Our Structure

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The LINk's Structure

A) The Host

CVA (Croydon Voluntary Action) are the host for the Shadow Healthwatch Croydon. CVAs role is to support and facilate the Healthwatch in the Local Authority area. The Shadow Healthwatch Croydon is independent of any government organisation with their own decision making and governance processes.

The work of the Healthwatch is supported by a team of Community Involvement workers based within the Healthwatch's host, Croydon Voluntary Action.

Community Involvement Workers assist the Working groups in achieving their priorities through the undertaking of extensive public engagement and involvement, report writing and organising and facilitating public information and consultation events.

Shadow Healthwatch Croydon is one of the few Healthwatchs to have an involvement worker dedicated to working with young people, encouraging them to have their say on the services they use in Croydon. The involvement worker is responsible for facilitating the participation of children and young people in the activities of the network by involving them in creative participatory methods.

The work provides appropriate support to children and young people to participate in the Healthwatch activities, individually and in groups, to ensure they have the right skills to identify views of the whole community and to present these findings to appropriate audiences in a way which will lead to positive change for children and young people.

Children and young people have been involved in the project in a variety of ways from attending public meetings, 11 Million Takeover Day, participating in focus groups on ‘Maternal health services’, ‘Sex Education’, ‘young people’s health concerns’, completing questionnaires and online surveys along with performing a play on obesity at a public meeting.

To find out more about Croydon Voluntary Action go to www.cvalive.org.uk.

Involvement in the Healthwatch

The Healthwatch is open for anyone who lives, works, studies or receives health and social care services in the London Borough of Croydon.

Anyone may comment, however there are two key ways to be involved in the Healthwatch:

B) Healthwatch Participant

This is a person, group or organisation that wants to influence the bigger picture through the roles of the Healthwatch, even though they may not be in a position to participate on a regular basis.

A participant may be interested in a single issue, may take an active role in specific pieces of work that relate to their areas of interest, or they may take a less active role by answering surveys or providing information or a view on behalf of an interest group

C) Healthwatch member

(i) Steering Group - this is a person or group that makes a commitment to take part on a regular basis in the development and implementation of the roles of the Healthwatch and to provide information to and collect information from a local community or a specific group within that community.

(ii) Member of a Working Group – this is a person or group that feels passionately about a particular issue, and would like to join others to pursue it.

(iii) Nominated Representative – this is a person who is interested in the inspection of health and social care providers. This person will receive specialised training for this role.

(iv) General Interest – this is a person not able to attend regular meetings but keen to contribute at the Healthwatch Public Meetings and other events.