Community & Voluntary Sector Forum representative's report for 2006/7

Contact point

By Jackie Fuller, NLCA Community & Voluntary Sector Forum representative

I have continued to be the NLCA's contact point for our membership of the Community & Voluntary Sector Forum (CVSF). The CVSF, with offices at Community Base in Queen's Road, supports networking between the city's various community and voluntary organisations so that they can share experiences and good practice. It also aims to develop community and voluntary sector influences in decision-making, alongside the public and private sectors.

Conferences

Among its varied activities the CVSF organises quarterly conferences (held at Brighthelm) and during the past year [2006/7] I managed to attend several of them. They normally start with a plenary session on some subject of general and/or topical interest, after which the participants break out into individual workshops (with three or four subjects to choose from). For example, at one conference during 2006 I attended a workshop aimed at developing a comprehensive database of the city's community newsletters - right up my street! The participants were able to influence the 'fields' to be included in the database and the database is now up and running and can be viewed and searched on the CVSF website (www.cvsectorforum.org.uk).

An earlier workshop in which I participated concerned the relationship of community groups with The Argus. Some people complained that they had never had a response to their press releases and found it difficult to develop links with a particular reporter because they seem to move on so often. Chris Chandler, representing The Argus group, handed round copies of that day's issue, on which we were invited to comment, but I had no reason to complain on behalf of NLCA because lo and behold it included a full page article about a North Laine planning issue, with 'straight from the horse's mouth' quotes from one of our officers.

Strategic partnerships

Representatives from among the CVSF members are elected to sit on a number of city-wide strategic partnerships. They are able to bring the views and perspectives of the community and voluntary sector to the table and play an important role in informing future priorities for the city. Currently there are 25 representatives who sit on eight strategic partnerships, but there are also a number of vacant seats. If you might be interested in making a strategic contribution to the community and voluntary sector and to the city as a whole, please get in touch with me and maybe NLCA could put your name forward for one of these vacancies.

Neighbourhoods Network

During 2006 the Neighbourhoods Network, part of the Stronger Communities Programme and on which I had represented the NLCA, finally ceased meeting. From our point of view it was not greatly to be mourned, as most of the networking etc which it offered us can actually be achieved in other ways (and it's one less meeting to attend).

Working Together Project

Our membership of the CVSF also gives us access to the Working Together Project, which is dedicated to meeting the learning and training needs of the community and voluntary sector. Although some of the (free) courses have paid workers in the sector particularly in mind, quite a few could also be of interest to those working in a voluntary capacity. Examples of courses offered in the past year or so (all in the evenings) are: Dealing with Difficult People and Situations, Minute Taking, Chairing a Meeting, Legal and Statutory Responsibilities for Charities, Financial Responsibilities and Controls, Understanding Finance for Non-Finance Workers, What is SORP (Statement of Recommended Practice): Accounting & Reporting by Charities, A to Z of Fundraising, etc.

If you might be interested in attending courses of this type as an active NLCA member, please contact me so that I can keep you informed.

Also, if you might be interested to attend the CVSF quarterly conferences occasionally (depending on the topics to be discussed), please let me know and I will then send you details of the programme for the next one as soon as I receive it.

[Previously published in the North Laine Runner, no 185, March/April 2007]