Future funding of Sandwell Visually Impaired (SVI)

If you require assistance to complete the survey over the phone please call Adult Social Care on (0121) 569 5424.

Introduction

We are preparing to enter the seventh year of central Government cuts to local authority budgets and councils up and down the country have some difficult decisions to make.

We are constantly looking at new ways of doing things, including supporting people to be more independentand generating income so weare less reliant on government funding for services.

Sandwell Visually Impaired(SVI)is a user-led charitable organisation which provides arange of services and activities for visually impaired people in Sandwell. SVI helps their users to achieve confidence and obtain the skills to enable them to have fulfilled lives. SVI currently receives funding from Sandwell Council for staff costs andpremises in addition to external sources of funding.

As part of the ongoing process of budget cuts, a report was presented to the council’s cabinet members which recommended consultation with users of SVI, their carers and families, staff, staff representatives, local communities and other relevant stakeholders on the following options for future funding of SVI.

The options are:

Option 1 - Continue as is. Council grants, direct and in-kind support from the council are maintained and service continues to operate as is.

Option 2 - Withdraw direct and in-kind support by the Council and explore alternative funding options. In this option savings will be achieved. Adult Social Care and alternative funding options will be explored with each organisation to enable them to be sustained and to operate independently

Option 3 - Withdraw direct and in-kind support by the Council over a 2-year period at a 50% reduction per year and explore alternative funding options. Here savings for Adult Social Care would be achieved over a 2-year period which allows the organisations additional time to explore the achievement of independence and financial future viability through alternative funding sources.

Please complete this short survey to give us your views and comments.Your answers willinfluence the decision making process on the future funding of SVI.

Q 1.Do you agree with the option that council funding for SVI should continue as is? Please indicate:

Strongly agree

Agree

Neither agree nor disagree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Q 2. Do you agree with the option that SVI should be run completely independently and without council funding? Please indicate:

Strongly agree

Agree

Neither agree nor disagree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Q 2a.If you agree with Q2., how many years do you think it would take for SVI to no longer need council funding?Please indicate:

2yrs

3yrs

4yrs

5yrs

Q 3. Do you agree with the option that SVI should transition to being run completely independently(without council funding)over a two-year period? Please indicate:

Strongly agree

Agree

Neither agree nor disagree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Q 4. What do you value about the services provided by SVI?

(Please indicate all that apply to you)

  1. They are supportive to visually impaired people
  2. Visually impaired people have a say in how the organisation is run
  3. Visually impaired people can meet others and share experiences about living with sight loss
  4. They put visually impaired people in touch with other support and services
  5. They provide information in accessible formats e.g. large print, audio, Braille, Sandwell Talking News every week
  6. Other (please specify)

Q 5. Do you have any suggestions or comments on how SVI could achieve financial independence?

Q6. Do you have anyother comments or suggestions?

Q 7. Are you responding as: (please indicate one option)

A user of Sandwell Visually Impaired

A relative / carer of a user of Sandwell Visually Impaired

Sandwell resident

Sandwell council employee

Local Councillor

Other (Please specify)

Q 8. Are you:

Male

Female

Q 9. How old are you?

Q 10. Are you blind or visually impaired? Please indicate:

Yes

No

Q 11. Which of the following groups do you consider you belong to?Please indicate:

White - English / Welsh / Scottish / Northern Irish / British

White - Irish

White - Gypsy or Irish Traveller

Any other White background

Mixed - White and Black Caribbean

Mixed - White and Black African

Mixed - White and Asian

Any other Mixed / multiple ethnic background

Indian

Pakistani

Bangladeshi

Chinese

Any other Asian background

African

Caribbean

Any other Black / African / Caribbean background

Arab

Any other ethnic group

Thank you for taking the timeto complete this survey.

[IL0: UNCLASSIFIED]