Local Networks/Partnerships

Are you trying to CONNECT your work and the messages you want out there from your service to others trying to ACT on the same issues? Want to CONNECT with others doing the same or similar? There are already many people and services ACTING collaboratively across South Tees. These networks and partnerships CONNECT like minded professionals and volunteers, identify the challenges residents face and ACT together to help find solutions.

Our resource helps you CONNECT to the most relevant network/partnership to your area of work, provides it’s name, an outline of their purpose and function, who can join and the key person to contact so you can CONNECT and ACT in collaboration.

If you know of any networks/partnerships that are missing from this page please contact us with the details.

Healthy Lifestyle

Addictions inc gambing/drugs/alcohol/smoking, healthy weight, active living and sexual health.

Purpose of Group: To improve the health, environmental and economic status of people , through coordinated, effective and sustained action against tobacco control. Providing strategic leadership and drive for the tobacco control agenda across South Tees.
Who can Join? Anyone committed to promoting public health, protecting families and lessening health inequalities by reducing the harm caused by tobacco.
Contact: emma_mcinnes@middlesbrough.gov.uk Tel: 01642 728756
Purpose of Group: YGT is a collaborative partnership committed to bringing about a population level increase in physical activity across South Tees. The Exchange is the wide partnership of organisations that are working together to help make active lives a way of life in South Tees.
Who can Join? The Exchange is open to organisations who are interested in supporting active lives in South Tees. Many of our member organisations have priorities other than physical activity, but see physical activity as an opportunity to progress their organisational aims.
Contact: hello@youvegotthis.org.uk

Creative Health and Culture

Including Arts and Wellbeing

Purpose of Group: RCBC Museum Service, RCBC Library Service, Public Health Social Prescribing Teams and Tees Valley Arts working with Whippet Up to develop and run creative sessions in venues across Redcar and Cleveland.
Who can join?
Contact: For more information contact info@whippetup.org.uk
Purpose of Network:
The Redcar Cleveland Cultural Partnership consists of artists, arts and culture organisations
and professionals, working to provide a voice for the whole cultural sector of Redcar and Cleveland. Its purpose is to develop a way of working which builds, enables, and champions creativity and participation in everything we do as a sector, for artists, audiences and residents.
Who Can Join?
Membership to the Cultural Partnership is open to professional artists, arts and culture
organisations. Membership is reviewed at each meeting, with new members working within the Cultural sector in the borough invited to put themselves forward.
Contact:
Daniel Mitchelson (Creative Programmes Officer, Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council)
Email: Daniel.Mitchelson@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk
Tel No: 01642 444 483
Purpose of Network
The Middlesbrough Cultural Partnership exists to provide a voice for the whole cultural sector in Middlesbrough, to develop a wide ambition for the role of arts, culture and heritage in the town and champion creativity and participation in everything we do as a sector. Members support a collaborative way of working and aim to build on the impact of their artistic programmes collectively, engaging people in creative projects and working closely with both local, national and international artists.
Who Can Join?
Any cultural, artistic or heritage organisation working in or from Middlesbrough is welcome to apply to become a member of the Partnership. This is done through a transparent and fair application form, which can be accessed either on the website or by request. The application sets out the specific expectations of the Partnership, including attendance at meetings, sharing of resources and other support that can be offered. The Partnership will also set out the support it, in turn, can offer organisations.
Contact:
Gaye Kirby, Head of Culture
Email: gaye_kirby@middlesbrough.gov.uk

Sustainability

Environment, green space, local food processes – pot to plate, sustainable living

Purpose of Group: Our vision is to make the town a place where local people can eat good quality, healthy food that is easy to buy, offers value for money and is produced locally wherever possible.
Who can Join? Anybody that has an interest or whose work remit is related to any aspect of food - individuals and representatives of organisations (public, private and third sector).
Contact: joe.dunne@menvcity.org.uk
Food Partnership Website
Purpose of Group: A meeting of residents and organisations to discuss and organise activities related to awareness of climate change and the reduction of our carbon footprint. We offer training, support with events and the chance to meet other like-minded people and hear from guest speakers on environmentally related issues.
Who can Join? Individuals, or representatives of community and business groups who reside or are based in the Middlesbrough Council catchment area.
Contact: dave.scriven@menvcity.org.uk

