THEMES
Health Systems
Loneliness
Capacity building
Rochdale Council: ‘Training the trainers’ - Loneliness Reduction Training
PROCESS
Training
Facilitation
Loneliness is the root cause of many mental health issues and erodes social cohesion in communities. Recognising this, Rochdale Borough Council’s Public Health and Wellbeing Team was looking to commission loneliness trainings for public sector, -both in and out of the local authority -, as well as those from the private sector and Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS).
In particular, Rochdale Council wanted professionals represented on the Safeguarding Adults Board to be able to identify when someone is experiencing loneliness, diagnose its causes and, therefore, find solutions.
The Project Brief
Our Approach
We produced a new, tailored version of our tried and tested programme to train 12 individuals so that they can deliver it to their respective colleagues.
The workshops were split between two half mornings:
Day 1: Participants engaged in a condensed version of the training, developing a deep understanding of loneliness and the course content.
Day 2: Focused on how to facilitate the training through a range of activities.
Participants received a printed copy of the Training Handbook and an online version that included facilitation guidelines, allowing them to customise it with their own edits and notes for future trainings.
In partnership with local infrastructure organisations, CSC delivered loneliness training to over 40 grassroots organisations working in Rochdale, Tameside and West Norfolk, thanks to funding from The National Lottery Community Fund. The relational and strength-based approach of our programme means the learning material can be readily adapted to suit the needs, strengths, and interests of participants.
Rochdale Council was looking for a long-term, impactful, and cost-saving solution. After hearing about our Loneliness Reduction Training, Rochdale Council commissioned us to develop a new version of the training - a ‘Train the Trainer’ model.
Impact
This innovative yet effective idea to ‘train the trainers’ extends the reach of the Loneliness Reduction Training.
Watch the video to see the training's impact:
Update
Thanks to Rochdale Council, we are able to provide the 'Train the Trainer' model as part of our new programme, delivering Building Connections Workshops across England, supported by our 32 Steps to Togetherness initiative!
We are currently delivering the model to some participants who joined our Building Connections workshop in Stoke.
