Village Agents
Village Agents Project Manager
Kate Darch kated@grcc.org.uk
01452 528491
The Village Agent website contains useful information and links of relevance to older people, plus much more. www.villageagents.org.uk. Also, the lastest Village Agent Progress report is available covering the period January to March 2008. If you would like a copy please contact Kate Darch.
To find the Village Agent for your parish follow the links below: Cotswolds, Stroud, Tewkesbury, Forest of Dean
Village Agents bridge the gap between the local community and statutory and voluntary organisations able to offer help or support to people over the age of 50 living in Gloucestershire. They provide high quality information, promote access to wide range of services, and identify unmet need within their community.
Through training and access to appropriate information resources, the Village Agents provide a service within their communities both in the short and longer term. Village Agents are recruited locally and trained to provide face to face information and support which enables individuals to make informed choices about their future needs. The service is provided primarily to older people, but other disadvantaged and isolated people are also be able to receive Village Agent support.
Village Agents offer a facilitated signposting service and put people in direct contact with the agency or agencies, whether statutory or voluntary, that is able to provide the services they need.
Village Agents work in 160 of the most rurally isolated parishes of Gloucestershire; this has grown from 96 since October 2006.
The Village Agent project is a pilot scheme funded by the Department for Work and Pensions (LinkAge Plus) until June 2008. GRCC is working in partnership with Gloucestershire County Council and also has a wide range of other partnership organisations involved in training and support, including the Gloucestershire Constabulary, Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue, Affordable Warmth Partnership, Care and Repair/Anchor Staying Put, Age Concern, Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust, District and Borough Councils and many more.
