For the 2019 NFA GatherIn Award Maggie la Tourelle submitted an application on behalf of the Caring Community Circle (CCC) to do a Needs Assessment for a Caring Community Coordinator with Special Focus on Dementia. The following is a report about a community consultation addressing the next step in exploring the feasibility of a paid Caring Community Coordinator Post.

Research undertaken and report written by Ilona Kästner for the CCC Working Group November 2019.

Summary

The Caring Community Circle held a community consultation in October 2019 to receive feedback from the Findhorn Foundation Community on a proposed new Caring Community Coordinator post and possible long-term funding strategies. Overall, the response was positive, yet only very few community members engaged in the consultation.

It become clear in the process that the community would need to become more aware that caring for the elderly and vulnerable people of all ages is as much an issue for the whole community as integrating families, youth and children. The work of the CCC and it´s value for the community will need to be made more visible.

The process also highlighted the demographic imbalance within the Findhorn Foundation Community and the need for a whole system response to the current demographic trend. The Collaboration Circle was seen as the best place to address this issue and also to explore future possibilities how the community could support a new Caring Community Coordinator post on a long-term basis.

Several possible funding channels and methods were explored in the group discussions (grants, individual donations, membership, public sector, and earned income). A funding strategy based on multiple methods with a changing emphasis over time seems to be the most promising at this time. More conversation will need to be held and research to be done to further explore and evaluate these possibilities.

The consultation process also showed that in order to create a truly sustainable caring community culture and infrastructure throughout the whole community, a next level of self-awareness, integration and coherence within the CCC as well as the community as a whole might want to be birthed.

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I. Background

For the last 20 years, a group of the Caring Community Circle (NFA), the People Care Circle, has been looking after and holding the awareness for vulnerable community members within the Findhorn Foundation Community[1] who, for one reason or another, were in need of support.

This group is now coming to its natural limits, due to age, health and a community that is diversifying and expanding in size. All the group members are highly skilled volunteers with a background in professional health care, and this skill level can´t be easily replaced on a volunteering basis.

A study undertaken in 2018 (GatherIn Award) came to the conclusion that the provision of a paid Caring Community Coordinator post would be the next step to enable this work to be continued in the long term.

A Caring Community Coordinator would connect and give support to vulnerable people of all ages, carers and volunteers, and at the same time drive the development of a caring community culture and infrastructure within the Findhorn Foundation Community – through education, community events, trainings and networking with other relevant organisations.

The intention is to fund the post through grants at the beginning, yet In order to maintain the post in the long term additional sources of funding will have to be found.

The Caring Community Circle is in the process of exploring several strategies and possible sources to develop a sustainable long term funding strategy. A Community Consultation was held in October 2019 to consult with stakeholders and “experts” in the community about the backing of such a new post and possible long term funding strategies.

An application to the Life Changes Trust was successful at the end of September 2019. A 15k grant was approved specific for the dementia component of the post covering a period of 15 months. Taking advantage of the momentum gained through receiving this grant, a crowd funding exercise was undertaken by members of the CCC to match this amount. This will enable the post to be expanded to cover all aspects not just dementia. To date approximately £10,000 has been raised.

II. Community Consultation: Aim & Methodology

To get a sense of the level of support coming from the community and key community organisations in regards to the proposed Caring Community Coordinator post, and to explore possible long term funding strategies together, a community consultation was held in October 2019.

About 40 representatives of community organisations and individual “expert” community members were invited to participate in one of three group discussion sessions (Appendix 2: Invitation List). A consultation package with background information, a detailed job description, and ideas for sustainable funding strategies was compiled and sent out with the invitation (Appendix 3: Consultation Package)

In addition, all community members were informed about the process and invited to participate in the consultation. Weekly announcements were posted in the Rainbow Bridge from end of September throughout October.

An online survey was set up parallel to the consultation sessions to enable community members to provide their feedback on the consultation package remotely and with more time flexibility. The link to the survey was included in the Rainbow Bridge announcements and emails sent out.

Participants were invited to answer the following questions:

1. Do you think having a Caring Community Coordinator is a good idea? If yes:

1.1. Why?
1.2. What do you think about the proposed job description?
1.3. How can the community support this post?
1.4. How can this post be funded in the long term?
1.5. Would you personally be willing to help, and if so how?

2. If no, how else would you suggest we address the increasing needs of our ageing population in the Findhorn Foundation Community?

