Voluntary and Community Sector Strategy 2005-7

Introduction

1. All Connexions Partnerships are required to put in place during 2004/05 a Voluntary Sector Strategy, which has been approved by its Partnership Board. This is Nottinghamshire Connexions implementation of this requirement.
   
   
2. The description of the current situation was prepared by myself and was current as of August 2004.
   
   
3. The proposals for developments were drafted following a seminar attended by over 30 VCS representatives on 20th September 2004 organised by NYON and funded by ENABLE.
   
   
4. The draft was then sent out to NYON and ENABLE members for comment and a number of amendments were made as a result of feedback.
   
   
5. The Strategy was discussed and approved by the Connexions Board on 18th January 2005.

I hope that you see this as indication of the strength of the past and present partnership between Connexions Nottinghamshire and the VCS Sector and our joint commitment to further develop this partnership over the next 2 years.

Paul Hodgkins
Business Development Director
Nottinghamshire Connexions
10th March 2005

Top

Key Theme: Representation

Aim: To ensure that the Voluntary and Community Sector is effectively represented as a key partner at the Connexions table and have appropriate opportunities to contribute.

Current situation:

• Representation: A VCS Representative sits on the Connexions Nottinghamshire Board. 2 VCS representatives serve on each of the City and County Local Management Committees. The Board member was appointed following competitive interview. LMC representatives are appointed by the Sector via the Nottingham Youth Organisations Network (NYON).
• Operational Co-ordination: A full-time VCS Co-ordinator is in post. The Sector was involved in both compilation of job description and appointment.
• Links with BME Communities: A Senior Connexions Manager facilitates the Black Youth Organisations Forum that informs delivery and access. The Partnership employs a PA (Black and EM) and a PA (Asylum Seekers).
• The use of VCS Outreach Centres: The Partnership has 32 outreach centres within VCS premises.

Developments 2005/07:

• Representation: VCS Board representative to ask that consideration be given to the appointment of a 2nd VCS Member. Role of both VCS Board and LMC representatives to be clarified and publicized including their method of selection and relationship to the Sector.
  NB The Board of Connexions discussed this on 18th January 2005. Whilst members fully recognised the positive and constructive background to this request they considered that: (a) it would not by itself improve communication between the Board and the VCS Sector and (b) would lead to requests from other constituencies for similar dual representation which, if granted, make the Board too large to be effective. Therefore the recommendation was reluctantly rejected.
• Operational Co-ordination: To continue to raise the awareness of the role of the Co-ordinator across the VCS Sector as a whole.
• Links with BME Communities: Establish formal links with BME Communities within the County areas and improve specialist PA services to “At risk” BME clients throughout the Partnership to include a Specialist BME Team within the City partly funded via external grants.
• The use of VCS Outreach Centres: Review in conjunction with the Sector the allocation and use of Outreach Centres by Connexions PA’s.

Top

Key Theme: Infrastructure and Capacity Building

Aim: To ensure that support is given to the VCS to enable organisations to participate in Connexions and the wider delivery of services to young people and that Connexions Partnerships are able to flexibly respond to VCS needs.

Current Situation:

• Contracting with VCS groups for the delivery of services: Connexions Nottinghamshire is a direct delivery service. Specific projects are commissioned with the Sector as required.
• Grant Funding: Connexions Nottinghamshire provides £400,000 per year to VCS organisations for the identification; contact; engagement and progression in conjunction with Connexions PA’s of “At Risk” young people. This funding is allocated and partly monitored by the Sector.
• Other VCS Investment: Connexions Nottinghamshire supports the Nottingham Youth Organisations Network (NYON) to support and facilitate communication between Connexions and the Sector via both regular and specific meetings of the Voluntary Sector Forum and access to its membership database. A Senior Connexions Manager facilitates the Black Youth Organisations Forum that informs delivery and access. Total Connexions investment in the Sector including VCS Co-ordinators salary equates to 4.5% of the Partnership budget.
• VCS Access to Connexions Training: Since April 2002 67 VCS staff have accessed Connexions Training including 14 to PA Diploma level. The Sector is represented on the Partnership Training Group.
• Connexions staff access to training and information re Sector: PA’s have access to: A Directory of Grant Funded Projects; a Referrals Agencies Directory and an Alternative Curriculum Directory re VCS support. Local PA’s have varying degrees of knowledge of non Grant Funded VCS provision within their areas. The quantity, variety and fluidity of VCS projects within Nottingham poses a special problem for City based PA’s.

