Shropshire Voluntary and Community Sector Assembly Annual Report 2016/17
Message from the Out Going Chair Where has the time gone! It only feels like yesterday when I was contemplating taking over the reins from Jackie Jeffrey, and worried that I would not be able to live up to her and the amazing leadership she had shown. Here we are now and I am handing over the reins to Chris Child; I know that he is the right man to be taking us forward. We can all recognise that over the next couple of years it is about us all pulling together, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that without the voluntary and community sector, Shropshire would be a much poorer place to live and work. Our communities need us to enable their resilience, supporting them to come together. Looking back, wow what a journey, but what an exciting time we have had. I believe that we have strengthened our relationships with our colleagues in Shropshire Council and across the public sector including health, enabling the VCSA Board to have influence as well as encouraging our providers and communities to have rewarding and better conversations. We need to recognise what we have achieved over the last 12 months. We are continuing to campaign with Shropshire Council, highlighting the need for a strong voluntary and community sector. I truly feel that the work continuing in Oswestry around Social Prescribing, with the evaluation by Westminster University, gives us yet more evidence to demonstrate the positive impact the sector has. We continue to influence the Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) work streams and look forward to working more closely with the STP Board. Our continuing conversations with the Town and Parish Councils have enabled us to understand the role they now play and the strength we have together. The Social Inclusion work has now resulted in investment into the VCSE sector to support people towards and into employment and volunteering opportunities. I hope you all agree that even though with continuing austerity and challenging times, the voluntary and community sector has strengthened their position and have demonstrated their own unique resilience. I really do looking forward to continuing to work with you all in the future, I know that jointly our voice will never be quiet. Rachel Wintle About the Shropshire Voluntary and Community Sector Assembly (VCSA) The VCS Assembly works for the benefit of voluntary, community and social enterprise groups and organisations working in Shropshire. The Assembly was established in 2007 and is based on the belief that collective representation is more influential than a series of individual voices; and that cooperation generates shared strength through a pooling of energy, ideas and resources. The Assembly provides a means for voluntary and community organisations throughout Shropshire to meet and exchange information, ideas and good practice. Shropshire VCS Assembly is a partnership body focusing on engagement and joint working across sectors. Shropshire Council hosts the VCSA and supports it in working to engage other public sector partners. Key functions of the VCSA include: Communication and information provision Representation and awareness Influence and policy development Cross sector working Networking and mutual support Shropshire VCS Assembly works closely with Shropshire Providers Consortium. The Assembly aims to respond to the needs of the VCSE sector and to opportunities for joint working across sectors. The VCS Assembly is free to join! To find out more about the VCS Assembly and access our key publications please visit: www.vcsvoice.org 2
The VCSA Board and Forums of Interest Rachel Wintle Jackie Jeffrey Chris Child Julia Baron Tony Green Mark Gibson Mark Hignett Nicola McPherson June Tony Middleton Wilson Heather Osbourne Osborne Angela Parton Jean Robinson Richard Parkes Marie Monk- Hawksworth Linda Cox Laurel Roberts Chair Shadow Chair Vice Chair/County Sports Partnership Shropshire Infrastructure Partnership Green Shropshire Xchange Partners for Social Enterprise Shropshire Shropshire Heritage Forum Voluntary Sector Health and Social Care Forum Shropshire Telford & Wrekin VCS Mental Health Forum Shropshire Older People s Assembly Shropshire Criminal Justice Forum Shropshire Pan Disability Forum 0-25 Summit Shropshire Community Transport Consortium Shropshire Compact Representative Local Area and Volunteer Forums Representative Chair to VCSA Board. Represents the Assembly on a strategic level at various meetings with partners and at key events. Supports VCSA Chair in current role. Previously Chair of the VCS Assembly. Represents the VCSA Board on key projects. Providing information and communication networks for those involved in sport and physical activity across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin. Working together to ensure VCS groups and organisations in Shropshire have access to the support and services they need. An inclusive network of organisations working together to promote a sustainable future for the people of Shropshire. A partnership committed to working together to support the social enterprise sector in Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire. A place for learning about, and advocating, heritage in Shropshire. Support networking among museums and offering mutual support. Offering voluntary sector groups, whose work involves health and social care, the opportunity to come together and build partnerships. Developing effective working relationships between commissioners, providers, carers and users of mental health services. Highlighting key issues concerning the welfare of older people and bringing them to the attention of those planning and delivering services. Providing a platform for discussion, consultation and information exchange for organisations with an interest in criminal justice. Bringing organisations working across all types of disabilities (including learning, physical, mental and sensory) together. A forum for not-for-profit organisations providing services for children, young people and their families. Independent charities and voluntary organisations, working to support local people by providing door to door transport throughout Shropshire. Ensures that Compact working is being adhered to locally and keeping up to date with national Compact developments. Represents smaller and volunteer based VCSE organisations in the North of the County. VCS Assembly Support Shropshire Council Commissioning Support Sarah Dodds Feedback and Insight Team Leader Co-ordinates the work of the FIT Team covering VCSE engagement, public engagement and insight reporting, pre commissioning engagement and complaints reporting. Kate MacDonald Insight Officer Focus on understanding and interpreting feedback from customers, communities, providers and partners to identify learning and key points to contribute to informing commissioning. Also works with front line services, providers and partners, advises and supports them to carry out a wide range of engagement activity from surveys to focus groups. Other Key Representatives Shropshire Council Shropshire CCG SALC Police and Crime Commissioner DWP 3
Updates From The VCSA Forums of Interest Green Shropshire Xchange (GSX) has continued to promote sustainable solutions and environmental protection with talks and stalls at local events. This has been a busy first year as the new Chair of GSX and we have held workshops to discuss the issues of Energy, Food waste and Transport. In January we were pleased to receive a Lottery Grant for our ECO 17 environment project, which will focus on the positive achievements and stories of local action, while developing a vision of a sustainable future for the region. Our new administrator will assist in the delivery of this project and the organisation of events and the provision of seed corn funding for small local projects. The AGM in May launched this project and we are planning for our conference day in the autumn. The Pan Disability Forum has continued to enjoy active support from over forty members both in meeting attendance and, for those unable to attend in person, contribution to discussions via email. Quarterly meetings have been held over the year with an additional planning meeting in July 2016 where members reviewed and agreed forum purpose and priorities. Invited guest speakers with expertise in these priority areas have attended meetings and provided valuable information and updates to members. Speakers have included representatives from Community & Care Co-ordinators, People2People, Shropshire Council - Complaints handling. Representatives from Shropshire Council - Housing and Shropshire Choices are due to speak at the June 2017 meeting. Regular feedback is invited from members about the value of meetings, this is always very positive with members particularly valuing the opportunity to exchange information, raise concerns and appreciating the links, through the VCSA, with the public sector. Members are keen to continue the forum in its current form recognising it as an important voice for organisations representing people with physical disabilities in Shropshire. Shropshire Older People s Assembly have continued to hold two public meetings a year which any older person, or those who work with older people are welcome to attend. The meeting in July 2016 focussed on The Bigger Picture, changes to adult social care and developments in community services with speakers from the council and a lively question and answer session. The meeting in March 2017 was focussed on Staying Safe, Keeping Safe and included speakers on safeguarding, the fire services safe & well check sand scams awareness. Sadly numbers at the public meetings are reducing and so the SOPA steering group will be meeting in May to discuss the way forward, if there are other/ better ways to communicate with older people and those who work with them and whether to continue with the public meetings. The Health and Social Care Forum met five times during the year for meetings lasting around three hours. The opportunity to network with other organisations is particularly attractive to smaller organisations which are often isolated in rural communities and frequently only have one (if any) part-time employed staff. The meetings therefore attract regular attendance from 11 organisations and a further 6 organisations attending at least 1 or more meetings during the year. A mailing list of 45 people was maintained with approx 8 postal mailings and numerous e-mailings for those who have given email addresses. Meetings are structured to give an opportunity for guest speakers to address the Forum. This year speakers were: Janet Gittins, Planning and Partnership Manager, CCG. Janet attends all our meetings to give an update on the CCG Cllr Lee Chapman discussing the Shropshire Council financial strategy, with particular emphasis on the protection of vulnerable people Tom Brettell, Better Care Funding Manager Pete Downer, Commissioning Manager for dementia with Shropshire CCG Neil Evans Commissioning Development Manager, consulting on the draft Adult Services Market Position Statement Katy Warren, from Help2Change, outlining the progress with the Social Prescribing pilot in Oswestry Tracy Dutton Newly appointed Service Manager for Provider Services at Shropshire Council (replacing Ruth Houghton who retired recently). During 2016/17 there have been significant changes across the sport and physical activity landscape both at a national and local level and the County Sports Partnership aims to help the many local and community groups and organisations to navigate these to continue to provide and improve opportunities for local people to be active. Nationally Sport England has produced a new 4 year Strategy Towards An Active Nation which has a new emphasis on tackling inactivity in