Best practice by SYHA, UK
Age better in Sheffield (ABis) by the South Yorkshire Housing Association (SYHA) aims to engage people aged over 50 to build social connections, improve their well-being, and reduce loneliness and social isolation. By sitting as core partners alongside public health and academic experts, older people are enabled to influence the policy making process where their lived experience contributes to the design, delivery, evaluation, and ultimately success of the programme and related initiatives.
ABiS is wholly co-produced by people over 50 with personal or professional experience of loneliness and social isolation. They sit on the Core Partnership, a governing board, making decisions about programme design and delivery, including:
- Co-governance– representatives have equal voice and influence in how the programme is delivered.
- Co-commissioning– joint decision making on funding and evaluating programme activities
- Co-delivery– close collaboration with the programme’s delivery partners who are testing new interventions to reduce isolation and loneliness
- Co-evaluation– support from a range of representatives with a background in research and evaluation.
Through the Core Partnership, older people can question and advise representatives from organisations & services across Sheffield including the local authority, Sheffield 50+, NHS, Clinical Commissioning Group, Public Health, Sheffield Hallam University, the Private Sector, the Voluntary Community and Faith Sector, and SYHA.
Find out more
To find out more on this initiative, please do not hesitate to contact the organisation’s Coordinator through the Members Only Zone.
