Document Category: Poverty and Disadvantage

Spark iT was founded in 2021, as the UK emerged from Covid, to tackle digital exclusion at its roots. Today, partnering with community spaces to run
Digital Cafés across Somerset each month, more than 30 cafés open their doors. Each with trained and friendly volunteer Digital Champions on hand, ready to help.
They’re free, welcoming to everyone, and support people to use the internet safely and access online services that support their health, wellbeing and daily lives.

This document gives practical insights into cradle-to-career (C2C) models and community-based approaches for improving social mobility. It provides actionable steps, case studies, and 15 innovative practices that can be adopted to support under-resourced children and families. By reading, VCFSEs will gain strategies for partnership, community engagement, and sustainable impact, helping them drive joined-up, relational support and systemic change in their local areas. Holyrood School in Chard is one of the case studies

PROMISEworks latest results from a year of imbedding impact and presenting needs analysis.

This report, “Stigma in the System,” explores how stigma is embedded in the UK social security system, impacting claimants’ financial security, mental health, and trust in the system. ​ It examines public perceptions, institutional practices, and internalized stigma, revealing how these factors discourage people from claiming benefits they are entitled to. ​ The report highlights the emotional toll of navigating the system and offers recommendations to humanize, simplify, and better resource social security, aiming to reduce stigma and improve outcomes for claimants. Essential reading for policymakers, advocates, and anyone interested in creating a fairer, more supportive welfare system.

Somerset’s refreshed Joint Forward Plan sets out how the Integrated Care System will deliver the county’s Health and Care Strategy from 2024–2029. It focuses on five priorities: restoring financial sustainability, developing the workforce, improving system flow, strengthening integrated neighbourhood teams, and transforming population health. The plan responds to significant financial pressures, growing demand and inequalities, and places strong emphasis on prevention, partnership with the VCFSE, data-driven decision making and supporting people to live healthier, independent lives.

The 2024–25 Annual Report outlines progress against the Police and Crime Plan’s five priorities: strengthening neighbourhood policing; reducing violent crime (including male violence against women and girls and serious youth violence); preventing crime through partnerships; supporting victims; and improving policing standards. Key achievements include 10,000+ hotspot foot patrol hours, expanded violence‑reduction programmes, improvements in victim services, and enhanced scrutiny, training and community engagement. The report highlights collaboration with local authorities, VCFSE organisations, and national partners to build safer, more confident communities.

The Somerset Council Plan 2023–2027 sets out the vision for building a fairer, greener, healthier and more resilient Somerset. It focuses on four priority areas: tackling the climate and ecological emergencies; improving health and wellbeing; reducing inequalities; and strengthening Somerset’s economy and communities. The plan emphasises prevention, community involvement, partnership working, improving access to services, supporting education and skills, enabling sustainable growth, protecting vulnerable residents, and promoting cultural, economic and environmental resilience. It also highlights the role of Local Community Networks, sustainable transport, green technologies, inclusive services, decent housing, and supporting local jobs and opportunities.

The Improving Lives Strategy (2019–2028) sets a shared vision for improving health, wellbeing and life chances across Somerset by tackling the wider social determinants of health. Developed by the Somerset Health and Wellbeing Board and partners including Somerset County Council, NHS organisations, the historic district councils, Avon & Somerset Constabulary and Healthwatch, it focuses on prevention, fairer life chances, stronger communities and healthier, more independent living. For VCFSE organisations, it outlines partnership roles, opportunities to influence priorities, shape prevention work, strengthen community resilience and collaborate across sectors to support disadvantaged groups and deliver local impact.

Year‑in‑review of performances, screenings and participation; includes in‑house pantomime production and engagement outcomes. Details community events such as playdays and projects that have been run for health and wellbeing, access and inclusion and the environment.

The Labour Party National Youth Strategy, which outlines the actions the government are committing to over the next 10 years to secrure the future that young people have told them that they want

Delivering inspirational mentoring to Somerset’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged young people.

Hidden Somerset is a series of short reports looking at aspects of life in Somerset that are often hidden from view. By lifting the lid on the experience and insights of frontline grassroots charities that work at the heart of our communities, we aim to stimulate debate and understanding across a wider audience, helping to inspire new and more impactful philanthropy.

This report draws on community consultation to tell us how our funding could support older people across Somerset

The 2023/24 fiscal year was a year of transition for CCS with internal reviews, contingency planning, and development of our new Strategy, aligned to our new Vision, Mission and Values.