III. Community Response

The overall response within the Findhorn Foundation Community was rather low, from people on the invitation list as well as from community members in general.

The first group discussion session was cancelled due to low numbers and was replaced by 4 individual interviews with representatives of key community organisations (FF, NFA, Ekopia).

In total 15 community members participated in two group discussions, of which 9 were members of the Caring Community Circle (CCC), 2 members of the New Findhorn Association (NFA) council, 1 of the Findhorn Foundation (FF, SPD), 1 of the Titelholder Association (THA, chair), and 2 guests.

In addition, four one-to-one interviews were held with representatives of the Findhorn Foundation (FF, chair/steward), Ekopia (chair), and New Findhorn Association (NFA, Listener Convener).

6 community members sent a comment on the consultation paper via email, 2 of which also attended a group discussion session.

7 community members filled out the survey (anonymous).

In total, about 30 community members participated in the consultation process.

(Appendix 3: List CCC Community Consultation Participants)

IV. Consultation Results

The following is a summary of the discussion groups and interviews. For more details please view the community consultation notes (CCC Google Drive > Community Consultation).

1. Do you think having a Caring Community Coordinator is a good idea?

This question was widely answered with a Yes. In order to substantiate this yes, participants were asked to reflect on “Why would it be a good idea?”. Why should the community make this extra effort and not just rely on or benefit from the Health & Social Care provided by the Moray Council?

1.1. If Yes, Why?

Group Discussions

A paid Caring Community Coordinator post is a good idea, because it is:

• an embodiment of our community values (caring for each other is part of being a community)
• a further step towards strengthening social inclusion and cohesion within the community
• an expression of spiritual values: caring and being cared for is an integral part of personal and spiritual growth
• a way to formalise the caring community practices that are already in place, to make them more visible, more valued and to ensure the future health of our growing and aging community
• an appropriate responds to a higher risk of isolation within the “wider” community, compared to other places. (This refers to new community members who are not going through a long-term FF program or become FF staff, hence are not embedded within the social support system that are built into the FF, e.g. working departments, internal trainings, supervision)
• a reasonable complement to Moray Health & Social Care Services. Cuts seems to have been made in SC&H in Moray, with the effect that many needs related to care at home aren´t met by Moray Council (more research needed). Additionally, People often wait too long or are not well informed about what they can receive from Health and Social Care. This can create more problems and costs at the end. The Caring Community Coordinator could pick up on problems before they become entrenched and would not only make it easier for the people in need but also safe costs on the long run for individuals and Moray Council

One-to-One Interviews

Findhorn Foundation

Background: The duty of care of the FF as an employer ends when co-workers decide to leave due to health, age or any other reason. The FF aims to support the transition of long-term co-workers into retirement age and a new life within the community, for example by providing accommodation where possible. Only for honorary members, like Dorothy McLean, more support is provided. The FF deals with each on a case-by-case basis. At the moment there are 4 people on an informal “elders scheme”, and around 25-30 co-workers on the edge of retirement.

The proposed Caring Community Coordinator post was very welcomed, as it would complement this effort. Care was seen within the domain of the community and Moray Council. It was clear that the average age of the FF and the community as a whole is a challenge that needs to be addressed. A succession program for Cornelia´s role and the People Care Circle has to be in place. And, the whole community needs to become more aware that caring for the elderly and vulnerable people of all ages is as much an issue for the community as integrating youth and children.

New Findhorn Association

Background: The NFA is currently going through a process of revising its purpose, legal structure and projected future, to be able to serve and support the whole community.

The Listener Conveners stand fully behind the proposal, the council has been informed and invited to engage more with the consultation.

A Caring Community Coordinator would potentially fill the gaps left by the Health and Social Care System and support the integration of the elderly and vulnerable community members within the community.

Open questions:

• In order to not duplicate processes in regards to building a strong caring community culture and infrastructure and to know about and address existing gaps, details of possible collaborations with the FF would need to be defined and identified in the process.
• Also, a shared definition of “The Community” would need to be found. Who are the people the Caring Community Coordinator would serve? Who counts as a community member and who doesn´t? How to integrate the many people in transition, like guests and short term community members?

1.2. What Do You Think About The Proposed Job Description?

Overall, the response to the Job Description was positive, although not many people commented on it.

A few voices saw it as too ambitious or expecting too much, as too complicated – real needs would proof to be much simpler. It was also questioned whether the described tasks would be too much for one person.