Working and Learning

Education, skills, employment, volunteering

Purpose: The Redcar and Cleveland Business Network is a free, independent and volunteer-led, meet-up* of businesses, social enterprises including charities and CICs from Redcar and Cleveland, who have forged a positive business community to help each other overcome the challenges of running a business (*most months).
Who can join: any business within Redcar and Cleveland
How to join: Contact Darren Winter at Duco Digital darren@ducodigital.com
Purpose: To promote and support good practice in volunteering and create opportunities for volunteer coordinators to network and offer peer support.
Who can join: Anyone who works with, manages or supports volunteers from Middlesbrough
How to join: Email suganya@mvdauk.org.uk
Purpose: A network of people who are passionate about improving health and care across South Tees.
Who can join: All members either live, work or volunteer in Middlesbrough or Redcar and Cleveland and have the opportunity to regularly speak to local people and communities. Champions use their skills, expertise and knowledge of our local community to help us better understand people's experiences of health and social care.
How to join: E-mail vicky.jackson@pcp.uk.net or call her on 07874 867908 or visit https://www.healthwatchredcarandcleveland.co.uk/healthwatch-south-tees-community-champions-0

Identity, Belonging and Culture

LGBTQ+, BAME, Gender, Religious Belief, Migration, Veterans

Purpose of Group: To act as a collaborative group in assisting Armed Forces personnel, veterans and their family within the Middlesbrough area.
Who can Join? Membership is open to all organisations who provide services within the Middlesbrough area that may assist, whether directly or indirectly, Armed Forces personnel, veterans and their family
Contact: Julie Lewis on 01642 727728 or email Julie_Lewis@middlesbrough.gov.uk
Purpose of Group: To support, collaborate, advocate on behalf of minoritized ethnic communities. We have a particularly focus on developing and supporting South Asian and Muslim organisations in association with Tees Valley Muslim Council.
Who can join? Any organisation which can support and facilitate the core mission of the BME Network CIC.
Contact: Idrees Rashid Idrees_Rashid@middlesbrough.gov.uk
Purpose of Group: To provide a safe space and opportunity for UK Minority Ethnic-led/supporting organisations to come together to raise awareness of, and work together to address, the specific needs of their communities.

Who can join? Any organisation or individual representing, working with, or looking to expand reach into, our UKME communities.
Contact: Caroline Nakachwa - caroline@togethermc.org

Disability

Learning, Physical, Sensory, Safeguarding

Purpose of Group: To provide a safe and supportive environment in which to discuss issues relating to Deaf Equality and to provide support and a networking opportunity and to share best practice around Deaf equality, digital inclusion and service development.
Who can Join? It is open to all supporters and colleagues from community groups and services for Deaf people in Northeast England.
Contact: cheryl.young@cntw.nhs.uk emmanuel.chan@nhs.net
Purpose of Group: to work in partnership, raise awareness and highlight areas of need for anything related to dementia.
Who can join? Anyone who is working with those living with or caring for someone with dementia or service users
Contact: thea.fulton@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk

Safe Housing

Homelessness, Affordable warmth, fire safety, housing standards

If you know of one, please contact us on info@teeswellbeingnetwork.org

Men’s Health

Including male specific cancers, health conditions, screening etc.

Purpose of Group: We will be connecting organisations and men’s health champions who have an interest in improving men’s health, delivering male health orientated services and promotion of men’s health. We are the networking arm of the newly established EveryManCan CIC social enterprise (was BoroManCan campaign)
Who can join: Anyone employed or volunteering with an interest in South Tees Men’s Health issues.
Contact: Sign up to the South Tees Wellbeing Network (Click join us at the top of this page) and simply click the ‘Men’s Health’ box on registration. You will automatically be made a member of the Men’s Health Network.
E-mail: Richie Andrew - Company Director - everymancancic@gmail.com

Women’s Health

Including female specific cancers, health conditions, screening etc.

If you know of one, please contact info@teeswellbeingnetwork.org with the details.

