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More case studies
Many publications in our library include case studies, including our newsletter Fare Choice.
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CFINE – signposting support through cooking groups
CFINE (Community Food Initiatives North East) offers a holistic community food and health service which includes supporting people with issues such as money, employment, energy costs and housing. This case study looks at how they use cooking groups to link people with other agencies who can help.
Background
CFINE is a social enterprise and charity operating from a hub in Aberdeen. It undertakes a range of food and health activities including running a food bank, selling low-cost produce in local communities, operating FareShare Grampian, and running cooking groups with a wide range of participants and organisations. They also offer a holistic service which includes supporting people with issues such as financial education and capability, employability, heating/energy and housing advice/support, and health and wellbeing.
Christine McLean is a development worker with CFINE and is involved in cooking groups with a variety of target participants.
This case study focuses on the opportunity presented by cooking groups to signpost and link participants in with other services. Christine explained:
How it works
CFINE works with ‘people who are really, really financially strapped’. However, it can take people time to open up about their situation:
Christine incorporates other agencies into the cooking courses including CFINEs own financial capability officers, zero waste officers from Love Food Hate Waste, home energy advice from Scarf and other agencies. When doing this, Christine is aware of the risk of losing participants by ‘hitting them too hard’ so the inputs from these organisations are short, usually no more than 20 minutes, and informal. As participants confidence grows they feel more able to access the support offered, for example, the financial support services:
The financial capability officers are trained to provide a wide range of advice including housing, heating/energy advice, employability, budgeting and benefits reviews. Key to the success of offering a full package of support is linking in with other agencies and working in partnership.