Our Priorities

Our vision

To inspire our communities through a dedicated programme of work which enhances the lives of Breckland residents through:

• Strategic partnerships
• Early intervention services
• Community funding

Inspiring Communities is a £1 million investment over three years, with the aim of making a positive impact on those affected by Domestic Abuse, County Lines, Mental Health, Social Isolation and Loneliness.

Our mission

To collectively lead, enable and support a District-wide approach to improving resident health and wellbeing.

The four priorities of Inspiring Communities:

Breckland Council plays an important role in identifying people who need help. Through collaboration with key stakeholders, we're here to collectively lead, enable, and support a district-wide approach to providing interventions to improve the health and wellbeing of our residents.

We provide core local services, including community safety, economic development, planning, housing, leisure, wellbeing, and environmental services for local communities. These areas are increasingly recognised as vital components of population health systems.

Following feedback from residents and partners, we identified four priorities on which to focus our activities within the Inspiring Communities programme:

1. Domestic abuse

Anyone can be affected by domestic abuse, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, socio-economic status, sexuality or background. There are different kinds of abuse that can happen in different contexts. Exiting abuse is harder, takes longer and is more complex for people living in rural locations as there are significant additional barriers in rural communities compared to urban areas.

Our commitment:

Inspiring Communities has funded theDaisy Programme (opens new window)  to recruit a Community & Early Help worker to work with survivors of domestic abuse, giving them the tools to enable them to make possibility future life choices.

Do you need support for domestic abuse?

2. Social isolation and loneliness

These two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but they can exist independently of each other. Social isolation is an objective measure of the number of contacts a person has, irrespective of their closeness or quality. Loneliness is about how we feel about our social relationships.

Social isolation is becoming more prevalent and is associated with increased risk of mortality, higher rates of hospital admissions and earlier entry into care homes. Loneliness can lead to depression and poor cardiovascular health. Rural areas, such as Breckland, have a unique set of circumstances that can exacerbate the social isolation of residents.

Our commitment:

The Inspiring Communities programme is delivering projects directly and funding partners to support residents in our community. These includeThe Silver Social (opens new window) ,Our Day Out (opens new window) , and CAN Connect. 

3. Mental health

Mental health problems are widespread, at times disabling, yet often hidden. Anyone can be affected at any point in their lives, including new mothers, children, teenagers, adults, and older people. Mental health problems represent the largest single cause of disability in the UK.

Our commitments:

In response to recommendations laid out in the Norfolk and Waveney Adult Mental Health Strategy entitled. We have made commitments to increasing our focus on prevention and wellbeing, and to make the routes into and through mental health services clearer and easier to understand.

• We've established the Breckland Mental Health Community Partnership to collectively deliver theMindful Towns mental health training and education programme for community organisations and small businesses. This aims to create a network of 250 community mental health champions.
• We have invested £20,000 intoa programme of mental health support (opens new window)  with Breckland YAB, for children and young people awaiting access to psychological clinical interventions, and their families.

4. County lines

County Lines is the term used for urban gangs supplying drugs to suburban areas, market and coastal towns using dedicated mobile phone lines or 'deal lines.' It involves criminal exploitation as gangs use children and vulnerable people to move drugs and money around the country.

Our commitment:

As part of our Inspiring Communities programme, Breckland Council has funded Police auto-plate recognition cameras within Breckland district. These cameras will help Police track suspected County Line operators within the district and develop evidence for possible criminal convictions.

Do you need advice? (opens new window)