Mental Health and Social Isolation

Suicide prevention, therapies, loneliness, emotional resilience, trauma, bereavement, peer support and lived experience

Purpose of Group: To contribute to the reduction of suicides across Teesside and implementation of local strategic plan to prevent suicides
Who can Join? Range of statutory and VCS organisations who have a key role in suicide prevention agenda
Contact: Andrea Mcloughlin - Public Health Practitioner - Preventing Suicides (Tees)
email: andrea_mcloughlin@middlesbrough.gov.uk
Purpose of Group: To work with family and parent focused professionals and cross sector organisations to improve and prevent mental health illness with parents. This can be through training, service referral pathway support, peer support programmes and much more.
Who can join? : Anyone who works or volunteers with parents, and has an interest in improving or preventing mental health illness e.g. Post Natal Depression.
Contact : Michelle Underwood (NHS NORTH OF ENGLAND COMMISSIONING SUPPORT UNIT) michelle.underwood5@nhs.net
Purpose of Group: Strategic partners work collaboratively to:
- Ensure access to support before crisis, making sure people with mental health problems can get help 24 hours a day and that when they ask for help, they are taken seriously.
- Urgent and emergency access to crisis care – making sure that a mental health crisis is treated with the same urgency as a physical health emergency.
- Quality of treatment and care when in crisis – making sure that people are treated with dignity and respect, in a therapeutic environment.
- Recovery and staying well – preventing future crises by making sure people are referred to appropriate services.
Who can join? Strategic and senior managers for mental health and social care,. VCSE represented by VDAs.
Contact: Unknown, will be updated soon.
Purpose of group: A multi-sector group which focuses on improving CYP’s mental health and wellbeing outcomes by focusing on systems approaches informed by ithrive and integrated support. A sub-group of the Children’s Trust Board.

Who can join?: By invite only.

Contact: paul.wales@actes.co.uk
Pupose of group: To bring together all mental health leads in each area to share good practice in whole school approaches and specific topic areas to support and improve CYP’s mental wellbeing and emotional health. Meets every half term.
Current membership includes senior and operational school mental health leads and school link governors as well as relevant professionals.
Contact:
Middlesbrough group:
Wendy_Kelly@middlesbrough.gov.uk Nicola_Hunt@middlesbrough.gov.uk
Redcar group:
Julie_Wilson@middlesbrough.gov.uk
Purpose of group: Half termly informal drop in for school mental health leads to gain peer support and discuss current trends and issues in relation to CYP mental health needs in their settings.
Contact:
Middlesbrough Group
Wendy_Kelly@middlesbrough.gov.uk Nicola_Hunt@middlesbrough.gov.uk
Redcar Group
Julie_Wilson@middlesbrough.gov.uk (Redcar & Cleveland).
Purpose of group: To provide support, wellbeing sessions, training and funding to those who are peer supporting.
Who can join? :Staff and volunteers who are using their own lived experience to support others with mental health or associated issues
Main contact for network: Saffron de Menezes
E-mail/contact details: saffron@teesvalleypeersupport.co.uk phone: 07840701573

Finance and Poverty

Purpose of Group: To ensure all communities in Middlesbrough have access to appropriate financial services, advice and information that enables them to manage their money on a day to day basis , plan for the future and deal effectively with financial hardship.
Who can Join? Anyone that provides support to people living in Middlesbrough area
Contact: , joanne_mcnally@middlesbrough.gov.uk, 01642728329
Purpose of Group: Our vision is to make the town a place where local people can eat good quality, healthy food that is easy to buy, offers value for money and is produced locally wherever possible.
Who can join? Anybody that has an interest or whose work remit is related to any aspect of food - individuals and representatives of organisations (public, private and third sector).
Contact: joe.dunne@menvcity.org.uk
Food Partnership Website
Purpose of Group: To work collaboratively to tackle food poverty, food insecurity and food access.
Who can join?: Anybody that has an interest or whose work remit is related to any aspect of food poverty/ food insecurity/ access to food - individuals and representatives of organisations (public, private and third sector).
Contact: joe.dunne@menvcity.org.uk

Physical and Long term Conditions

Screening, self management, therapies, carers, dementia, Service User involvement