The following was seen as being rather high for this post:

• “Diploma/Degree” in “Desirable Qualifications” and
• “Relevant Post Graduate Experience” in “Work Experience History”

In addition to the listed “Essential Criterias” two more were pointed out:

• “Knowledge of H&S in a health care setting”, given the vulnerable nature of the people with whom this person will interact, and
• “Experience Working with Volunteers”

A critical view was expressed regarding the carer support services:

• How would this support look like and how would it be made valuable for people with different social backgrounds, needs and resources? (e.g. social activities might be suitable and welcomed for some, but not for others)
• “Quarriers”, a charity in Elgin that was set up to support adult carers, was suggested as a possible resource to learn from. https://quarriers.org.uk/services/adult-carer-support-service-moray/

Language wise, it was pointed out that the post should not be announced or advertised as a “job” (as in “job description”), but as a position (self-employment).

1.3. How Can The Community Support This Post?

Findhorn Foundation

The Findhorn Foundation would be open to support the Caring Community Coordinator and related work through:

• their existing infrastructure (venues, internal communication)
• maintaining and strengthening the already existing link between the CCC and the FF SPD department (Cornelia F. volunteering in SPD)
• internal trainings
• subsidised meals

Group Discussions

The questions 1.3. and 1.4. were largely discussed as one point within the discussion groups.

Besides possible financial support and related long term funding strategies (see paragraph 1.4.), volunteering was highlighted as a way to support.

How to increase numbers of volunteers for the whole community in general (1) and the CCC in particular (2)?

1) Could the NFA make a certain amount of volunteering hours per year a condition for being a member and provide a weekly or monthly list to indicate where volunteers are mostly needed? Or make it an option to pay a certain percentage of the membership fee in volunteering hours?

2) The low level response to the community consultation and the fact that mainly CCC members attended seem to indicate that there is not much awareness within the community of CCC services and/or the value it generates for the community. To activate more community support, the whole community would need to become more aware of the work and the value of the CCC in general and the value of a paid Caring Community Coordinator post in particular.

How could the CCC & the proposal for a Caring Community Coordinator reach a higher profile within the community?

o By letting the community know how the Caring Community is already alive and active; by celebrating and documenting the results.
o By mapping the monetary value of all the volunteering hours that are done by the CCC to show the material value of its work.
o By initiating and offering more creative and educational activities that increase awareness and the interface between the CCC and the community (theatre, creative advertisement in Rainbow Bridge, workshops, films … etc.)

The question arose whether the low level response also had to do with avoidance of vulnerability, dependency, and death? Might this be the reason why mostly people who already got in touch with care through family or personal history show interest in the CCC and its work? Do we tend to deny future need for care and how fast it could come? If so, how could this threshold be approached in a creative and transformative way?

1.4. How Can This Post Be Funded In The Long Term?

New Findhorn Association

In 2003, the community decided to set up the Children and Youth in Community association (CYC) and mobilised the necessary funds. The NFA (Listener Conveners) is open to explore if this model would be suitable and could be adapted to the Caring Community Coordinator, yet extra funds would need to be generated, as the current NFA budget is not sufficient (see group discussions).

Findhorn Foundation

The FF currently explores a more integrated community wide fundraising strategy, to find ways to pull all resources together. If this goes ahead, the Caring Community Coordinator fundraising could benefit from a more streamlined approach. Conversations will need to be held with the FF fundraising team to explore future possibilities.

Ekopia

A precondition for Ekopia investment is to have a business plan that shows the Caring Community Coordinator as part of a sustainable business model. Funds from the Windfarm are not available at the moment for further community projects.

Group Discussions

Different possible fundraising channels or methods were discussed and explored during the group discussions. A sustainable fundraising strategy could be comprised of some or all of these channels.

1. Grants

Grants were only mentioned and not discussed in depth; more research would need to be done. Most grants don’t cover salaries or running costs of an organisation, this channel would mainly cover project costs. It was emphasised that grant applications for projects and the administration of received funds should not be included in the Caring Community Coordinator´s daily tasks as it would consume too much resources of a part time position.

2. Membership

Membership was discussed in more details as a possible method to generate funds on a sustainable basis:

• • a solidarity based membership scheme with a sliding scale for services to give flexibility depending on the financial situation of each member, which could also include
  • a credit system through which carers could obtain credit for the time when they are in need for care; either people work for their own care in the future or they pay for credits.

The CCC membership could be separate or included in the current NFA membership.