Developments 2005/07:

• Contracting with VCS groups for the delivery of services: VCS Board Representative to ask Board to review its policy of direct delivery of PA services to clients to determine the implications both financial and practical of contracting aspects of the PA service direct to VCS Sector.
• Grant Funding: Amount; method and effectiveness of Grant Funding to be reviewed on an annual basis to ensure that it continues to meet the objectives of Connexions Nottinghamshire. Information re which local VCS organisations receive grant funding to be made available to Sector as a whole via NYON and BYOF.
• Other VCS Investment:
  1. To continue to provide financial support to NYON in Partnership with other funders in return for annually reviewed specific services and Senior Manager support for the BYOF as a contribution to the general infrastructure needs of the youth VCS Sector.
  2. To encourage better working links and joint working between BYOF and NYON to better ensure that VCS groups representing all communities have equal access to both information and resources from Connexions.
• VCS Access to Connexions Training: To work with both the Sector and other East Midland Connexions Partnerships to continue to provide VCS members with access to free or low cost Connexions based training within the context of the devolution of National Connexions Training budgets to the Regional consortia.
• Connexions staff access to training and information re Sector: To improve Connexions PA’s knowledge of the VCS Sector and partnership working on behalf of mutual clients by:
  1. Arranging joint meetings on particular themes e.g. working with LLDD clients; working with faith groups; and working with clients in rural areas.
  2. Initiating local meetings between Connexions PA’s and the VCS Sector where such existing forums don’t exist.

Top

Key Theme: Communication

Aim: To ensure that all VCS organisations, which provide services or opportunities for young people, are aware of Connexions and how they can contribute, and that Connexions staff are knowledgeable these organisations and their roles.

Current Situation:

• Data base of VCS services for young people: PA’s have access to: A Directory of Grant Funded Projects; a Referrals Agencies Directory and an Alternative Curriculum Directory re VCS support. In addition the contract with NYON allows access to NYON’s database of 600 organisations for the purpose of marketing and information. ENABLE also give us access to their database for this purpose.
• Provision of Connexions Information Points within VCS premises: These are currently provided in 13 locations.
  Consultation mechanisms for the involvement of the Sector in Business Planning:
  1. A VCS Representative sits on the Connexions Nottinghamshire Board. 2 VCS representatives serve on each of the City and County Local Management Committees.
  2. NYON arranges 6 Voluntary Sector Forum meetings per year attended by Connexions Senior manager and /or VCS Co-ordinator. Special Meetings held as required.
  3. Connexions Operational Teams are represented on Local Area Committees (City)/Local Strategic Partnerships (County) to improve their understanding of local Community issues and needs re Team Business Plans.
• Effective working arrangements are in place. All grant funded projects work to an individual delivery plan and have Information Sharing Agreements in place with Connexions Nottinghamshire. A contract exists detailing the terms of 2 grants from the Nottinghamshire LSC re VCS activities.
• Communication mechanisms with local VCS organisations. NYON and ENABLE both communicate on Connexions behalf with VCS organisations. The Nottinghamshire Community Foundation (the VCS organisation contracted to help allocate and monitor the Grants Fund) assists communication with Grant Funded projects as required. NYON arranges 6 VSC Forum meetings per year attended by Connexions Senior manager and /or VCS Co-ordinator. Special Meetings held as required.

Developments 2005/07:

• Data base of VCS services for young people:
  1. To expand the Provision Plus Directory (previously known as Alternative Curriculum Directory) to include more VCS organisations and to work with NYON/BYOF to encourage more organisations to join and get involved with Connexions linked activities.
  2. To examine with NYON whether their database can be used or augmented to enable information to be targeted where appropriate either geographically or by focus e.g. Faith groups or groups working with LLDD clients.
• Provision of Connexions Information Points within VCS premises: To provide notice boards with fixed information to another 10 centres concentrating on those used by Connexions PA’s for outreach activities.
• Consultation mechanisms for the involvement of the Sector in Business Planning:
  1. To work with VCS Board member to enable Sector to forward specific VCS issues to the Board for consideration and the member to consult with Sector re relevant strategic issues before a Board decision on them is made.
  2. To further develop the VCS Section within the Connexions Nottinghamshire Website to include:
     • Names of VSC Board and LMC representatives including contact details and role and remit and items of current interest specific to VCS Sector as a whole.
     • Information re NYON and BYOF including membership lists with provision for links to member’s own websites if required.
  3. For Connexions operational teams to continue to be represented on Local Area Committees (City)/Local Strategic Partnerships (County) to improve their understanding of local Community issues and make or enhance links with those Community organisations who are already working with young people within the area.
• Effective working arrangements are in place. To maintain existing arrangements.
• Communication mechanisms with local VCS organisations: To improve communication with those VCS organisations not in receipt of grant funding by:
  1. Developing a basic Information Pack for the Sector providing information both about Connexions and about NYON that can be issues widely.
  2. To improve Connexions PA’s knowledge of the VCS Sector and VCS staffs knowledge of Connexions and partnership working on behalf of mutual clients via joint meetings on particular themes and initiating local meetings between Connexions PA’s and the VCS Sector.
  3. To encourage better working links and joint working between BYOF and NYON to better ensure that VCS groups representing all communities have equal access to both information and resources from Connexions.
  4. The VCS Co-ordinator, if the work with Grant Funded organisations reduces via an increase of maintenance over developmental activities, to devote a greater percentage of time to non-grant funded organisations.

