Filling The Gaps In Rural Care And Support

To connect local people and professionals with community micro-enterprise support in the local area, the Community Catalysts team in Suffolk ran successful Speed Networking events in West Suffolk and Ipswich/East areas. This July, they coordinated and delivered a Mini-Networking event in Bungay.

The event originated from conversations with adult social care colleagues at Suffolk County Council – they had a lack of care options in rural Waveney, an area with some particularly remote villages that it is difficult to get larger care providers to cover. Together, they set out to explore whether community micro-enterprises could be well-placed to fill some of the gaps in rural care.

The team was joined by 10 community micro-enterprise leaders and 17 social work practitioners. They did ‘lightning introductions’ and went on to have some more in-depth small group discussions. These were themed around two areas.

Firstly, collaboration: what are micro-enterprises especially good at, what are the barriers to using their services, and are there any immediate actions that could make working together easier? There were lots of great ideas shared, such as simplifying the direct payments process for one-off types of support, which micro-enterprises’ flexibility can make them especially well-placed to deliver.

Secondly, groups discussed some case scenarios: examples of social care customers in rural areas that required specific support, and how micro-enterprises Mini-Networking Event Participants could offer person-centred care to these people. Again, there was plenty of creative discussions, including exploring some of the challenges for micro-enterprises, such as contingency planning.

It felt like attendees delved into the practical details of using micro-enterprises’ services, including the challenges of the direct payments process. There was a tangible sense of commitment to putting people at the heart of care by offering choice and control and working out how best to achieve this.

The event was supported by Suffolk’s enthusiastic commissioner, Ed Abbott (Head of Service for Homecare and Brokerage), alongside Justine Cook (Head of Service Development and Contracts, Waveney). Ed reflected on the energy and engagement at the event and the feedback from attendees reflected this.

The plan is to follow this up with a full Speed Networking event in Lowestoft in October 2026. There is an appetite for regular engagement events as it is felt that this approach is one of the most beneficial ways to generate interest in micro-enterprises and their services.