Many more volunteers and loads more voluntary organisations and now a fully functioning LINk…

It was last December when I made the decision that Staffordshire LINk wasn’t working and so a fresh start was needed.

The Staffordshire Local Involvement Network is a voluntary group, funded by the County, which monitors and advises on health and social care services. It’s work is important and should be valuable.

It was established, as part of nationwide legislation, under the previous County Administration and although the volunteers involved had worked tremendously hard the support contracted externally by the County was not working meaning the LINk was less effective than it should have been.

We brought the support for LINk back into my Department and delighted that since then it has literally been transformed beyond belief. Excellent work being undertaken and far greater and wider engagement with Staffordshire people and voluntary organisations means it’s time for the next step.

That next step is ensuring greater independence by developing a social enterprise meaning Staffordshire LINk will be an entity in its own right and free from any interference in the future.

That work is now underway and I’m pleased the decision I made in December, which was considered controversial by many back then, has turned out to be the right one.

You can learn more about Staffordshire LINk or get involved here.

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