Local Involvement Networks (LINks)

A LINk is a network of local people, organisations and groups that want to make care services better and there will be one in place in every Local Authority area that has social services responsibility. Each LINk will be set up in a way that works best for its local community.

Why are LINks being set up?

There have been changes over the past few years in how health and social care services are planned and run. All of these changes aim to make services better. People are being offered more choice in the services they get and who provides them. Health and social care services are working more closely together and are trying to listen more to people who use them about their needs. Ideas about how to do this were published in July 2006 in a report called 'A Stronger Local Voice' which said that there needed to be new organisations called Local Involvement Networks - LINks.

What will LINks do?

LINks will encourage and support local people to get involved in how local care services are planned and run. They will listen to local people about their needs and about their experience of services. A LINk will also work with care professionals to make sure their views are heard.

LINks will feedback this information to the people responsible for commissioning, providing, managing and checking up on health and social care services so that things can change for the better.

Who can be part of a LINk?

A LINk should be able to represent everyone in the community so all of the different groups and types of people that make up the local population will be able to join. LINk members can include user-led organisations, local voluntary and community sector organisations and individual people. People do not have to be members of a LINk to get involved or have their say.

How will LINks be set up?

Each Local Authority will get money from the Department of Health and will use it to pay a Host organisation. The host will be responsible for setting up the LINk and giving practical support to keep it going. If a Host is not in place by April 2008, the Local Authority will have a duty to make sure that LINks activities are carried out until the Host is recruited.

What will the Host do?

The job of the Host will be to:

help the LINk to set up
encourage local groups, organisations and individuals to get involved, especially those who are not always heard
work with local people and groups to set up how the LINk will work locally and how it will decide what to do
hold the money for the LINk and be responsible for keeping records of how money is spent
regularly let local people know what the LINk is doing and ask them for their views
keep good recors of what the LINk does and who is involved
provide advice and support to the LINk
make regular reports to the Local Authority about how it is supporting the LINk
work with other strategic organisations and partnerships locally

LINks in Dudley

Processes for procuring a Host organisation in Dudley are underway and we hope that by June 2008 we will have contractual arrangements in place, until then we will need to set up 'shadow' arrangements.

During February, we will be working collaboratively with our key health partners to help us shape and develop these interim arrangements. We will keep you informed of further updates.

Further information