First three pilots announced
Twenty four organisations submitted registrations of interest to
the Improving Local Partnerships team at NAVCA. The process for
deciding on the pilot areas was extremely difficult due to the high
volume and quality of submissions.
The first three pilot areas of a rolling programme of 12
have been agreed. They are:
Derbyshire and Derby City
Derbyshire Voluntary and Community Sector Infrastructure
Consortium through Derbyshire Rural Community Council -
Derby and Derbyshire were pilot LAAs and therefore subject to
LPSA targets. They are preparing for the second generation of LAAs.
Both the County Council and Derby City LSPs have signed up to the
pilot and there has already been engagement in the IDeA PIP project
with the local authority and the VCS. The PIP pilot was concerned
with "partnership working between local authorities and voluntary
and community organisations". Each area developed a 'Partnership
Improvement Plan' to ensure that discussions become
actions.
The VCS feels weak in comparison to its statutory partners
and wants more effective engagement in the county and unitary
LAAs.
Rationale
LAA Round 1:
Consortium provides strong and comprehensive VCS coverage across
both a county and a city. Support for work with local authorities.
Covers areas of high deprivation in both rural and urban
areas.
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough Voluntary Development Agency (MVDA)
- Through MVDA, involving Middlesbrough BME Network and
with the aim of including a wider geographic cluster in the
Tees Valley. There is support for this pilot from Middlesbrough
Council and the new Chair and Manager of the LSP.
Middlesbrough Community Network (MCN) has recently restructured and
MVDA has just recruited new staff to change the way in which VCS
engagement in the LSP is supported. They have a core group of
active MCN reps, keen to raise the profile and impact of the VCS, a
newly established Council of Faiths, and developing activity among
BME, lesbian, gay and bisexual, and disabled groups. The new team
consists of four officers, each with responsibility for VCS
activity around one of the LAA blocks. Negotiations around the LAA
are seen as a significant opportunity to change the nature of VCS
engagement in Middlesbrough. It will be a major challenge to the
sector, and future core funding for MCN will depend on the success
of our work over the next nine months or so.
Rationale
LAA Round 3:
Potential for broader cluster, new teams and structures. Clear
about the opportunities afforded through LAA. Very high levels of
deprivation (57%).
Waltham Forest
Voluntary Action Waltham Forest - VA Waltham
Forest has got local authority sign-up and there has been active
engagement by the LA officer to promote the case for its inclusion
as a pilot. It has successfully completed an IDeA Partnership
Improvement Programme and has been trying, with its partners,
particularly the local authority, to get to grips with a wide range
of issues designed to enable local partnership working to progress
effectively. Locally the community strategy and the LAA have been
agreed by the LSP. Respective roles in achieving the vision are
still to be established, with the potential to create a new
relationship between partners. However, historically, relationships
within the VCS have been challenging and Voluntary Action Waltham
Forest would like to improve and move forward.
Rationale
LAA Round 2:
VCS & LA keen to work together to progress improvements in
delivery and engagement of the sector in contributing to
determining local area priorities and improving the quality of
life. High levels of deprivation (33%).
What happens next
There will be an initial planning meeting in each of the pilot
areas during September and October. Each pilot will have a set of
circumstances particular to the locality and the specifics will be
agreed at that stage. The following extract from the Business Plan
gives a flavour, but there is recognition that every area will be
unique.
"The ILP project will identify specific localities where
the LIO can demonstrate that it would benefit from specialised
support and advice. The LIO will also be required to make a firm
commitment to engaging in the project. The support of the local
authority is also vital to the success of this project and we will
establish a close working relationship with key staff in the
council at an early stage.
The project will identify a mix of areas that suffer from high
levels of deprivation both generally and in small pockets. There
will also be a spread of rural and urban, unitary and two-tier
areas.
Each LIO will need to demonstrate that it requires
particular assistance to build effective relationships with either
the local authority or local groups representing disadvantaged
people and communities or both. Baseline information will be
collected in each pilot area to assess the level of VCS engagement
with local government.
Twelve local pilots will be part of a rolling programme over
three years and will be working on:
Setting up a local work programme jointly with local partners
building local links with the LIOs, local authority, and Government
Office.
- Running seminars for local organisations including those
representing disadvantaged people and communities, on how they can
influence the design and delivery of local services for their
benefit.
- Direct advice and support to help LIOs extend their reach to
disadvantaged people and communities not currently engaged in the
design and delivery of services.
- Increasing VCS engagement in local partnership
arrangements, so that a minimum of 900 local groups will benefit
from local activity, 225 in years one and three and 450 in year
two, of which at least two thirds will represent disadvantaged
people and communities.
- Bursaries for work in each area of up to £1000 (£12,000 in
total), which may be used to support the involvement of
disadvantaged people, for example by paying for translators,
signers or child care.
- Broker better working relationships between the LIOs and
Government Office, local groups, local authorities, local strategic
partnerships and other local public agencies.
- Follow-up survey of LIOs using a basket of indicators.
- A planned approach to feed good practice and lessons learnt
from each local pilot into:
- case studies
- a NAVCA information service for LIOs and
through IDeA for local authorities
- an annual outcome
report
- a major annual dissemination
event
- the project steering
group
- the national
programme's work to influence national
policy."