Theme groups aim to bring
the community and services together to make sure that they are working for the
local community. They try to research what the current issues in the
neighbourhood are, undertake consultation where necessary and propose new ways
of working to address the issues.
Theme groups provide a
more focused approach to achieving specific targets to improve our quality of
life. Each of the Theme Groups is led by the key service provider e.g.
Primary Care Trust lead on the Health Theme Group.
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Theme Groups aim to be...
Inclusive (i.e. people from all of
the Dewsbury West community to ensure everyone has a voice).
Effective (have people who can
speak with authority about the issues we have identified and the themes we have
chosen and who are well placed to influence service providers to change).
Committed (have the necessary
time, want to collaborate with each other, understand the issues and be
prepared to make difficult decisions to enable change to happen).
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What is the role of a community representative?
Theme Groups are a
partnership made up of representatives from the Community, Voluntary and Public
sectors. The community reps bring issues raised by the local community to the
meeting and help decide the best way to tackle them. They are able to report
back to the groups that they represent and bring any issues raised from their
groups.
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Crime Theme Group
Priorities: We know from consultation
and research that the issues of most concern to our communities are often the
most fundamental and basic – levels of crime and in particular the fear of
crime, anti-social behaviour, drugs and alcohol misuse and the negative impact
this can have on a community. This Theme Group looks at addressing some of
those issues.
Agencies attending the Crime
theme group include:
Kirklees Safer Communities
Partnership
Youth Inclusion Programme
Kirklees Neighbourhood Wardens
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Economic Wellbeing Theme Group
Priorities: The Economic Wellbeing
theme group seeks to inform and eventually change the service provision which
covers the Dewsbury West area and meet the needs of local residents through
discussing what local people feel are the current issues and priorities and
comparing it to the information from the services involved with the group. It
looks at issues around training and employment in particular.
Agencies attending the Economic
Wellbeing theme group include:
Jobcentre Plus
Calderdale & Kirklees Careers
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Education Theme Group
Priorities: It is recognised that all
children and young people access universal services but that some require
targeted support and interventions to give them equal opportunities to achieve.
In Dewsbury West, there is the need to raise the aspirations and ambitions of
young people in order to raise levels of educational achievement, improve
progression on to post 16 education and training and to improve the life
chances of young people.
In addition, recent
research provides evidence that the adult educational Standards in Dewsbury
West are low and their educational needs are greater than in any other ward in
Kirklees.
The Education Theme Group
looks to address some of these issues.
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Health Theme Group
Priorities: There is a gap between
the health of people living in Dewsbury West and those who live in communities
not seen as being disadvantaged. To close that gap, we need to tackle a range
of issues which affect the health of individuals and communities such as
removing barriers to good health (e.g. decent homes and jobs) and providing
support for people to have healthier lifestyles (e.g. physical activity, a good
diet).
Agencies attending
the Health theme group include:
Sure Start
Community Support Services
Kirklees Drug Action Team
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Housing &
Environment Theme Group
Priorities: This theme group focuses
on addressing the quality of the physical environment, including the houses in
which we live, how rubbish and litter are dealt with and the quality of our
open spaces and streets. It can look at standards, targets, response times and
new approaches for services like:
Refuse collection
Graffiti removal
Fly tipping
Agencies attending
the Housing & Environment theme group include:
Kirklees Anti Social Behaviour Unit
Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing
KMC Cleansing Services
Kirklees Neighbourhood Wardens
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Community Engagement
Theme Group
Priorities: Community engagement
theme group is working to develop Pathfinder's approach in targeting those
groups or communities not currently involved in making decision about the
services in their neighbourhoods. We want to enable people local people to have
a greater voice and influence over decision making and the delivery of local
services.
Agencies attending the Community
Engagement Theme Group include:
Community Support
Services
Kirklees Federation of
Tenants and Residents Association