We have the power to increase council tax to help pay for social care services for adults. This is to help people with:

  • physical or mental disabilities
  • mental health needs on a day-to-day basis

This pot of money is the Adult Social Care Precept.

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust receive 50% of the precept. We use the rest to increase and improve our Adult Social Care partnership with the community. The funding is to keep residents of Torbay happy, well and connected to their local community. The aim is to increase the time they can be independent before they need formal health and social care.

We found out what we should be doing to improve their lives. We have talked to:

  • residents
  • partners
  • community and voluntary sector partners

Our vision is to have thriving people and a thriving economy in the Bay. We want to develop communities and neighbourhoods to:

  • help people in poverty
  • develop mutual support
  • increase employment and volunteering opportunities

We want our proposals to have a direct positive impact on people. We want to keep people well and independent. Our proposals will help develop many projects. They also work well with services already in place. This extra funding helps us get things done quickly. It also improves the outcomes for these projects and services.

Our priorities and projects for the precept

Priority 1

Priorities include:

  • Support and enable local communities to be healthy and independent.
  • To help people stay connected with their neighbourhood

Projects include:

  • Fund projects that help communities take practical social action in their neighbourhood.
  • Funding for Community Builders. This is to give support in building community projects and connecting people.
  • Funding to support Wellbeing coordinators. They help people with using support and connections in their local community.

Priority 2

Priorities include:

  • We want to encourage the community to develop ideas. We will support the community, voluntary sector and providers to do this

Projects include:

  • Make more funding available through the Community Investment fund.
  • Support the Torbay Voluntary Sector Network.
  • Develop and support the learning disability community. We want to focus on the best outcomes for them.
  • Develop and provide support to those who provide mental health support. We want to focus on peer support.

Priority 3

Priorities include:

  • Provide good information and advice in partnership with the community and voluntary sector

Projects include:

  • Fund and support the roll out of the ‘FAIR’ (Financial Advice, Information and Resilience) Information and Advice strategy.

Priority 4

Priorities include:

  • Grow the Community Helpline to support more communities

Projects include: 

  • Provide staff to support those who use direct payments. They can make sure care is up to date and relevant.

Priority 5

Priorities include:

  • Ensure equal access to advice and support for people who pay for their own care

Projects include:

  • Provide staff to support those who pay for their own care. They can make sure care is up to date and relevant.

Priority 6

Priorities include:

  • Modernise our approach to technology, use of disabled facilities grants and equipment

Projects include:

  • Fund a review for this.

Priority 7

Priorities include:

  • Support employment and training for people with mental health problems and learning disabilities

Projects include:

  • Develop training and employment opportunities. For example – gardening and community green spaces, skills in hospitality and volunteering.

Priority 8

Priorities include:

  • Develop and enhance how housing can keep people:
    • healthy
    • independent
    • connecte

Projects include:

  • Invest in Housing partnership work and staffing.
  • Help under 50s with complex needs to identify the right housing for them. Fund an outreach support worker to help with this.

Priority 9

Priorities include:

  • Invest in keeping people out of hospital

Projects include:

  • A match funding project. This is with Torbay and South Devon Foundation Trust and Devon County Council.

Priority 10

Priorities include:

  • Invest in digital solutions/addressing digital exclusion

Projects include:

  • Support distribution of survey on digital exclusion.

Priority 11

Priorities include:

Investing in ‘The Melville Project’. A neighbourhood-based project to:

  • bring everyone together to look at the key issues.
  • develop a template for regenerating other neighbourhoods

Projects include:

Fund a project to review and build on the ‘Making Melville Marvellous’ Project. The aim is to develop a ‘Torbay blueprint’. We want to create solutions together to:

  • tackle serious social problems
  • attract investment into people and infrastructure projects
  • create long term economic redevelopment

Our Adult Social Care Annual Local Account lets us see the successes and challenges of the past year. We can also use it to identify areas for further development.