response to government objective to improve lives and deliver social outcomes through greater engagement in sport/ physical activity. Locally the public sector funding cuts are resulting in a change in approach to public provision of leisure facilities and services. During the year the County Sports Partnership has responded by working with a greater range of non-sport agencies to tackle inactivity amongst adults with disabilities, within community safety to use engagement in sport as a means to tackle chaotic lifestyles amongst some targeted young people, and beginning to discuss how we might work to further encourage older people to remain active and healthier for longer. Evidencing the impact that being active can have has often been an issue, despite most people appreciating that it does, and in 2016/17 the County Sports Partnership has developed a new tool to be able to do this. It has been endorsed by public sector commissioners and we hope to pilot its use in 2017/18 which will also help us to learn and improve in future. 4
Shropshire Community Transport Consortium represents groups throughout Shropshire providing transport across the County and into Powys and Telford & Wrekin. We provide transport for those who would otherwise have difficulty or find it impossible to get out and about to reach essential services and activities. The majority of our drivers are volunteers, with a small number of paid bus drivers. This year we recorded over 100,000 passenger journeys. We have all experienced challenges with increased demand, particularly linked to the changes for non-emergency hospital transport and reductions and closures of bus routes. Some groups have introduced new services to accommodate additional passengers but we sometimes struggle to meet the increasing demand within current resources. We are actively working on proposals to address these issues with Shropshire Council, the CCG and Hospital Trust. Some groups have successfully won local authority contracts for mainstream and SEN transport and replacement bus routes which help to cross-fund our core services. The Shropshire Mental Health Forum has approximately 20 members who have attended each forum meeting since the last Annual Assembly. The forum has representatives on The Mental Health Partnership Board and the Mental Health Needs Assessment Group. The forum equally has nominated representatives from these new Boards/ groups at each of its forum meetings. The Mental Health Forum believes that this two way exchange is essential. Exciting news Several agencies at the Mental Health Forum are starting up new and exciting projects to benefit people with mental illness. Several agencies have the capacity to be the first port of call if GPs refer to them whilst waiting for Therapeutic Services from the Mental Health Services. This could mean that people do not have to get into the secondary system if we continue to work together to reach this goal. We will keep aiming high. Community Remodelling We wish the new styled mental health services all the very best and hope that the person needing the support on the end of the line is provided with the appropriate service for them. The main concerns raised by members were the opening hours and the single point of access. Opening hours are 8 till 8 and it is evident from other helplines that there is often a substantial need after 8 in the evening and at weekends. We will continue to have regular updates and we understand that the service will be closely monitored and evaluated and that there could still be change. The 0-25 Summit used to meet quarterly and was an important interface with Shropshire Council officer however the number of attendees remained stubbornly low, with frequent last minute apologies from the council officers leaving us with small agendas. As a result of this we reviewed the terms of reference and asked members the question: Do you still want a 0 25 Summit? There was an overwhelming response that members want it, and really value reading the notes and updates, so we decided to: Move to a virtual meeting, with physical meetings being called on an adhoc basis when there was a substantial issue that warranted the meeting. Representatives of the sub groups would provide me as chair with copies of the notes from meeting they attend, to be disseminated to the membership, who would then feedback thoughts and comments to the whole summit group. If a decision or action was required by the summit we would either agree through e-mail exchange or call a physical meeting. We have good representation at lots of groups as is shown in the table below: Group/Meeting Frequency 1 st Rep Stand in Rep VCSA Assembly 8 weekly Richard Parkes Vacancy Children s trust Quarterly Richard Parkes Vacancy Early Help stakeholders Group As & when Angela Parton Hilary McGlyn Early Help Partnership through strengthening families Quarterly Angela Parton Hilary McGlyn Shropshire Safeguarding Children s Board Quarterly Kerry Williams (Through Richard Parkes SYA) Angela Parton Joint Assessment Pathway implementation Review Group Bi Monthly Hilary McGlyn Vacancy Healthy Child Partnership Board As & when Richard Parkes Dave Kilby Involvement in these meetings ensures that the sector has a voice in these key areas. We will monitor how the new approach works over the next year and re-assess if necessary. The Criminal Justice Forum has only met twice this year, the last time being September 16. Attendance from the statutory sector has always been very good but attendance from the voluntary sector has been low and patchy (understandably given the pressure on organisations). Since September I have not called another physical meeting but regularly email out items of interest to the forum which come my way. Anyone who would like to be added to the Criminal Justice Forum mailing list please contact Angela Parton angela.parton@yss.org.uk. 5
