Dear Colleagues,
Today at the City Council’s VCS Leaders Network meeting, we had an update on the VCS Strategy.
This is the start of a journey to work together with the Council on the development of the VCS Strategy and the future Covenant/Compact. It is unlikely that any group would be surprised at the initial findings as they are instantly recognisable.
The cross-cutting themes identified from the scoping work across the sector are:
- Funding systems are fragmented and unstable
- Trust, communication and governance need strengthening
- Capacity pressures are limiting impact
- Volunteering is under pressure
- Visibility, communication and collaboration need improving
Some of the detail includes:
- Organisations are frequently expected to deliver to statutory level standards without the associated resources or infrastructure. These issues undermine sustainability and contribute to competition rather than collaboration.
- Inconsistent communication channels have contributed to fragmented relationships. This includes concerns about representation, transparency and duplication.
- Many organisations lack the staff time, HR structures, premises and governance systems required for safe, modern service delivery.
- Volunteer recruitment and retention are increasingly difficult, with concerns that volunteers are being asked to take on roles beyond what is reasonable.
- A coordinated approach to communications, shared platforms and skills development is needed to strengthen connections across the sector and with residents.
The potential strategic pledges which the council are considering are:
- A collaborative sector which supports each other
- Communication is two ways
- Learn from communities
- A thriving sector
- Reinforcing and upholding the importance of civil society
This is not an exhaustive list but involves, for example, the need to:
- Build partnerships with statutory and non-statutory organisations which strengthen communities
- Support safer, greener and cleaner neighbourhoods through joint action with residents and VCS groups
- Strengthen early help and prevention by ensuring the VCS is integral to multi‑agency support
- Champion the sector and have a duty to look at VCS services before recruiting in house or launching a new service – incorporating within standard procedures and practises
- Improve and sustain volunteers within the sector and recognise social value activity across the city
We also discussed the wider role of the VCSEF sector and that central government could not achieve its core aims without the sector. All the more reason, therefore, to move away from a transactional, short-term funding approach and towards building wealth, capacity and sustainability within the sector and this will take time and commitment from all involved.
The Local Covenant Partnership Fund is designed to drive the implementation of the Civil Society Covenant across 15 geographical areas. The primary goal is to move away from those transactional relationships toward strategic partnerships that deliver preventative care in areas like mental health, adult social care, and child poverty. The Covenant also establishes national principles for resetting the relationship between the state and the VCSEF sector.
These discussions are not unique. These are universal and historic themes that are being raised right across the country with numerous Councils and VCS partners in local areas as they work on their VCS Strategy and Covenant/Compact documents.
Hopefully we can continue to learn from each other and work together with a positive outlook.
If there are any issues that you would like to raise or anything that you would like to hear more about, please contact me.
If you would like more information, please remember to check out our website and newsletter regularly – there is always new information, and opportunities are always presenting themselves.
Thank you,
Sharon Nanan-Sen
Chief Executive Officer
WVCA