VONNE

North East Regional ICT Strategy 2010

One of the Regional ICT Champions roles has been to act as Regional ICT Representative on the Regional Infrastructure Consortium (RIC). This consortium was funded by Capacity Builders to create a 7 year Regional Strategy and a 3 year Business Plan. So I made it a priority to get a Regional ICT Strategy updated and ready to feed into this RIC Regional Strategy.

The ICT strategy was initially developed following continued consultations with and on behalf of our North East Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations and sets out the aims of the sector itself. It was developed following conversations with key players within the Public, Private and Third Sectors across County Durham, Northumberland, Tees Valley and Tyne and Wear.

As I continue to update this organic document with the support and guidance of the 4 Sub-Regional ICT Champions, your comments in any guise are as always most welcome. So do contact me at andrew.samuel@vonne.org.uk

North East Regional ICT Strategy

ChangeUp/Capacitybuilders

All you need to know about the Change Up initiative - the capacity building and infrastructure framework for the VCS. Its aims are to ensure organisations have the skills, knowledge, structures and resources to realise their full potential.

Jane Cater is the Policy and Development Manager responsible within VONNE for Changeup and Capacitybuilders, contact Jane on: 0191 233 2000 or email jane.cater@vonne.org.uk

For more regionally specific information please take a look at the Regional Infrastructure North East website which is at the following link;

RINE Website

Background

In continuation of the ChangeUp programme Capacitybuilders was launched in April 2006 to focus on the implementation of the ChangeUp investment programme, designed to build capacity and infrastructure framework for the voluntary and community sector. The Home Office committed £150 million nationally over an initial four year period to this initiative.

In August 2006 Capacitybuilders announced details of a pilot funding programme, Improving Reach, to improve the reach of infrastructure bodies for a range of marginalised groups, including black and minority ethnic groups; refugee and migrant groups; faith groups; and isolated rural groups. Capacitybuilders allocated just over £6 million in 2006-07 and £5 million in 2007-08 for this programme. £17 million is being invested through the Improving Reach programme for the three year period 2008-11.   http://www.capacitybuilders.org.uk

ChangeUp

As a result of the Treasury's review of the voluntary and community sector's (VCS) role in public service delivery, the Home Office invested £80m for the sector's infrastructure. In September 2003 the Active Community Unit (ACU) published a consultation document which asked some broad questions about VCS infrastructure and the sector's needs. The long awaited strategy that came out of this was launched with title of 'ChangeUp' and is available from the ChangeUp website.

It sets out the Government's aim that "by 2014 the needs of frontline voluntary and community organisations will be met with support which is available nationwide, structured for maximum efficiency, offering excellent provision which is accessible to all while reflecting and promoting diversity, and is sustainably funded".

ChangeUp across the North East

The ChangeUp Infrastructure Programme was introduced to the region at the end of 2004. VONNE was tasked with bringing together key agencies from all sectors as a decision-making body now known as the Region-wide Infrastructure Consortium. Membership of the consortium was based on ChangeUp Investment criteria and guidance and included Infrastructure Organisations: GONE; ONE; ANEC; frontline VCS Orgs; Social Enterprise network; Funders Forum; Sub regional Consortia reps; LSC; NOMS; and Sport England. This group was originally formed in May 2004 to guide the Regional Level Infrastructure Research and was widened to form a consortium in October 2004.

The Consortium first met in November 2004 to identify the Regional priorities for infrastructure expenditure. The group identified three regional priorities; signposting, representation and good practice and selected three national priorities; workforce development, ICT, Specialist Infrastructure. Early spend funding was allocated to research the state of the region. Following five interlinked pieces of research a development plan was written for the region and funding was selected for 14 projects to deliver in 2005.

Where does ICT figure in 'the big picture'?

ICT is a cross-cutting, organisational developmental issue. It impacts on an organisation's ability to collaborate, network, market and communicate, generate income, deliver services, contribute to society, evaluate performance and govern its activities.  

In working to address as many of these issues as possible, the aims of the ICT Champion post have included in the past:

• Map out current ICT support available to VCS groups and identify gaps across the region.
• Compile a list of ICT consultants and support workers working in the VCS.
• Provide sub-regional coordination around VCS ICT, working with other second tier organisations.
• Link in with sub-regional ICT developments leading from ChangeUp.
• Form links and co-ordinate with the work of the national ICT Hub.
• Assist the ICT Hub in signposting to a database of consultants and trainers.
• Share sustainable models of support and experience amongst ICT organisations.
• Arrange a quarterly Regional ICT Forum meeting.
• Assist with requests for representation on partnerships and boards.
• Develop the Circuit Rider network in the North East to enable technical support officers to engage colleagues (through e-lists, websites and meetings) across the UK for solutions to particular problems and help with more strategic issues.

The Regional ICT Champion role has been under way since July 2005 and since then the successes speak for themselves. To cut a long story short . . .

• We won the Digital Challenge at the national final - well done Sunderland!
• The Circuit Rider frontline visit project we delivered reached 400 frontline organisations and was nominated and short-listed for 'Computing Magazines' frontline support project of the year.
• The Regional ICT Strategy we worked in developing was adopted by OneNorthEast as their approach to support for the VCS as regards ICT.
• The Regional ICT Champion role has now been commissioned nationwide thanks to its success here in the North East - and the foresight of our region for recognising a need in the first place.
• We've run 69 ICT training courses across the 4 sub-regions, for the sector, by the sector, reaching over 800 organisations. NB net:gain can add considerably to these figures.
• To date, we secured well over £470,000 worth of support directed at ICT for the VCS in the North East. And again, net:gain can add considerably to these figures.

The Regional ICT Champion role also involves lobbying local, regional and national bodies to ensure policy and developments in ICT address the needs of the VCS in the North East.

Who are the other regions ICT Champions? 

England is divided up into nine government regions, which Capacitybuilders are using to define some of our working boundaries.

In each of these 9 regions there is an ICT Champion for the Third Sector who:

• is locally based and has knowledge of the ICT work within their region
• is trusted with a track record of providing reliable and authoritative ICT advice
• is an independent point of contact not trying to plug a service or product from one supplier
• is also focused on making sure infrastructure organisations (such as the local Councils for Voluntary Service) can make the most of technology to further the aims of organisations in their area.

There are individual blogs and websites for all of the Regional Champions and you can find their combined details at a new website which has been designed to act as a central information point and helpful resource for all.

http://www.ictchampions.org.uk/

CircuitRiders North East (CRNE)

From March 08 to March 09 Big Lottery funding enabled direct assistance to be made available for our regions voluntary and community organisations. The CRNE project spent a year working with groups wrestling with the complexities of ICT strategies, budgets and maintenance issues as well as advising on problems with day to day computing and internet usage.

You can find out more about this project at this link; CRNE Project 07/08