This Year s Highlights VCS Assembly Review Over the last two years Shropshire VCS Assembly Board has led work to undertake a review of the VCS Assembly. Led by the VCSA Vice Chair with support from Board members, the work has included local research targeted at members of the Assembly, national research to learn from best practice, and detailed discussions with VCSA Forums of Interest and public sector partners. The VCSA Review Group started work in December 2015 and considered: How the VCS Assembly can be organised in a way that effectively delivers its objectives. How VCS Assembly Forums of Interest can be best represented, have a voice, and influence the work of the VCS Assembly. How opportunities can be developed for VCS Forums of Interest to support each other and work together, when appropriate. How relationships with public sector representatives can be maintained and developed to generate greatest impact. How VCS Assembly Board Agendas can be managed more effectively. How VCS Assembly core functions including contacts and two way communications can be maintained despite a reduction in officer support. This will be a topic covered at the Annual Assembly. Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) In 2016, Government asked organisations such as the NHS and Social Services to work together to produce plans for their local area which will talk about and inform the future shape of health and social care services. Our STP covers both Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin and also takes in to consideration, Powys. Organisations such as Shropshire CCG, Local Authorities, Health Organisations and the voluntary and community sector have helped develop the plan. The STP focuses on: how the health and care system can remain fit the for future, help patients to become healthier, respond effectively to growing demands being placed on it. In September 2016 the VCSA Board held an extra meeting in order to meet with Alison Seabrooke, a consultant writing an evidence base of the local voluntary, community and social enterprise sector and its involvement with the Sustainability and Transformation future plans. Board members were invited to share their evidence and take the conversation back to their Forums of Interest. Alison s feedback was fed in to the STP and the STP Neighbourhood Group. (Nic McPherson is the VCSA representative on the STP Neighbourhood Group see page 9.) Over the last 12 months, Rachel Wintle, continues to represent the VCS Assembly on the HWBB. Rachel has been able to keep up to date with the developments surrounding the STP and has been able to feed in via HWBB meetings. Change and Compact Group Over the last 12 months the Change and Compact Group has maintained a focus on good practice partnership working and compact compliance. The group has allowed representatives from the VCS Assembly Board to share information and work closely with representatives from Shropshire Association of Local Councils, the CCG, Council and Police and Crime Commissioner s Office. Areas of focus have included: Decommissioning influencing the development of Shropshire Council s guidance document and link to the Commissioning Strategy. Keeping up to date on local developments in Social Value and the implementation of the Social Value Charter. Learning from the data captured through the development of Market Position Statements for Adult Social Care and Early Help. Following key policy changes and national programmes such as the Cabinet Office s Social Action Programme. Working together to design and learn from the public engagement undertaken through the Big Conversation. Researching commissioning and procurement issues highlighted at national and local levels. Working together to identify and map joint ambitions and outcomes across organisations. Highlighting challenges caused by the loss of investments in VCSE infrastructure and researching the impact of volunteering. This work will continue over the coming months. Understanding more about commercialism and the potential impact of its adoption on VCSE organisations and Compact working. 6
EU Funding and Social Inclusion The Feedback and Insight Team has been supporting work to enable the engagement of the VCSE sector in changes to EU funding and the work of the Marches LEP since June 2013. The VCSE sector has been working with the Marches LEP to develop and implement the Social Inclusion theme of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) Strategy for 2014-2020. Shropshire VCS Assembly works with VCSE representatives in Herefordshire and Telford and Wrekin to support a Marches wide network of VCSE organisations. The work is led by the Marches Social Inclusion Mini Group and engagement is enabled through stakeholder events and communications. The priorities of the work are to: Provide the means through which under-represented groups move towards employment through access to learning, training and volunteering Engaging and supporting under-represented groups to enable them to overcome barriers and progress towards employment Achievements over the last 12 months include: Supporting the delivery of the Social Inclusion Technical Assistance across the Marches LEP including the delivery of the Work Plan, Communications Plan and four networking and information sessions across the Marches area. Regular communications to Social Inclusion Stakeholders and widening the current reach of information to potential new audiences. Working more closely with ESF Employment and Skills to ensure joined up working and knowledge with ESF Social Inclusion. A refresh of the BBO Marches website so ensure that it is suitable for Social Inclusion Technical Assistance A number of partnerships formed in order to submit bids to Big Lottery s Building Better Opportunities Fund with a successful bid in Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin and an imminent decision in Herefordshire. Promoting more funding opportunities to the voluntary and community sector