How Community Circles Australia works

AT TOUCHED BY OLIVIA, WE EXIST TO IMPROVE THE WELL BEING OF INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIES THROUGH INCLUSION AND BELONGING.

Community Circles is building the well being of individuals and communities by Connecting People, connecting those needing support with those willing to provide volunteer support.

Community Circles helps a broad range of individuals needing support, from those on the fringe of isolation that simply wish to reconnect with a group within their community, to those needing ad hoc support to feel confident to remain living within their community.

We do NOT replace paid services, but scaffold the confidence that people have to be part of their local community

A Community Circles Connector is typically set up in each LGA ( Local Government Area) who works with the local Council and Community Groups to build a network of volunteers, whilst also building awareness amongst the community of Community Circles, so that those needing support, or people that they know, reach out to request support

Local social media, Council and local business promotion and the Community Circles website allow both volunteers and those needing support to detail their Expression of Interest, highlighting the support required by people, and the support that volunteers are willing to offer. The Community Connector, and the Community Circles app, then facilitates the connection and the ongoing sustainability of those connections.

Connections take many forms- sometimes simple support groups are created, such as an Autism Social Support Group, or a social walking group for seniors. Or sometimes, volunteers helping a person who has fallen on hard times, or a senior requiring simple assistance to stay living in their community for as long as possible- simple tasks like taking their bins out on bin night, or driving them to the local shops, church or the doctors.

Community Circles also builds resilience and capacity in communities, by providing training and mentoring to volunteers to be as effective as possible. Community Circles recognizes that Volunteers need to get as much out of the interaction as those needing support, and as such helps connect like minded volunteers with like minded people needing support. Our on line training volunteer platform trains volunteers on the role of a Community Circles volunteer, as well as training volunteers on “what they don’t do”.

Our Community Connectors build capacity in communities as being the resource that mentors and connects individuals together.

Whether it be someone who is isolated and lonely, or someone needing to feel more supported to go about their more connected lives in their communities. CCA enables people to be valued and to feel valued in their community through – Dignity and Choice, A Sense of Belonging, Participation and Inclusion, Meaningful Connections.

WE DEMONSTRATE IMPACT
People who live in connected, inclusive communities are generally happier and live healthier and more fulfilled lives. Evidence proves that a sense of belonging, positive relationships and community contribution are all important factors in measuring a person’s health and wellbeing and this is the underpinning philosophy of CCA. Touched by Olivia is demonstrating that a community that embraces CCA is far more likely to thrive because their people feel a strong sense of belonging. Social issues such as loneliness and isolation are reduced and well-being improves. By supporting people in their homes, CCA leverages local community assets, reduces the reliance on one care provider and allows for a more effective use of government funding. which overall reduces the cost of this broad approach to care. Importantly, this will enable the landscape of care and support to naturally reshape as people engage with the model to live better lives with better social outcomes. In measuring this positive social impact, Touched by Olivia will prove that a sustainable social care model is one that places the person at the front and centre of their own lives and decisions.
WE WORK FOR CHANGE
Social care in the Australian context demands innovation NOW. Social care funding is limited and this creates a gap between paid service delivery and other day to day support. By adopting an active advocacy support approach paired with an effective evidence based community connection model, Touched by Olivia will flip the concept of social prescribing by purposefully identifying and increasing unpaid, informal support and connection in people’s lives. By connecting people to trusted family, friends and neighbours, the Circles work ‘with’ not ‘for’, people. Touched by Olivia’s entry into this market will include influencing policy change so that authentic person-led care is adopted as best practice. This is support that is genuinely co-produced by the person at the centre, one step further than co-design and a long way from people being ‘consulted’ about their needs. By implementing this approach, social care stigmas, barriers and inequalities will be removed and thriving, connected, and inclusive communities rich in culture will emerge.
WE PARTNER WITH PURPOSE
Touched by Olivia partnerships will ensure social capital is reactivated within communities and organisations. Its partnerships will support collaborations that deliver social and economic value in a sustainable and meaningful way. It will forge partnerships with for profit and purpose based organisations to jointly strengthen social responsibility investments and to augment the offering.
WE EVOLVE OR ELSE
CCA is a game changer as it recognises that the best outcomes are produced by people, communities and organisations all working together. The model is overarching. It covers the space before service delivery, the space between service delivery and scaffolding service delivery. Continued collaboration and learnings will ensure the model’s success in building competency and capabilities across communities. There are also opportunities to expand its application over time as Touched by Olivia harnesses learnings from Community Circles UK’s initiatives including the Business 100 Club, 2 Hour Club and Small Sparks.

Become a Facilitator - Brochure Become a Member - Brochure Need a Community Circle - Brochure Be Involved

IN SUMMARY CCA is a critical capacity building solution, supported by a technology platform, that:

offers an innovative and evidenced based person-led, community-centred solution to the future of social care in Australia.
genuinely strengthens and creates more inclusive communities through intentional community collaboration and partnerships within a proven framework
seeks to mobilise the social capital that already exist within people’s lives and their communities giving
everyone a sense of value and contribution
enables a social prescribing approach that bridges the gaps between the individual, families, local and national government, and the private, voluntary and community sectors with robust accountability and reporting

We all want to live in the place we call home, with the people and things we love, in communities where we look out for one another, doing the things that matter to us. #socialcarefuture