Working at Co-operative Care Colne Valley

Colne Valley Equitable Care Society Ltd (t/a Co-operative Care, Colne Valley – CCCV) is a multi-stakeholder co-operative established to provide both high-quality domiciliary care for older people in the Colne Valley, and fair and proper terms and conditions of employment for care staff.

Physical, mental health and wellbeing will be given utmost priority to both recipients and deliverers of care services. A key aspect of the project will be to tackle social isolation through community volunteering and family involvement. We will also actively develop links with individuals and other community organisations that can support recipients of the service.

Our model is built upon the principle that ‘small is beautiful’, with a projected client base of around 100 recipients of the service. It is designed to serve a specific local community in an environmentally sustainable matter with local members having full control. As and when client numbers exceed this target the service will be replicated rather than expanded to ensure the integrity of the model is retained.

Our financial modelling to date has convinced us that it is entirely possible to deliver a high quality, person-centred care service delivered by trained, valued and fairly paid care staff ethically and sustainably, for the benefit of the whole community.

We believe that there is a fundamental discrepancy between providing effective and humane social health care and a profit-driven corporate structure.

We have set up an ethical co-operative business operating on a not for profit basis. Surplus funds will be used:

to continuously improve and maintain the quality of our service by investing in the staff and volunteers who provide the service;
to develop and support replicated services within Kirklees.

People needing care and support, their families, care workers and community volunteers will be treated and respected as equal members of a dynamic and democratic enterprise.

We will provide a community based small scale, caring co-operative which puts people before profit to deliver to those who have reached a stage in their lives where they require assistance from others and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.