If included in the NFA membership, either

• • the current NFA membership fee would need to be increased
  • or the number of NFA members would need to go up

As many Findhorn Foundation Community members are not members of the NFA, the question came up whether NFA membership could be made a condition for being a Findhorn Foundation Community member, or for living at the Park?

FF representatives, when asked to comment on this suggestion, did not see it as a realistic option – mainly due to the low wage that is paid to all FF staff. NFA membership for FF co-workers would only work on a voluntary basis. And, any model that includes payment and links to the FF has to be based on legal requirements otherwise the FF risks to loose charitable status.

(See also appendix 4: membership based approach)

3. Donations & Gifts

Individual donations, gifts and legacies were discussed as a potential main funding source for the Caring Community Coordinator post.

• • Legacies (via the NFA?), also reaching out to ex-members
  • Contributions from families of community members who are in the need of care, annual pledges of those who have the means
  • Gifts – People living here do so because it is an intentional community. More people might be ready to contribute than expected when asked.
  • People are sometimes trying to pay for the volunteering services of the CCC. How could the CCC make it easier for people to donate?

4. Public Sector

The question came up whether there are any government funds that could be accessed to support the work of a Caring Community Coordinator? Could the community or individuals work with insurance schemes? What other external (re)sources from the public sector are available? Research would need to be done to answer these questions.

Government funds: Money Advice Service, www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk

5. Earned Income & Sales

The possibility to set up a community owned care agency to cover (partial) costs for the Caring Community Coordinator through the earned income was only mentioned, not discussed in details.
It was seen as a potentially successful enterprise mainly because social services are very formalised and they usually cover only 60-80% of what is truly needed. Economically, a community care agency could be more efficient (?) and demand for carers seems to be high in Moray at the moment. The realisation depends on finding the right person that is willing and has the skills to develop a business plan and set it up.

Besides earning income through setting up a Care Agency, what other services could be offered by the CCC to earn income?

6. Community Fundraising

Community fundraising was not discussed as such, but happened in parallel to the consultation process, as two CCC members raised funds to match the received 15K grant. It basically showed that project based community crowdfunding with a clear target can be successful when enough momentum is already happening (in this case due to the received grant) or generated in the process. Community fundraising if connected to community events is also part of keeping the level of awareness high within the community in regards to the CCC work and its value for the community.

7. Learning From Others

What can we learn from others and what partners and collaborators are out there to learn from and work with?

Workforce Scotland: https://collectiveleadershipscotland.com (supports innovation across public sector, contact via Moira)
Other Ecovillages and Intentional Communities (Global Ecovillage Network). What are „best practices“ elsewhere in regards to demographic rebalancing, looking after elderly and vulnerable community members, membership approaches, and fundraising?

1.5. Would you personally be willing to help, and if so how?

The CCC members who participated in the consultation confirmed their support in form of continuing what they were already doing, mostly in form of volunteering hours for the CCC. Another fairly regular statement from other community members can be summarised as such: I support the proposal but can´t commit to any personal help.

Individual commitments:

Ursula (SPD) committed to support Cornelia´s role as a volunteer for the SPD department, to submit the proposal to the steward circle if needed, and to reach out to FF staff to increase the support for the NFA in case a membership based approach is taken forward.

Moira (NFA Council) committed to be a link to the youth in case this is needed and to connect to Workforce Scotland.

2. If no, how else would you suggest we address the increasing needs of our ageing population in the Findhorn Foundation Community?

2.1. Demographic Imbalance & Systemic Response

Only one major concern was expressed in relation to the proposed Caring Community Coordinator post. It was seen as a potentially counterproductive response to the demographic imbalance within the Findhorn Foundation Community.

A Caring Community Coordinator and related infrastructure might attract and encourage even more people in retirement age to move to the community as they find ideal conditions here. Shouldn´t we make it harder for new people in retirement age to settle here rather then easier, was the question. Do we really want to become a retirement village?

How else should we address the increasing needs of our ageing population? The community could think about a whole system response to its ageing population. This could include a Caring Community Coordinator, but would also include measures to support the rebalance of the demographics at the same time. Questions to ask would be: How can the community create better conditions and make it easier for younger people to settle and what attracts them here (affordable housing, paid work, etc. …?) What has the Findhorn youth to say on this topic? The Collaboration / Inquiry Circle was seen as the best place to address this community wide issue.