Purpose of Group: To work together to raise awareness of unpaid care across the South Tees. To ensure local carers have access to information, resources and signposting to support should they need it to minimise any adverse impacts their caring role may have on their well-being.
Who can Join? Professionals who work with/ alongside unpaid carers across the South Tees can sign up for our fortnightly ebulletins
Contact: hello@wecareyoucare.info
Purpose of Group: Created to support the Council in addressing Covid safety within communities and increase vaccine uptake, and also to initially provide comms, sustainability and recoveyr grants to key VCS organisations. The network is a two-way form of communication with key members of our communities to ensure that we work together to increase awareness; keep residents safe; address and dispel myths and encourage vaccine uptake (particularly in those most vaccine hesitant). The group aims to evolve into a more generic Health Champions Network during 2022 as we learn to “live with covid”, giving us an opportunity to address wider health issues with our VCS and volunteer members.
Who can Join? Open to anyone
Contact: Katrina_jackson@middlesbrough.gov.uk, Tel 01642 727660.
Purpose of Group: Dementia Network is a multi-agency forum, that works collaboratively to achieve a shared vision for supporting people living with Dementia to live as well as possible, to help develop and mobilise a highly accessible, relevant and valued wellbeing offer for people living with dementia and Carers in Middlesbrough and continuously seeking improvement and pioneer innovation across all Organisations and Stakeholders
Who can Join? Anyone working or volunteering to support people living with dementia and their carers in Middlesbrough. Will also consider involvement from, families Carers and peer supporters with lived experience
Contact: emma_mcinnes@middlesbrough.gov.uk Tel: 01642 728756
Purpose of Group: Age Friendly Middlesbrough Steering Group Works collectively to mobilise and develop provision across the 8 domains of age friendly; ensuring high quality and sustainable outcomes for older adults in Middlesbrough and Influence local policy and strategy change that affects the lives of older people.
Who can Join? Commissioners, service providers and service-user representatives, who can support the collective attainment of the aims of the Steering Group. Will consider Chairs of Older Peoples advisory groups.
Contact: emma_mcinnes@middlesbrough.gov.uk Tel: 01642 728756
Purpose of Group: to work in partnership, raise awareness and highlight areas of need for anything related to dementia.
Who can join? Anyone who is working with those living with or caring for someone with dementia or service users
Contact: thea.fulton@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk
Purpose of group: To provide support, wellbeing sessions, training and funding to those who are peer supporting.
Who can join? :Staff and volunteers who are using their own lived experience to support others with mental health or associated issues
Main contact for network: Saffron de Menezes
E-mail/contact details: saffron@teesvalleypeersupport.co.uk phone: 07840701573

Digital Inclusion

Inclusion, exclusion and alternatives to digital technologies

Purpose of Group: To identify and reduce inequalities created by increasing reliance on digital technology and address digital poverty through increasing access to skills, connectivity and access to appropriate devices.
Who can join: Any organisation whose aim is to improve access to digital technology
Contact: Sue Kearney at The Hope Foundation, suekearney@hope-foundation.org.uk

Crime and Community Safety

Neighbourhood safety, domestic abuse, victim support, place based working etc

Purpose of Group: To support the Council to meet its duty under Section 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2022 (to ensure victims of domestic abuse receive adequate and appropriate support within safe accommodation services)
Who can join? Tier one authority representatives (relevant service areas within RCBC)
• Representatives of people affected by domestic abuse
• Representative/s of children affected by domestic abuse
• Representative/s for charities and other voluntary organisations that work with people affected by domestic abuse in the area
• Representative/s for health care services
• Representative/s for policing/criminal justice services
Contact: Sharon.dalton@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk
Purpose of group: To make Redcar and Cleveland a safer place to live, work and visit.
Who can join: Strategic partners ie police, fire, probation, health
Contact: jay.hosie@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk
Purpose of Group: Locality working to work with the community and partners to deliver on key community priorities , improve outcomes , increase community activity and life chances.
Who can join? The group is made up of council services and partners, ward stakeholder group includes local charities, community assets, schools VCS organisations.
Contact: Adam_Parkinson@middlesbrough.gov.uk
The survivor panel is a partnership between Middlesbrough Council and a range of specialist support services working with victims and survivors to identify, discuss and look at ways to help improve support for survivors.
We are encouraging victims and survivors from a diverse range of backgrounds to get involved so that the partnership can be a voice for change for everybody.
Contact: survivorpanel@middlesbrough.gov.uk

Relationships and Family

Purpose of Group: To improve the lives of children and their families in the first 1001 days of life (pregnancy and child’s first two years of life)
Who can join? Those who work with families in first 1001 days
Contact:Graeme_Nicholson@middlesbrough.gov.uk