We will provide a wellbeing retreat for care workers so that they may have the time to reimagine an alternative future. We want to work with those most impacted by Covid19 to develop strategies that will prevent the spread of infection and death in the event of further pandemics. The project puts people in the driving seat and asks them to co-design solutions that will address issues around self isolating including: a) safe places to isolate b) lack of money c) travel to and from work in a pandemic d) access to testing e) training and information gaps f) psychosocial support g) supporting the cared for Many care workers cannot be furloughed and cannot perform their jobs from home. They look after some of the most vulnerable groups in society (disabled, sick and older people). Care workers in London have insights to share that should shape and inform future policy. Care workers have told us that they have been neglected and their experience and stories not heard.

What we'll deliver:

• Provide free retreat type accommodation to care workers and free meal parcels
• Enable care workers to co-design pandemic proof solutions together
• Reimagine the care relationship
• Create a wellbeing garden and community apothecary within the building co-created by vulnerable shielding groups
• Establish a co-design partnership with architecture students as volunteers
• A professional evaluation of the project with researchers and academics
• Comprehensive online participation and involvement events with the local community online to feed into the co-design
• Outreach programmes to discover other self-isolating individuals in the community
• Psychosocial support to address trauma and grief
• Discuss the benefits of establishing a care workers’ coop

Why it's a great idea:

1. Understanding what could be done differently 2. Involve marginalised communities to reimagine an alternative future 3. Utilise a disused building 4. Provide much needed respite for care workers 5. Provide psychosocial support to care workers 6. Co-create a wellbeing garden and community apothecary which will be available to the local community 7. Increase volunteering among students 8. Produce academically robust research that will impact policy and future decision making.

Steps to get it done:

• Provide free accommodation and food in the retreat to 78 care workers
• Involving volunteers
• Designing the garden
• Purchasing garden materials
• Building the planter
• Planting the seeds
• Eco-sustainability audit
• Engage 78 care workers in consultations to reimagine alternative solutions
• Provide psychosocial therapeutic support for care workers to process trauma through music, art and talking therapies
• Reach out to carers outside Tower Hamlets and involve them in the online consultations
• Designing the evaluation
• Conducting the evaluation
• Writing up lessons learned
• Sharing the learning across councils
• Support care workers to establish a workers coop if they feel it would be useful
• Designing a legacy project

It is important to provide time out for some of the most hard-working people. We want to say thank you to the people who have taken care of us and put their lives on the line to make sure we disabled people can continue to live in the community. We need to be able to put lessons learned into practice and develop useful strategies that can inform policy and practice. The retreat would be provided to 3 care workers staying in the retreat for a period of 14 days. This would allow us to provide roughly 78 care workers with an opportunity to take part in the program. The length of stay will be flexible the shorter the stay the more care workers we can support.