1. Why set up a Good Neighbour Scheme?
Rebecca Breakwell
Rural Officer,
Northamptonshire ACRE

2. What are they?
Good Neighbour schemes are established and run by local people to provide day-to-day support for other residents who may need help on an occasional or regular basis. The schemes provide a social ‘safety net’ for their village or local area. Volunteers complete practical tasks (such as driving or shopping) and/or provide emotional support (befriending).

3. What are they not?
Not undertaking tasks that need professional tradesmen – but the scheme may have a “trusted trader” system where they can suggest recommended tradesmen
Not undertaking personal care or having someone entirely reliant on the scheme
“Doing what a Good Neighbour would do”

4. Like what?
shopping, form-filling and letter-writing, household odd- jobs such as changing light-bulbs, smoke alarm batteries, light garden work, and befriending.
Signposting to other agencies – knowing what support is already out there and directing people to it as opposed to duplicating services – Northamptonshire Carers, Carers Sitting Service, Community Transport Schemes, British Red Cross, MacMillan, The Alzheimers Society, CAB
Beyond that: IT help, transport co-ordination like organising a minibus or taxis on Market Day, arranging for speakers & specific help within a village so that residents can benefit from expertise locally e.g. hearing aid specialists, benefits, wills and powers of attorney

5. Isn’t this happening already?
Not always. Villages and communities have lots of networks within them, churches, schools, WIs, luncheon clubs, horticultural societies etc
A Good Neighbour Scheme is widely publicised, has one central telephone number and is answered by a Co-Ordinator who hears what the issue/task is and matches it with a volunteer who is happy to help

6. Is there a membership?
A Good Neighbour Scheme is for residents of all ages
All the scheme’s services are free, unless expenses such as petrol or parking have been incurred. Donations for running costs are usually welcomed.
Open to all residents within an area
People can be both users of the scheme and volunteer

7. Community resilience
Villages are having to become more resilient – cuts to public transport, loss of facilities such as shops, Post Offices and pubs & access to cash becoming further away.
Tackling loneliness and social isolation
The hard to reach & possibly loneliest are not on anyone’s radar

8. Interested – tell me more
Schemes have a steering group, they have a Constitution and a bank account
Schemes are insured, DBS checks are carried out on volunteers dealing with the elderly and/or vulnerable and induction training will be offered
They have a Co-ordinator or a number of Co-ordinators who divide the week between them and hold the phone. The Co-ordinator answers the calls and matches the task or request to the volunteers
Volunteers have ID badges to identify them as part of a recognised scheme.

9. Benefits
Experience shows that there is often a gap between formal and informal support at neighbourhood level, with some kinds of non- critical need going unaddressed (for example a little help around the garden; a lift to a social event). So it requires some kind of organised scheme to address this level of need.
In occupying this space between formal support and individual need, Good Neighbour Schemes and other similar initiatives have widely- recognised benefits:
for the clients, who are helped to do something they would not otherwise be able to do, or only with great difficulty;
for volunteers, who have fulfilling opportunities to contribute to the quality of life of fellow-residents in a meaningful way;

10. Benefits continued……
for service providers, for whom some of the problems of declining health in the population, increasing care needs, and the logistics of appointments, are reduced;
and for local communities generally, which are likely to experience increased levels of social cohesion, sense of belonging and trust.

11. Good Neighbours Forum

12. Where could we get funding to establish a Good Neighbour Scheme?
Local authorities – Daventry District Council grant scheme, South Northamptonshire Council pilots, Parish Council
Awards For All, AVIVA, Tesco Bags for Help scheme, local grant schemes like wind farm schemes
Northamptonshire ACRE

13. Good Neighbour Scheme – how does it work?
Steering group
Evidence of need – surveys, talk to existing organisations
NACRE can help with surveys – we have an generic template and can help also with a bespoke template