VONNE

North East Empowerment Partnership Action Plan 2008-11

North East Empowerment Partnership's working vision is:

‘The North East Empowerment Partnership is a forum for critical debate regarding the definitions of engagement and empowerment, and a practice-led exploration of their implications for policy and practice'

The North East Empowerment Partnership (NEEP) is the regional consortium of the National Empowerment Partnership (NEP).  The National Partnership programme aims to encourage work between providers in the public, third and private sector to improve the quality, coordination and evidence of empowerment across England.  The regional consortium seeks to bring together representatives from the community engagement, empowerment and development fields to enhance statutory and other partners' understanding of the engagement and empowerment agenda by building on the existing good practice throughout the North East. 

The NEEP Action Plan for 2008-11 has recently been submitted to the Community Development Foundation, the NEP grant administrating body, for approval.  It outlines proposed work for 2008-09 and indicative priorities for two future years of activity.  In particular, it makes provision for the development of a more broad-ranging and inclusive Partnership structure going forward.  This will be achieved through a strengthened NEEP Action Plan Delivery Group and a series of Partnership 'Sounding Board' and Forum events which will provide opportunities for individuals and groups in the region to network, share good practice and shape the work of the Partnership.

Regular updates on the Partnership's work will be available here, and in VONNE's publications.  If you have any examples of projects you think might be relevant to the programme please email rhiannon.bearne@vonne.org.uk.

NEEP Development 2007-08

The NEEP Working Group led the development work of the Partnership up to Summer 2008.  Membership consisted of:

• Government Office for the North East

• The Improvement Partnership for North East Local Government

• BECON

• CWACNEE/CDNE

• Representatives from the regional Community Empowerment Network Coordinators' network

• Members of the Community Alliance including Community Matters, Bassac, the Scarman Trust, and the Development Trust's Association

• The Churches Regional Commission

• Skillshare North East

The Working Group delivered the Partnership's first year Action Plan (called Every Voice Counts on submission).  This included commissioning a range of intelligence gathering exercises about activities in the field, supporting the enhancement of a small number of existing programmes and developing an interactive web tool for the Partnership.