Citizen Directed Co-operatives Cymru Project

About Citizen Directed Co-operatives Cymru (CDCC) Project

CDCC is an innovative project delivered in partnership between Disability Wales and Wales Co-operative Centre and is funded by Big Lottery Fund’s BIG Innovation fund until December 2018.

The project will support greater voice, choice and control for disabled people through the development of citizen-directed co-operatives as a new way to manage Direct Payments.

Project Timeline:

Stage 1

Encourage: October 2014 – August 2015

Raising awareness of direct payment co-operatives
Generating ideas for direct payment co-operatives
Finding groups that would like support in setting up a co-operative

Stage 2

Engage: September 2015 – March 2016

3 groups will be supported to further develop their direct payment co-operative ideas

Stage 3

Excel: April 2016 – March 2017

1 group will be selected to access the support, training and finance available to set up their direct payment co-operative.

Stage 4

Endeavour & Evaluate: April 2017 – Dec 2018

Co-operative goes live and starts supporting its members
CDCC project shares learning

During the Encourage part of the project we have visited groups and delivered workshops all across Wales. This has started to generate initial ideas for direct payment co-operatives.

The next stage of the project is Engage and is an opportunity for groups to further develop their ideas with support from Disability Wales and Wales Co-operative Centre.

One group will then be selected to take part in the Excel stage of the project and will be able to access the support, training and finance available to set up their direct payment co-operative.

During Endeavour and Evaluate we will create resources to support more groups in the future to set up their own co-operative.

For further information, see resources below or contact:

02920 887325

info@disabilitywales.org

Resources:

Research report by Northumbria University on co-operatives and direct payments:

direct-payments-report-eng (opens in new window pdf)

Project Resources:

Co-operation and Co-operatives in the Development of Direct Payments Schemes in Wales (opens in new window)

Co-operation and Co-operatives in the Development of Direct Payments Schemes in Wales (opens in new window PDF)

Leaflet (opens in new window pdf)

Citizen Directed E+C (pdf open in new window)