The roles, which are co-designed and co-delivered with local Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector (VCSE) partners, are emblematic of the person-centred and holistic care and support that we aspire to always provide.
We have seen the Community Connectors working passionately to help address some of the social determinants of ill-health by better connecting people to each other and their communities, while also enabling more joined-up systems of care and support by connecting services and sectors together too.
As this professional group is becoming increasingly established as a cornerstone of our model of community mental health care in East London, now is a timely moment to reflect on how the role is developing and explore how we can best support the Community Connector workforce and their teams to flourish.
This framework is about just that. It is the culmination of a process which has brought people together to share their experiences, exploring what has been impactful, what has been challenging, and what else might be possible.
Its publication allows us to learn from how the roles have developed so far, establish role competencies, and to put in place clearer, and more structured and systematic learning and professional development support around the role moving forwards so Community Connectors are able to thrive and progress.