Age UK Oxfordshire
Helping older people in Oxfordshire to stay safe and warm at home
Our project at a glance
- Priority need group: Older people
- Strategic priority area: Supporting priority vulnerability groups to access tailored support services
- Support target: 8,000 households
- Duration: August 2024 to March 2026
- Investment: £385,490 over 20 months
- Forecast SROI: £4.34
Age UK Oxfordshire and SGN share a passion for reaching those disadvantaged by illness, social isolation and digital exclusion. We know that we can successfully connect older people, including those living with dementia, to welfare benefits, safety measures like carbon monoxide monitors, and energy advice. This support helps people pay essential bills, worry less about debt, and stay safe and well in their homes. It’s wonderful to know our efforts make a difference, as older people often tell us they feel more connected, less worried and better informed.
Rachel Boland
Head of Information and Advice, Age UK Oxfordshire
Why we’re working together
Age UK Oxfordshire is an independent charity offering support and services to older people. Many of the older people the charity supports experience inequalities, which make it harder for them to access the support they need.
The 2019 Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) identified 10 areas within Oxfordshire that are among the 20% most deprived areas nationally. While residents living in these areas are most likely to experience inequalities, inequality is not just about living in deprived areas.
Those who are socially isolated or digitally excluded also face barriers to accessing support services, as do disabled people and people with a critical illness such as dementia.
We’re proudly partnering with Age UK Oxfordshire to support vulnerable older households who may be experiencing barriers to accessing energy safeguarding services. By increasing support services for vulnerable older households in Oxfordshire, we aim to help alleviate fuel poverty across the county and increase energy safety awareness.
Project objectives
- Providing personalised one-to-one energy safeguarding, debt and benefits advice
- Reducing digital exclusion through one-to-one coaching and onward referrals
- Encouraging eligible households to sign up for the Priority Services Register
- Raising awareness of carbon monoxide safety and providing free CO alarms to households most at risk of CO harm
- Educating households on winter readiness through a mass awareness campaign
How we’re working together
One-to-one energy safeguarding and financial resilience support
We’ll support 8,000 vulnerable households across Oxfordshire to maintain a safe and warm home through one-to-one support over the phone and in person. We’re targeting our support towards households living in a deprived area, who are socially or digitally excluded or who have a critical illness or disability.
The Age UK Oxfordshire team offer personalised energy safety advice, as well as support with accessing benefits and other entitlements. We can help digitally excluded households learn how to get online safely, referring eligible households to the Getting Oxfordshire Online initiative for more in-depth support.
Upskilling Age UK Oxfordshire teams and volunteers
By training frontline workers and volunteers in energy safeguarding, we’re able to expand the reach of our programme. After training, the frontline teams will be able to confidently triage vulnerable households and offer basic energy safeguarding advice.
Winter readiness campaign
We aim to reach a minimum of 22,962 Oxfordshire households with winter readiness information to help them stay safe and warm at home during the colder months. Our multi-channel campaign will provide information on the PSR, CO safety and other energy safeguarding measures.
How to get involved
Accessing Age UK Oxfordshire services
As one of our VCMA network partners, you can refer your older clients to Age UK Oxfordshire by getting in touch with the team through the charity’s website.
If you’re an older person living in Oxfordshire and need help to stay safe and warm at home, you can visit the Age UK Oxfordshire website for more information about the different ways the charity can support you.
Becoming an Age UK Oxfordshire partner
You can find out more about partnering with Age UK Oxfordshire on the charity’s website.
This new partnership with SGN is extremely timely, given the government decision to restrict winter fuel payments to only those on certain benefits. With many older people and carers feeling extreme pressures around the cost of living, it’s vital that we’re able to support people to access the information, entitlements and tools available so that they can stay safe and warm in their homes.