Key Theme: Quality and Success

Aim: To build sound relationships between the VCS and Connexions and ensure that VCS involvement is delivering improved services to young people.

Current situation:

• Sharing good practice: The Partnership is one of 6 invited to national “twins” meetings to discuss VCS work from a Partnerships perspective also and participates actively in regional and national forums.
• VCS involvement in strategic developments: VCS representatives’ sit on Board and LMC’s. Annual consultation with VCS via NYON Voluntary Sector Forum meetings re Business Plan. VCS Strategy for 2005/07 written in conjunction with the Sector.
• Working/Partnership Agreements: Agreements re targets; referrals and information sharing are in place with Grant Funded projects and contracted organisations and are monitored by VCS co-ordinator and NCF. Asylum and Refugee PA has informal agreements with various refugee groups. No agreements exist for other VCS groups.
• Support to introduce Quality Standards:
  1. Connexions Nottinghamshire is working in partnership with local VCS umbrella organisations; Board member and local Youth Services to determine what is both practical and feasible. Formal VCS meeting in September 2004 following a VCS research project re Quality recognised the need for recognised Quality Standards within concerns re resources required to implement.
  2. Concurrent to this the Connexions Alternative Curriculum Development Adviser is part of a Countywide Alternative Curriculum Group including LEA’s; LSC; VCS; and NEBA developing a Quality Framework for Pre-16 providers including VCS.

Developments 2005/07:

• Sharing good practice: VCS Co-ordinator to provide feedback from 6 monthly national Twins meetings and any other regional /national meetings attended to meetings of the Voluntary Sector Forum both to stimulate discussion and receive feedback.
• VCS involvement in strategic developments:
  1. VCS Board representative to ask that consideration be given to the appointment of a 2nd VCS Member. Role of both VCS Board and LMC representatives to be clarified including their method of providing and receiving feedback form the Sector as a whole.
  2. Progress re VCS Strategy to be reviewed and updated annually by Connexions Board and VCS Sector.
• Working/Partnership Agreements:
  1. Information re which local VCS organisations receive grant funding to be made available to Sector as a whole via NYON and BYOF.
  2. Template for a working agreement with non-grant funded groups to be developed in partnership with the sector for as guidance for local VCS organisations and Connexions Teams.
• Support to introduce Quality Standards: To work with local funding partners and local VCS umbrella organisations to support the development of quality and access within the Sector as part of the Nottinghamshire Infrastructure Investment Plan via:
  1. Seeking to offer longer than one year funding to selected grant funded organisations in order to enhance their capacity to work towards quality standards over time and provide staff with greater job security to reduce turnover.
  2. Promoting the availability of support for the achievement of Quality Standards from local VCS umbrella organisations.
  3. Requiring all Connexions grant funded organisations to have or be working towards a national quality standard (e.g. Pquasso or Quality First) or to have undertaken a locally recognised quality assessment of its own provision in line with agreed standards established by the Countywide Alternative Curriculum Group. (See above).
  4. Co-operating with other funders and the VCS sector to ensure that any national agreements re the introduction of full cost recovery for the Sector are supported and implemented locally.

Key Theme: Volunteering and Personal Development

Aim: To ensure that Connexions Partnerships work with the VCS to offer opportunities for personal and social development, including volunteering and other forms of community involvement.

Current Situation:

• Database maintenance: Nottinghamshire’s Referral Directory includes appropriate listings. “Vacancies Online provides direct links to both local and national volunteering opportunities.
• The provision of volunteering activities: The Partnership does not provide these but seeks to work with existing VCS providers rather than bring these activities within its own remit.
• The promotion of volunteering activities: These are promoted via individual PA’s; the Referrals Directory; and Vacancies Online.
• Monitoring and reporting on volunteering and development activities: Both Connexions and local VCS bodies see this as lying within the remit of the local Volunteer Bureaus rather than Connexions.

Developments 2005/07:

• Database maintenance: To provide direct links from Vacancies Online to additional volunteering sites e.g. police; sports and arts associations.
• The provision of volunteering activities: To take over from GOEM contractual responsibility from April 2006 for Millennium Volunteers (MV).
• The promotion of volunteering activities: To work in conjunction with existing Volunteer Bureaus and Millennium Volunteers to provide information and promote the idea of Volunteering to PA’s so that they can pass both idea and information onto their clients and linked schools.
• Monitoring and reporting on volunteering and development activities: To receive monitoring details from MV providers from April 2006 to enable the Partnership to ensure that both quality and quantity targets are being met.

Paul Hodgkins
10th March 2005