Innovations in - Supporting people to contribute and do things they enjoy
The Tribe Project Skilling up care entrepreneurs
Organisation
‘Tribe’ was founded by Bronze Software Labs Ltd is a multi-award winning R&D and software development firm, we were formed eight years ago in Shropshire and have built multi national city-scale citizen engagement technologies. By way of example one of our core systems sits at the heart of a major research project to interlink the data of eight major EU cities and also handles mobile working operations for several major UK industrial companies.
What is the problem this innovation solves?
‘The Tribe Project’ is a social action initiative to upskill members of the community within areas of high inequality to become ‘micro commissionable’ care entrepreneurs. On any given day there is a 90,000+ short-fall in care workers nationally with the highest impact felt in disparately populated areas. Brexit has increased churn in the care industry to 33% (7% carers sourced from EU), accelerating the industry care provision crisis. Current Adult Social Care provision in this climate is clearly no longer sustainable. Our initiative upskills people in areas hardest hit by care inequality creating new quality jobs growing out the per capita GDP of rural economies whilst tangibly reducing pressure on health and social care systems. Ultimately we will improve the quality of life for aging populations and economically disadvantaged communities.
Solution
Tribe is able to geospatially orientate and ultimately predicts patterns in community ‘need’. We are able to map demand on services from an aggregation of data across both voluntary and public sector organisations. Tribe facilitates neighbourhood lead community action via digital devices such as mobile, wearables and voice interface hardware. Through this medium citizens can easily interface with, and action low level community need within their own neighbourhood. Volunteers can choose to be Digitally DBS checked via the platform to open up access to
additional community demand.. Working with key partners and leveraging digital training ‘The Tribe Project’ upskills hundreds of DBS checked volunteers to become entry level certified community carers. We will predict and map patterns of care inequality in communities, upskilling people within these areas to become commissionable community carers, subsequently growing out micro-economies through community entrepreneur.
Evidence base
The business case produced by our four council co-production partners procurement is compelling. Although it highlights a £800k fiscal saving through administrative cost reduction, based on 400 new carers (per authority) model, the largest risk identified was continuing with the current model - It has been proven internally current methods of care are not sustainable.
Expected impact
- Creation of hundreds of new micro care businesses within hard to reach and deep rural areas:
Working with project partners we will grow hundreds of new micro-providers delivering highquality and cost effective care. - Reduce the cost of care:
Based on our current model which was co-created with local authorities, our project will introduce significant cost savings, especially for rural areas. As a by-product of this our intention is to pass administrative cost savings into increasing the wages of care workers. - Reduce loneliness and social isolation:
Tribe is foremost a social action framework designed to release a communities capacity to care.
Tribe provides a conduit through which we will raise awareness of community need and a tangible way through which members of the public can support other citizens.
Stage and spread (where it is/how much is there?)
The Tribe Project has been commission via g-cloud within four local authorities.
What would councils/health organisations/local areas need to do or have in place to enable it to develop?
Tribe is being developed and shaped through an ongoing co-production period with local authorities. This is to ensure the software and deliverables are actually useful to both the authority and the end user. Tribe is a g-cloud approved platform and can very simply commission via this government approved framework.
What would kill it?
Lack of government legislative or tax support for people to run micro enterprises in this industry.
Where to go for more information
