Local Area
Agreement > Third Sector Involvement
Calderdale Statement of Voluntary and
Community Sector Involvement
Calderdale Forward is committed to ensuring that a diverse range
of voluntary and community groups are involved in
policy-shaping, decision making, resource allocation, narrowing
the gap and service delivery across the District and in
neighbourhoods. Calderdale Forward is committed to ensuring that
local public services meet the needs of local communities and
are delivered by whoever is best placed to meet these needs. To
this end partners will seek to engage providers, including the
VCS where they are best placed to deliver local services.
Calderdale’s LAA 2 Refresh is based on a shared understanding that all
partners are responsible for achieving this.
Listening to residents
We are committed to ensuring that local people’s priorities
shape the strategic direction of Calderdale. The Calderdale
Community Forum, other voluntary and community sector bodies,
the Council and other public sector services use a variety of
approaches to consult, involve and empower local people.
In Calderdale, the Calderdale Forward Community Engagement
Partnership (CEP) has been responsible for developing a common
approach to community engagement across the LSP. Drawing on a
wide range of experience from public sector and VCS partners
alike, the CEP has adopted a Statement and Policy Framework on
Inclusive Consultations to ensure partners deliver a consistent
and effective approach. The Statement includes commitments to
undertake joint consultations where appropriate and share the
results of consultations.
Building on existing partnership
working
Calderdale’s LAA 2 Refresh is built on a broad base of existing
partnership working with the voluntary and community sector. The
Calderdale Forward Board has included 4 voluntary and community
sector representatives. A fit for purpose review of the LSP has
agreed to maintain VCS representation at this level in the new
Calderdale Forward Board, which first met in April 2007.
In addition to its responsibilities for developing a shared
approach to community engagement and providing input into the
development of Calderdale’s Sustainable Community
Strategy. Calderdale’s Community Engagement Partnership has
also taken responsibility for overseeing the implementation and
development of the Calderdale Compact and reporting progress to
Calderdale Forward. The fact that the Local Strategic
Partnership owns the Calderdale Compact is in line with national
guidance and demonstrates strategic commitment across all
sectors in the district. The Compact Steering Group, with
representatives from the public, private and voluntary and
community sectors, has produced a Compact toolkit to help
organisations identify the steps they need to take to be
‘Compact compliant’. A number of key organisations, including
the Council and the Primary Care Trust, as well as voluntary
sector infrastructure projects, have signed up to the Compact.
Representatives of the voluntary and community sector are
engaged in all the existing partnerships that are part of the
Calderdale family and will play a role in the partnership
arrangements that are currently being set up.
Developing the LAA together
There is a commitment to keeping the VCS informed about the LAA
process and to consulting on the development and implementation
of the LAA.
At an early stage in the process the LSP commissioned the
Calderdale Community Forum (the voice of the VCS in Calderdale)
to undertake research into the following issues:
- how VCS
organisations are currently in a position to contribute to the
identification and delivery of outcomes in the Local Area
Agreement
- what
unique roles and added value they can bring to the process
and,
- the
opportunities for and barriers to securing increased VCS
contribution to the development and delivery of the Local Area
Agreement now and in the future.
The output
of this research was a report to the Calderdale Forward Board
which made recommendations around the following issues: the
development of Calderdale Community Forum – its role and
capacity, public service delivery by VCS organisations and
support for smaller VCS organisations. The report also
contributed to this Statement of Voluntary and Community
Involvement.
Underpinning this, the Community Forum has had one or more named
representatives of their Management Committee on all 6 of the
theme groups responsible for developing the LAA.
Other key VCS inputs have occurred through the Network
Development Project which covers the areas of Healthy
Communities and Children and Young People. The Networks aim to
improve communication, information and partnership working to
build both the strength of the sector to deliver services and
represent the voluntary and community sectors interests as a
whole.
Keeping the VCS informed about the developing LAA has been the
responsibility of the Community Forum. A number of events and
mailings on the LAA have taken place. Briefings and bulletins
for the VCS were produced and circulated by the
Community Forum and Voluntary Action Calderdale.
A specific opportunity to ensure wide VCS contribution to the
Safer and Stronger Communities Theme was held and several
specific indicators relating to the VCS came out of that event.
Implementing the LAA for Calderdale
The LAA will increase opportunities for voluntary and community
sector organisations to shape and deliver local services, for
example through VCS involvement in the six theme delivery
partnerships.
Empowering local people to influence decision-making and the
delivery of local services is a key agenda. The Safer and
Stronger Communities Delivery Partnership will be responsible
for increasing the capacity of local communities, with genuine
community engagement. Voluntary and Community Sector
organisations are already involved and are influencing the
delivery of local services but have potential for further
engagement. A forum is being developed from the Calderdale
Forward Community Engagement Partnership that will sit as a
specific group within the Safer and Stronger Communities
Delivery Partnership. Also in the Safer and Stronger Communities
Theme we have incorporated an indicator on the strength of the
voluntary and community sector’s role in strategic
decision-making and in the planning and delivery of public
services.
The development of neighbourhood management and the two
neighbourhood element pilot areas in Calderdale provides
opportunities for local VCS organisations, including residents’
groups to participate in the design, running and performance
management of local services.
The decision to continue VCS representation on the Board at
existing levels is further evidence of the LSP’s commitment to
involve VCS at all levels of decision-making in Calderdale.
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