Setting up an age barrier was discussed as a possibility to respond to the perceived retirement village trend. Yet, any rejection of someone wanting to buy a house due to age was also seen as discrimination.
The need for verified numbers was stated in order to not rely on vague impressions when discussing this subject (e.g. who has bought houses in the Park over the last 10-5 years, what age groups are actually living here and how are they distributed?)

V. Conclusions and Recommendations

1. Conclusions

The overall response to the proposal by the participants of the consultation was supportive and positive. The value of creating a paid caring community coordinator post for the community was widely recognised. The representatives of the FF and NFA are standing behind the proposal.

Yet, given the low level of response from the community and that about half of the participants were members of the CCC (10 of 30 known and an estimated 5 of the 7 anonymous survey responses), this is not yet reflected by the whole community.

Such a low response might have different reasons. Among others it might point towards a lack of awareness in the community about the work of the CCC and its value for the community, and a lack of awareness about the actual situation (isolation, ageing community) and its consequences for the community as a whole.

Any long-term fundraising strategy as well as development work of a future Caring Community Coordinator would benefit greatly from the community being more aware that caring for the elderly and vulnerable people of all ages is as much an issue for the whole community as integrating families, youth and children. Especially when the current demographic trends of the Findhorn Foundation Community are taken into account, and the challenges this might cause in the near future.

As the Caring Community Coordinator is a response to a systemic issue, a long-term financial sustainability and related thriving caring community culture and infrastructure is naturally wedded with a whole system approach. The Collaboration Circle seems to be the best “community organ” to attend to this matter on a systemic level.

Regarding funding methods and a possible long-term funding strategy, more conversations will need to be held and research to be done. At this point, a multi-channel approach seems to be most promising, which would build on the pillars mentioned in the report with a changing emphasis over time: grants, individual donations & membership, community fundraising, earned income.

2. Recommendations

The following recommendations are offered as part of a sustainable fundraising strategy, based on the gathered results and the learning from the community consultation.

They do not all fit into the usual fundraising box, mainly because in my experience true sustainability comes along with “wholing”, with finding or working towards higher levels of integration and coherence on all levels.

• Ideally, the Caring Community Coordinator and Caring Community Infrastructure is embedded within a whole system response to the (perceived) demographic imbalance of the Findhorn Foundation Community.
• A revised and further developed proposal could be presented to and considered by the Collaboration Circle as the best place to address community wide issues such as the integration and care taking of our elderly and vulnerable people, including an integrated long term funding strategy.
• More accurate knowledge of the current demographics of the Findhorn Foundation Community (The Park, NFA, FF) will not only support a systemic response to the current demographic trend, but will also build more trust in the CCC and the foundation for any further fundraising.
• A second survey with more precise questions could help to better understand the real demand of community members related to the Caring Community Coordinator post and possible income generating services, a membership scheme, etc. (e.g. questions on perceived isolation, social safety networks, the willingness to contribute, who keeps insurance in their home country and will leave for better services when needed…)
• Before any further requests are made to the Findhorn Foundation Community (survey), the key stakeholder organisations (FF, NFA) would need to be included in the process beforehand to support the undertaking and insure a higher level of response.
• The CYC could be further explored as a model for the Caring Community Coordinator to be adapted, provided the necessary additional funds can be generated.
• Conversations with the FF fundraising team would need to be held to understand if and how a CCC fundraising strategy could be part of an integrated Findhorn Foundation Community fundraising strategy.
• The different fundraising channels mentioned in the report will need to be further explored and evaluated in the process.
• Raising and building community awareness on the issues addressed and the services offered by the CCC and the Caring Community Coordinator on an ongoing basis will be key to any future community engagement, including fundraising (donations, membership, earned income, community fundraising). This might include the monitoring, evaluation and communication of what is being done in a more proactive way as well as community events, workshops, creative activities, and trainings on a regular basis.
• Concern was expressed during the consultation process regarding the economic sustainability of the proposed position. Even if run with a charitable purpose the CCC might benefit from also developing an economic perspective on its work and services, not to make profit for the sake of profit, but to ensure the services of the CCC meet real demands of the community and to keep the learning curve high.
• Besides the external work, inner transformational and internal work can be seen as the core aspect of any strategy if true sustainability is the goal. This would include building group coherence around a shared vision, addressing internal frictions within the CCC, and working towards the birthing of a “source field” of mutual support, respect, compassion, trust and belonging for the rest of the community. The guiding questions here could be “How could the CCC become a healing source for the community not only by what it does, but by who it is?” And: “How could this on going inner, relational and spiritual work be enhanced by professional work and service rather than blocked by it or replaced?”

