National Excellence Award
Redbridge scoops National Excellence Award 06 December 2010
Redbridge has been hailed as an excellent example of partnership working at a national awards ceremony.
The Borough scooped the Excellence Award for Local Partnership Working at the Compact Awards in Whitehall on Wednesday 3 November 2010.
The Compact Awards recognise good relationships between local and national government and the voluntary sector.
Redbridge Faith Forum, Redbridge CVS (Redbridge Council for Voluntary Service), Redbridge Council, NHS Redbridge and the local police and fire services were praised for their combined efforts on schemes as wide-ranging as adult social care, volunteering and homelessness.
The organisations are signed up to the Redbridge Compact, a long-standing agreement that offers guidance about sharing commitments and work between the sectors.
The prize was presented to the Redbridge Mayor Cllr Jim O’Shea, Mayoress Mary O’Shea, Carol Khorsandyon from Redbridge Faith Forum, Inspector Martin Allen from Redbridge Police and Ross Diamond of RedbridgeCVS at the event in Admiralty House.
Redbridge has joined forces for projects such as NHS-funded mental health training for faith and community leaders, in which 75 members of religious groups were trained by voluntary sector workers in a bid to improve access to mental health support in under-represented sections of the community.
The Police, Council and voluntary sector also recently united for the Reach Initiative – a borough wide operation to count the number rough sleepers and help them to access housing and health services.
Ross Diamond, chief officer of RedbridgeCVS, said, “The Redbridge Compact has greatly improved the working relationships between sectors locally – as well as enhancing our understanding of each other’s roles and perspectives. Things are never perfect – but we have an excellent basis for continuing to make improvements for the benefit of local people.
“Here in Redbridge we have long embraced the notion of a Big Society, and the work we have been doing together demonstrates the potential to capture and lead this agenda. Schemes such as the Reach Initiative show the amount we can achieve when we concentrate our efforts on a common goal.”
Announcing the winners, Sir Bert Massie CBE, Commissioner for the Compact, said, “In times of economic adversity, it is particularly gratifying to see so much excellent practice taking place. This is exceptional partnership working focused on delivering the best services and providing maximum benefit to people and communities.”
Cllr Jim O’Shea, Mayor of Redbridge and Ambassador for Redbridge Compact, said, “This award is a credit to all the different organisations that have shown a commitment to strong partnership working by coming together and tackling the problems facing our community.”