Support available in the North East and Nation-wide
There is a wide range of support available to frontline organisations, community groups and social enterprises across the North East.
Local Development Agencies
Local Development Agencies (LDAs) provide valuable information, advice and guidance to enable groups and organisations to establish, grow and evolve. LDAs develop organisations, build connections between organisations and with the public and private sectors, and help VCS organisations to influence policy to bring about positive change in communities. Where necessary, LDA's also act as a broker to more specialist types of support. Whatever way they do it, LDA's across the region are building the capacity of the sector and its ability to create a stronger, more vibrant civil society.
Contact a Local Voluntary Development Agency>>
To learn more about the role and value of support and development services in the region, read the 'Big Support' Report:
Read more about the value of support services in the North East: Big Support Report>>
Strengthening Support through Collaborative Working
Support providers have, over recent years, formed networks and partnerships at sub-regional and regional level, to make the most of resources, minimise duplication, fill gaps in support, improve the quality of provision and strengthen the sustainability of the sector.
With the end of a number of funding programmes specific to support providers, along with the impact of the funding cuts, changes are taking place within these networks. For more information and to find out about how you can engage with the networks, contact:
Northumberland
The provision of support services at county level in Northumberland is changing. For more information please contact Community Action Northumberland
Community Action Northumberland.
Durham
To get the latest information on support services at a county-wide level please contact One Voice Network.
Tyne & Wear
To streamline support and maximise opportunities, Tyne & Wear Infrastructure Consortium (TWIC) and Pentagon Partnership have merged. The new organsiation will be known as Pentagon Partnership but will incorporate infrastructure and front line consortium building and most of TWIC members are part of the new Executive. You can find out more about the merger and the support available at Pentagon Partnership:
www.pentagonpartnership.org.uk
Tees Valley
The Local Development Agencies across the sub-region continue to meet and are making good progress developing strategic connections with the new Local Enterprise Partnership, Tees Valley Unlimited.
You can find out more by contacting Keith Bailey at Hartlepool VDA
The Tees Valley Voluntary Sector Forum, which brings together support providers and frontline organisations from across the sub-region is reviewing its future but events in 2011/2012 will continue to be promoted under the Forum brand. The related website will continue to operate too over this coming year. To find out more about the Forum visit the website:
Region-wide support
There are a range of specialist support providers delivering services to all four corners of the North East. They provide support to communities of interest such as children and young people, or they provide support on specific themes such as training and volunteering.
The way in which region-wide organisations network together is changing. The Regional Infrastructure Consortium had its final meeting in January 2011 as the funding from ChangeUp come to an end. VONNE will exploring with partners alternative ways for support services and frontline organisations to come together in the North East. For more information please contact Jo Curry.
Nation-wide support
Supporting a Stronger Civil Society - Government Investment and Strategic Support
The Government is reviewing the funding it provides to strengthen support services to the sector at a national level. Towards the end of 2010, Government consulted the sector for views on how best government can ensure that civil society organisations have the advice, support and influence it needs to help build the Big Society in England.
VONNE's response gives a regional context to the support needs of the sector and welcomes improvements in online sources of support, an increase in pro bono support and consolidation grants for infrastructure organisations.
VONNE highlights concerns over implementing a bursary fund in place of funding for local support and development organisations and questions the deployment of public sector experts to build social capital.
The Office of Civil Society received 1158 responses in total and will produce a response in the Spring.
For further information:
Read the consultation response>>
Read the response to question 9: national support services>>
National Strategic Partners Programme
Nine organisations have been selected as Strategic Partners of the Office for Civil Society (OCS). The new programme is focused on effective representation, to help it manage change and maximise the opportunities that will flow from the Big Society agenda.
The OCS Strategic Partners are:
• ACEVO in partnership with Euclid Network and New Philanthropy Capital
• Community Foundation Network in partnership with Association of Charitable Foundations
• Institute of Fundraising
• Locality (new name from April 2011 resulting from DTA and Bassac merger)
• NAVCA
• NCVO
• Social Entrepreneurship Partnership (School for Social Entrepreneurs, UnLtd, CAN, Plunkett Foundation and Social Firms UK)
• Social Enterprise Coalition in partnership with Cooperatives UK
• Volunteering England
Strategic Partners will receive a total of £8.2m over the next three years. The new Strategic Partners Transition Programme replaces the previous similar initiative which finished at the end of March 2011.