 

Appendices

Appendix 1: How to Name the Whole Community?

How to name the community as a whole was an open question at the point of writing this report. There is no commonly used term that would represent the whole, organically grown and diverse conglomeration of people who identify as being a member of this community.
“Findhorn Community” would also refer to the Findhorn village
“Findhorn Ecovillage” would only refer to The Park
The “Wider Community” does not include the Findhorn Foundation

We chose to use Findhorn Foundation Community as a term to refer to the community as a whole, throughout the report, well aware that there are no clear boundaries that define who belongs to this community and who does not. Like an ecosystem it has evolved in relationship with it´s place and surroundings, it is embedded into bigger ecosystems and consists of smaller ones, some of them are nested into each other; it has inner and outer edges where ecosystems overlap with each other, and it has non-physical extensions (the global Findhorn community, Findhorn Friends).

I am aware that some members from the so-called “wider” community may not identify with Findhorn Foundation Community. Yet, personally (as a wider community member), I came to the understanding that this is the most appropriate way to not only honour the original seed from which this community has grown, but also to maintain the awareness of the fact that the Findhorn Foundation is the keynote species of this complex and diverse ecosystem. (A keynote species is an organism that helps define an entire ecosystem. Without its keystone species, the ecosystem would be dramatically different or cease to exist altogether).

Evolution can be seen as two complementary forces working in harmony together: diversity & unity. The keynote species role is to maintain a unifying element throughout all differences and this would be reflected in: Findhorn Foundation Community.

I elaborated on this subject here only because the consultation process showed that in order to create a sustainable caring community culture and infrastructure throughout the whole community, including a sustainable funding strategy, a next level of self-awareness, integration and identity for the community as a whole might want to be birthed. Finding an accurate name would be part of this process.

Appendix 2: Overview Participants

Consultation Session 1, 7.10.19, facilitator: Ilona Kästner, attendees: 8
Cornelia Featherstone (CCC Working Group), Sylvia Robertson (CCC Working Group), Marcus Lindner (CCC), Leona Graham (CCC), Ursula Pfahler (FF/SPD), Lori Forsyth (THA chair), Bernadette and Christopher Greiner (former NFA members, guests)

Consultation Session 2, 22.10.19, facilitator: Ilona Kästner, attendees: 7
Lorraine F.-Rytz (CCC WG, LC NFA), Marcus Lindner (CCC), Maggie La Tourelle (CCC), Andrew Rasbash (Council NFA), Moria Bergman (Council NFA), Fay Blackburn (CCC), Terry Guest (CCC)

1:1 Interviews with:
Caroline Matters (FF chair), Pete Finch (FF), Alex Walker (Ekopia), Lorraine F.-Rytz (NFA Listener Convener)

Comment via e-mail:
David Hammond (Phoenix), Annie Crawford (CCC), Stephen Couling (NFA Council), Bernadette Greiner (guest, former NFA member), Andrew Rasbash (NFA council), Beverly Court (Art Therapist)

Survey:
7 respondents (anonymous)

Appendix 3: Membership Based Approach

(presented by Bernadette and Christopher Greiner)

What can a member of the Caring Community expect?

• The individual who is a member of the caring community will in the case of vulnerability (crisis, accident, severe sickness, old age, etc.) be supported by the Caring Community Coordinator.
• The Caring Community Coordinator will help individuals to identify his/her needs and will link him/her with the respective resources and volunteers.
• He or she will help the individual to make good use of services available locally, both from Moray Health and Social care as well as from other organisations.
• Additionally, the member who acts as an unpaid carer or volunteer will be provided with support, training, and appreciation by the Caring Community Coordinator.

What would the membership fee cover?

We reckon, the monthly membership fee should cover the cost (salary, expenses etc.) of the CCC. At the moment this would be approximately 3 £/month per FF and NFA member. The more people are members, the lower will the membership fee be.

The membership fee could be paid

• by the individual him/her self,
• on behalf of the individual by a company or organisation (as part of the salary?).
• It also could be part of the NFA budget. In this case the NFA membership fee would have to be slightly increased (?), and organisations who want their members be part of the CC will be paying the NFA according to how many people they employ.

Appendix 5: Consultation Package

 

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[1] See Appendix 1 for an explanation on the name chosen to address the community as a whole