Create a sound organisational structure
No two Dementia Friendly Compassionate Community initiatives will be the same. Clear organisational structures help an initiative’s supporters to understand their roles and responsibilities, but flexibility and willingness to adapt are needed to find optimal configurations:
- Select a legal structure appropriate to the initiative, its aims and the local context, including consideration of a formal constitution.
- Understand the different forms of legal structure open to charities and social enterprises. Each has different requirements for registration and implications for:
- what operational activities are allowable
- fundraising
- the use and transfer of assets
- financial reporting
- organisational governance
- tax benefits
- the personal liability of those directing the initiative
- Have an agreed process for identifying and appointing local boards or committees to take forward the initiative.
- Ensure a good range of skills, e.g. operational, financial, administrative and communication etc. across the organisation.
- Ensure directors, committee members, staff and supporters clearly understand their roles and relationships to each other.
- Have a clear mission statement, set of values and agreed aims and objectives.
- While evaluation is challenging, it is easier to measure relevant outcomes by setting up an evaluation structure that becomes part of daily routine and involves small steps at a time . Keep in mind the kinds of information any funders might want for evaluation purposes.
- Set up a loosely affiliated collaborative made up of cross-sectoral representation including locally based people affected by long term health conditions (including dementia), health and social care providers and other specialists to meet periodically to identify service needs and opportunities for developing new projects for local families affected by long term health conditions.
- Rather than regular meetings, efforts should be made to recruit representatives from all stakeholder groups who can be tapped into when required, e.g. inviting members to join problem solving Task Groups that identify ways to achieve specific objectives and, once reached, move on to the next task.
Key Outcomes
Initiatives should ensure they have a performance framework to demonstrate how they intend to fulfil their Mission Statement (core values) by fulfilling their key outcomes:
- Communities will have a significant say in how their compassionate community is run.
- Individuals, families and carers will have a community of support around them.
- People will feel included in their community.
- People will feel safe, listened to, valued and respected.
- Individuals will be able to do the things that matter to them.
- Individuals will be supported to stay in their own homes for as long as is appropriate through development of a range of activities and services that meet their needs.
- Communities will have the people, resources, confidence and skills to develop and deliver community led activities.
- Communities will have increased understanding of dementia in an effort to reduce stigma.