A training day to introduce practitioners to the Community Circles approach will take place in Manchester on 11th December 2018 at The Studio, Central Manchester. This training and development day is for people, groups and organisations wanting to explore the potential of Community Circles in supporting people to be happier, healthier and more connected.

Community Circles are facilitated by volunteers who are recruited, trained and supported by Circle Connectors. They bring together family members, friends, community members and (in some cases) service staff to support individuals. They use person-centred methods and tools to identify the things that are important to people and then plan and act to achieve these things – increasing wellbeing, combatting loneliness, building community connections and improving care outcomes.

Circles are currently mostly used by people with older people, including people with dementia, people with learning disabilities and mental health needs, but are also being explored with other groups who may benefit. Circles can benefit people living in a range of settings and using various forms of support. Subjects covered during the training day will include:

• How Circles work
• Introduction to key tools and techniques
• Adapting Circles – what is the essence of a Circle? What is core, where can there be flexibility?
• Delivering Circles in different kinds of situation and setting
• Pitfalls, barriers and solutions
• Embedding Circles in your organisation
• Key steps in local action plans
• Developing membership support

Costs and booking

The cost of a place is £195, and each booked place comes with a 12 month organisational membership which provides follow-on access to use of e-training materials, a series of six “how to” webinars, and the Community Circles closed Facebook page. Future training and development places are available to members at cost price. A small number of reduced price places are available to small community groups and families. For more details, or to book a place, please contact membership@community-circles.co.uk