Hidden Dorset

With more jobs being part-time and Dorset’s older population working longer, there are fewer job opportunities.

As a result of these increasing issues, more young people are lacking not only the qualifications they need to access further education or employment opportunities, but the self-worth, aspirations and social skills they need to thrive as adults – and compete for jobs.

There is a lack of understanding for people with SEN and disabilities, which exacerbate institutional barriers and makes it harder for them to access employment. This has led to a culture of benefit dependent lifestyles despite skills and abilities that could benefit communities.

Pandemic restrictions had a disproportionally greater impact on isolation and loneliness for groups already experiencing higher levels of isolation including older people, carers, people with disabilities and health conditions. As a result many people from these particular groups have very low confidence and greater social anxiety.

Providing opportunities to meet others experiencing similar challenges is a powerful way to reduce loneliness and helps to address shared issues and find solutions. Peer to peer approaches can lead to increased volunteering, which strengthens the voluntary sector as well as benefiting volunteers themselves. As well as reducing isolation, volunteering can lead to improved confidence and employability.

Dorset’s ageing population is causing increasing pressure on health and social care services, and this is combined with a backlog of patients awaiting treatment.

The pandemic together with the cost of living crisis may have caused a shift in priorities away from health and self-care, to tackling more practical, immediate and critical needs such as poverty, housing and employment. This may be one of the reasons we are seeing increased numbers of people suffering mental health issues.

Despite anecdotal evidence of improved knowledge of ‘healthy eating’, community groups working with low income households observe poor cooking skills, and a lack of understanding around how food choices can contribute to financial pressures.

Dorset has a number of acutely deprived areas (Somerford is one example) where residents have faced severe socio-economic deprivation for decades, and where social mobility is unlikely.

DCF has seen a rise in grant applications from new food provision projects, from social supermarkets, community fridges and pantries to food boxes, community meals and deliveries. Before March 2020 the average proportion of our grants to groups that supported food provision was 5 per cent – since then it is 37 per cent, with the largest proportion in the year 2022/23. Much of the rise has been due to the launch of the BCP Food & Energy Support Fund, funded by the government’s Household Support Fund via BCP Council.

Homeless people have often been impacted by multiple social issues in their lives, many of which have been explored in this report. They experience social stigma and often find it difficult to trust others, compounding the challenges of moving away from homelessness and building the skills they need to live independently.

Volunteering or participating in green community initiatives share many of the social outcomes that other local activities and groups achieve such as increased social connections, stronger community cohesion, learning new skills, benefits to health and wellbeing and ways to address the cost of living crisis.