Voluntary and Community Sector engagement and representation on the (SSP) Delivery Partnerships
Are you a volunteer, staff member of trustee of a voluntary or community group in Suffolk?
Are you working in a particular field or specialism that would benefit from raising its profile and working in partnership?
Do you want to become more involved in shaping service delivery in Suffolk?
Do you have the time and backing of your organisation to join an SSP Delivery Partnership?
What is the Suffolk Strategic Partnership?
All local authorities are required to have a ‘Local Strategic Partnership’ that sets the long term vision for an area in a document called a Sustainable Community Strategy. In Suffolk, the Strategic Partnership has set its vision and aspirations for the county in ‘Transforming Suffolk 2008-28’ which outlines key thematic areas where evidence suggests we need a real step change in performance, or areas where we are already doing well but want to do even better.
In part, the long term vision is delivered in three year cycles through Local Area Agreements-up to 35 targets chosen from a national menu of 198. Suffolk’s Local Area Agreement (LAA) contains 28 national targets, negotiated with central government and 10 local targets which all partners are signed up to. For more information on Suffolk's Local Area Agreement go to www.onesuffolk.co.uk/laa/LAA2/. For a Plain English version of the targets, click here: LAA2 Targets.
The Suffolk Strategic Partnership has recently revised its governance structures to maximise the partnerships potential to achieve both the community strategy and LAA outcomes. Voluntary and Community representatives have dedicated places throughout the SSP structure. In particular, we are looking to recruit the vacant VCS places for each of the 9 Delivery Partnerships (see Guide below).
VCS ‘experts’:
Each Delivery Partnership will have a minimum of 2 dedicated places for VCS ‘experts’ who have a knowledge or interest in the thematic area of the delivery partnership.
The ‘experts’ will be expected to actively engage with the delivery partnership and link into a VCS network managed by SAVO. A central information hub will provide an opportunity for representatives to feedback relevant information from the Delivery Partnerships to share with the wider sector and vice versa.
SSP Delivery Partnerships – A Guide:
Adult Learning and Skills (Lead: Hazel Mackintosh (Learning & Skills Council) Email:
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)
What is it?
The Adult Learning and Skills Partnership brings together organisations that deliver adult learning and skills or have an insight into the learning needs of the workforce in Suffolk.
Current VCS Membership:
Robin Hodgkinson – SAVO as the Chair of the Suffolk Learning Consortium (a forum created as a Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) Learning and Skills Consortium, involving VCS organisations and other learning agencies, to co-ordinate learning and skills activities across the county) sits on the Executive.
Current Vacancies:
2 VCS employers / social enterprises are required to join the Board.
Getting involved:
Key VCS employers / social enterprise organisations are being targeted in the first instance to sit on the Board.
If you would like to join the Suffolk Learning Consortium, please contact Simon Waldron
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or visit the website: www.suffolklearningconsortium.org
What is it?
This Delivery Partnership Board deals with joint thinking on health and social care issues.
Current VCS Membership:
There are a range of VCS organisations and areas of interest represented at the Delivery Partnership Board through the various Partnership Boards set up under LAA1, many of which have VCS members as Chairs. These include:
Older Persons Partnership Board
Family Carers Partnership Board
Marginalised Adults Partnership Board
Learning Disability Partnership Board
Physical and Sensory Partnership Board
Mental Health Partnership Board
Supporting People Partnership Board
Gaps were identified around housing and the needs of BME users. Currently:
Current Vacancies:
1 VCS organisation who can represent Black and Ethic Minority service users is required to join the Board.
Getting involved:
What is it?
The Suffolk Children's Trust Partnership brings together all the statutory organisations responsible for providing services to children and young people.
Current VCS Membership:
Places are reserved for the Chair of Young Suffolk and the Chair of the representative group for Children and Young People, co-ordinated by Young Suffolk. These are currently:
Dawn Henry – (4YP) as Chair of Young Suffolk
Steve Allman- (Out and About) as Chair of the Young Suffolk Children and Families Voluntary Sector Forum
Getting involved:
What is it?
This partnership has responsibility for joint work in areas such as citizenship, volunteering, inclusiveness, diversity and community cohesion.
Current VCS Membership:
This Delivery Partnership has a Board and an Executive Group. VCS experts are required in key areas such as race equality, BME and diversity, volunteering and an understanding of community engagement.
Current membership:
Board:
Jane Basham - ISCRE for Race Equality
1 VCS place VACANT
Executive:
Stephen Singleton – Suffolk Foundation
Gill Robinson – Suffolk Volunteering Federation
Current Vacancies:
There is a vacant place for a VCS member with a working knowledge of volunteers, volunteering and community engagement on the Board.
Getting involved:
If you wish to find out more contact Allison Coleman for an informal chat. Appointments will be made by the end of 2008.
What is it?
This Delivery Partnership is working on joint projects involving the Arts, culture, sport, libraries, museums and heritage.
Current VCS Membership:
All places are currently vacant.
Current Vacancies:
Up to 4 experts from the independent sector are required to join the Board of this Delivery Partnership.
Getting involved:
There are up to four places for VCS organisations on the Board who are working in the areas of arts, culture, heritage or sports. If you wish to find out more contact Denise King for an informal chat and information on the nomination process. Appointments will be made by the current Board by the end of 2008.
Economic Development (Lead:Helen Utteridge (Suffolk County Council)
What is it?
This partnership has responsibility for joint work in economic development and growth (private, public & social enterprise) and housing.
Current VCS Membership:
All places are currently vacant.
Current Vacancies:
2 VCS employers / social enterprises are required to join this Board.
Getting involved:
Key VCS employers / social enterprise organisations are being targeted in the first instance. If you would like more information on the work of this Partnership, or to highlight the work of your organisation in these areas, contact Helen Utteridge for more information.
What is it?
Creating the Greenest County is an ambitious new project that involves the whole county in responding to climate change. Suffolk already has some fantastic projects in action, and this initiative is about joining them up, and making more possible.
Current VCS Membership:
The VCS have four places on the Board of this Delivery Partnership. Current membership:
Julian Roughton/ Simone Bullion - Suffolk Wildlife Trust
Jennifer Forrest - National Trust
Richard Powell – RSPB
Jonathan Moore - SAVO
Getting involved:
VCS organisations can find out more from the Greenest County website:
www.greensuffolk.org, which gives lots of information on current projects and how to get involved, up-coming conferences, events and awards.
Healthy Ambitions (Lead: Sally Hogg (NHS Suffolk)
What is it?
This Delivery Partnership is involved in projects around public health, including smoking cessation and obesity.
Current VCS Membership:
Vacant
Current Vacancies:
Two VCS places are available for organisations that have a health agenda, with an interest / role in delivering public health services.
Getting involved:
Contact Sally Hogg for information on the nomination process for this Board. It is envisaged that the vacancies will be filled by the end of 2008
Safer Suffolk (Lead: Alan Keely (Suffolk County Council)
What is it?
This Delivery Partnership brings together organisations working in the areas of community safety, crime and disorder prevention, road safety, drug & alcohol abuse and trading standards.
Current VCS Membership:
Vacant
Current Vacancies:
Two VCS places are available for organisations with a particular remit in the key areas of drug and alcohol abuse, rehabilitation of offenders and crime prevention.
Getting involved:
Contact Alan Keely for an informal chat in the first instance. It is envisaged that the vacancies will be filled by the end of 2008.
Interested in getting involved?
If you need any more information, or want to talk through any thoughts or issues, please contact Laura Hack at SAVO in the first instance.
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Representation & Partnerships 
