your time, we would like to hear from you!   What are the topics that you would like to discuss? What are the current challenges you are facing to the delivery of your programme?  To book your place on 26th April, please click here

Scottish Community Link Worker Network Conference 24th May 2023 

Calling all CLW programmes - would you like to run a workshop at the conference?

The Scottish Community Link Worker Network Annual Conference will take place on Wednesday 24th May 2023 at The Studio, Hope Street, Glasgow.  This will be a fantastic opportunity for the Network to come together in-person for the first time. The Conference will be a celebration of the achievements of community link workers in supporting their communities and working alongside primary care colleagues to address health inequalities. For the latest information about our conference programme, please visit our events page.  

We will have space in our programme for 4 workshops on the day which will run concurrently from 11.45-12.40pm. We want these to be led by you!   The workshop could be about an innovative project your CLW programme has run, or something you have tried/done as a team that would be of interest to the wider network.  If you are interested in running a workshop, please get in touch with Roisin

Exhibition Opportunities at the first Scottish Community Link Worker Network Annual Conference

Join us to exhibit at our annual conference on the 24th of May at the Studio in Glasgow to showcase your organisation directly to community link workers from across Scotland. We only have a limited number of spaces available - please contact Lauren Blair to find out more

Scottish Community Link Worker Network: Report from Peer Support Event

The Scottish Community Link Worker Network recently brought together 40 Community Link Workers from across Scotland to discuss the benefits of peer support. You can read the summary report of the main talking points from the event.

Other Events

Social Prescribing Show - 9th March 2023

The Social Prescribing Show is being hosted by the Global Social Prescribing Alliance on 9th March in London to celebrate Social Prescribing Day.  Tickets are available for the live stream here The Social Prescribing Show: Live Stream

CHEX Annual Conference 2023

The CHEX Annual Conference will take place in Glasgow on 21st March. CHEX is placing a spotlight on how community-led health organisations and those tackling health equalities are working on the front line of the cost-of-living crisis.   

With communities and groups coming under intense pressure, and still recovering from the impact of the pandemic, this conference will be a chance to share stories of organisations doing vital work under difficult conditions – and a place for you to share insights and ideas 

Leading to Change Workshops (L2C) 

Leading to Change (L2C) is going on the road. They are inviting you to meet colleagues from social care, social work and health at one of their live, in-person roadshow events. This is a chance for them to welcome you into a conversation where you can find out what’s going on in Leading to Change, share what’s going on for you and take part in a leadership themed taster session. Their Events Programme is on their website so you can find out when they might coming to a venue near you!

Single Parent Poverty Awareness Webinars

Want to know more about supporting single parent families through this tough financial climate? One Parent Families Scotland is hosting free webinar sessions, 10 -12.30pm on dates between February and April, to help practitioners make a difference to the lives of single parent families throughout Scotland. More information and to register click here

Discover Digital - two free opportunities on digital health

Discover Digital from The Health and Social Care Alliance aims to raise awareness of digital tools and resources that can help health and wellbeing and  bring digital health to communities and organisations across Scotland.  The project is now launching its free roadshow events as well as workshops. 

If you are hosting a community event, the roadshows can bring along free and easy to use digital tools and resources.  The roadshows will be a fun and interactive way to learn more about what digital can do for your health and wellbeing.

The workshops can offer your organisation an introduction to what digital health and wellbeing means and how to access it. The sessions can be online or in person and tailored to your needs. For more information about the project and how to get involved, please click here

Call for Participants  - Art Workshops for people living in Scotland with Long Covid

Art in Healthcare and Covid:Aid are running a new project, Taking Art Home; a project for people living in Scotland with Long Covid, whether or not they have a formal diagnosis. They will be a running block of 10 online art workshops starting week commencing 27th March and no previous art experience is required. If anyone CLWs support would be interested in the workshops they can find out more and sign up here

Trellis Seminar Series March 2023

Trellis which is Scotland’s network for therapeutic gardening is delighted to announce their Seminar Series with a truly international line-up with speakers from Ukraine and Ecuador to Iceland and the Caribbean. Their seminar series is running on 7-8^th March. More information: Seminar Series 2023 | Trellis

Free City and Guilds endorsed Money Guiders Training for CLWs 

If any CLWs are interested in finding out more about the Money Guiders programme and benefiting from training from the Money and Pensions Service, which includes exclusive access to free e-learning and a new City & Guilds endorsed credential, then please contact Roisin Hurst

Highlights from the Network

We want to hear from new CLWs!

It is always great to hear news from across the Network. Don't forget to get in touch if you have newly recruited CLWs who have started in post. We are always keen to welcome them to the Network. Please get in touch with Roisin if you want to add any CLWs to the Network's mailing list.

University of Edinburgh - Health in Communities Programme

The University of Edinburgh's Health in Communities Programme which forms part of 1st year medical students' curriculum brings together the university's medical students and local CLWs to help educate future doctors of all specialities about the benefits of social prescribing and community link working. As part of their health in communities practical, first year medical students have the opportunity to spend time with a community link worker to hear more about what they do. Roisin was lucky enough to attend a session led by Edinburgh CLW Hannah Edwards. Hannah is based in a practice which supports homeless people and was able to talk to the students about the day to day practicalities and challenges of her job as well as share her extensive knowledge of local support.

This year's programme involved 27 groups of students and of these, 21 groups met Edinburgh CLWs, 1 group met West Lothian CLWs, 2 groups met East Lothian CLWs and 3 groups met with the Midlothian Wellbeing Service.   For more information about the programme, please contact Dr. Helen Eborall, Lecturer in Critical Public Health

Inverclyde CLWs on Twitter

The Inverclyde Community Link Worker Team is on Twitter and is keen to reach out to other CLW programmes. You can find them at @Inverclyde_CLW Happy tweeting!

Ask for help: Orkney Community Link Practitioners

Orkney Community Link Practitioners (CLPs) have been meeting with their NHS colleagues to look at the data gathered by the CLPs and which data is needed to be fed back to funding bodies. They would be interested in finding out what tools other CLPs use when gathering baseline data at first and subsequent visits.

If others were willing to share this with them, they would be really interested in chatting to find out more.  Please email Erika Copland if you are willing to share information.