CAS – Community Action Southwark

The Forum for Equalities and Human Rights in Southwark, facilitated by the Southwark Legal Advice Network, has been commissioned by Southwark Council to act as ‘critical friend’ issues relating to Equalities and Human Rights.

As part of the role FEHRS feel that it is appropriate to feed into the process of developing a robust equality analysis of the impact of proposed funding cuts to services for children and young people.

Download the FEHRS briefing document here.

On 13 December, Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government published the Localism Bill that proposed a raft of changes to shift power away from Whitehall and give it to local government and communities. The purpose of this bill is to:

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Personalisation is the general term used to refer to the reforms to social care that are currently underway. These reforms developed in response to demographic changes, rising user expectations, and Government social care and fiscal policies. [...]

In June’s emergency budget the Government announced public spending cuts of £6.2 billion in year, including £1.165 billion of Local Authority grant reductions. Southwark’s total grant income will be reduced by some £5.1 million in 2010/11, of which £3.4 million directly impacts on departmental projects and priorities set in place to match the funding previously assumed. [...]

Local democratic accountability in the NHS

On 12 July, the Coalition Government published the white paper Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS that set out some of the biggest changes the NHS has seen in decades. The purpose behind these reforms is to create an NHS that is more autonomous and accountable at every level, allowing it to be more responsive to patients and achieves better outcomes. These aims are firmly embedded into other Government agendas including Big Society, personalisation and localism. [...]

There has been much discussion about the ‘Big Society’, and whilst we await further information, it is important to analyse what the Government has stated so far. The Government recently published ‘Building the Big Society’ which aims to put more power and opportunity into people’s hands. [...]

As the Council for Voluntary Services in Southwark, it is Community Action Southwark’s duty to support and represent the borough’s voluntary and community sector. A key component of our work is hosting the Southwark Forum, its subgroups and Southwark Voice. These are a group of bimonthly or quarterly meetings that enable all voluntary organisations, community groups and local activists in Southwark to respond to issues affecting the sector. [...]