Issue - meetings

The Chair of the Committee reported upon the Oldham Engagement Framework that aimed to implement a shared approach to engagement across the Oldham social support system and which was being organised by representatives of Action Together.

Improving the quality and scope of engagement, co-design and co-production across the Oldham social support system had been an aim since before the Covid-19 pandemic. With an immediate response required, to tackle the Covid-19 crisis, efforts to introduce a common engagement framework had stalled.

There were in the Oldham borough an impressive range of engagement offers. These included the Doorstop Engagement Team, Oldham’s Poverty and Truth Commission, the Community Champions public health programme, the Citizen’s Panel and Maternity Voices Partnership on top of pre-existing approaches such as the Oldham Youth Council, the Place Based Integration Programme and the Making Every Adult Matter Partnership.

However, many of these engagement approaches existed in isolation, with resources and efforts often being duplicated. There was therefore significant potential to strategically embed the learning processes from the Covid-19 pandemic and approaches that have spread across the social support system. In doing so maximum value can be obtained from the structured and informal engagements that are taking place, resulting, hopefully, in improved long-term outcomes for residents as well as increased efficiency for planned interventions.

The Chair suggested that a way of expediting this matter would be via a workshop event where Committee members could discuss engagement approaches across the social support system with the organisers of the Oldham Engagement Framework, Action Together.

Resolved:

That a workshop event be held, involving Members of the Policy Overview and Scrutiny Committee and of Action Together to discuss and consider engagement approaches across the social support system.