via both ESF Social Inclusion and Employment and Skills funds; due to the General Election in June 2017 decisions on these funding awards have been delayed until further notice. For more information and resources please visit www.bbomarches.com Social Value Social Value is a great way to seek benefits for communities and residents when commissioning and procuring services, above and beyond the main subject matter of the contract. In March 2017, Shropshire Council and partners in the Shropshire Social Value Group launched the Social Value Charter for Shropshire. The Charter sets out guiding principals and simple commitments that any organisation operating in Shropshire including: Public Sector Commissioners Service Providers Voluntary and community and social enterprise sector (VCSE) Private sector Organisations signing up will be making a commitment to support the Shropshire economy, promote well-being in Shropshire and making Shropshire a great place to live. How to sign up Signing up to the Social Value Charter is simple; the registration process is online and organisations can show their customers, suppliers, commissioners and funders that they ve signed up and are supporting Social Value in Shropshire by using the Social Value Charter branding; your organisation name and logo will also be added to the Social Value pages on the Shropshire Council website. Visit https://new.shropshire.gov.uk/social-value/ to find out more about Social Value, sign up to the Shropshire Social Value Charter, explore the FAQs and who s already signed up. Other Achievements A number of Shropshire VCSA Members were successful in the Shropshire Council Big Conversation Project Partners opportunity and have helped, working together with Shropshire Council s Public Health, and supported in bringing together the delivery, promotion and work of the Big Conversation 2016/17. Shropshire VCSA Members working in North Shropshire have been involved in the scoping, implementation and delivery of the Social Prescribing pilot project. VCSA Board Member Laurel Roberts, has been working closely with the Shropshire Council Public Health and has supported in bring together VCSE organisations. Shropshire VCSA Board Members have been working more closely with Town and Parish Councils; David Beechey, Chair of Shropshire Association of Local Councils (SALC) now sits on the VCSA Board Public Sector partners. Julia Baron, Shropshire Infrastructure Partnership representative on the VCSA Board and Richard Parkes, Chair of the 0-25 Summit have both been attending the Town and Parish Council Forum on behalf of the Shropshire VCSA. 7
VCSA Achievements 2016/17 8
Representation and Partnership Meeting VCSA Change and Compact Group Health and Wellbeing Board Including Board, Development Workshops, Comms, Lay Reference Group and other sub groups. Better Care Fund (BCF) Strategic Groups Including the Reference Group and Transformation Group. Better Care Fund (BCF) Working Groups Including Supporting People To Live Independently Longer, Reference and Prevention Groups. Healthwatch Shropshire Stakeholder Group and Grant Panel Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust Patient and engagement panel CCG Patient and Public Involvement (PECC) Community Safety Partnership Board Social Value Group Social Inclusion Marches LEP Including Mini Group, Stakeholder events and VCSE representatives on ESIF Committee. Children s Trust Including Board and Area Forums Early Help Including Stakeholder Group and Partnership Board Shropshire Safeguarding Children s Board Description This group brings together Shropshire Council and other partners with VCSA Board representatives including the Vice Chair, Shadow Chair, two Forum representatives and Compact Champion together with Shropshire Council to discuss key areas of change, undertake horizon scanning work and pilot new approaches. The Compact element maintains good relationships with local commissioners and ensures good practice guidelines are clearly communicated. The VCSA has a seat at the Health and Wellbeing Board and fully participates in the work of the Board and its sub groups. The VCSA Chair, Vice Chair and a number of Board representatives support this work. Representatives from the Health and Social Care Forum have been working to represent the VCSA at Better Care Fund strategic groups. A large number of VCSA representatives support the implementation of the Better Care Fund. The VCSA works to ensure the appropriate representatives attend the BCF delivery groups and representatives work to feedback issues to the Board, particularly where action or responses are required. The VCSA works in support of Healthwatch Shropshire and has a seat on the stakeholder group and grant panel. The VCSA values the opportunity to work with the NHS Trust and aims to maintain relationships to ensure key issues are communicated widely. Led by the CCG, this group brings together a range of stakeholders to focus on public and patient involvement in the work of the CCG and health. This Board takes an overview of community safety issues in Shropshire and VCSA involvement is essential in order to ensure connections across sectors are made and maintained. Led by Shropshire Council this group brings local commissioners together with the VCSA to understand best practice relating to the Public Services (Social Value) Act. This has been a significant area of work for the VCSA and continues to develop. Large numbers of VCSA members have been engaged with the work through the stakeholder events, training opportunities, research projects and communications. The VCSA is represented in its work with the Children s trust by the 0-25 Summit. Regular area forums also allow the wider membership of the VCSA to get more involved. The 0-25 Summit is currently working with Shropshire Council to explore and influence changes in the area of Early Help. The VCSA is represented at the Shropshire Safeguarding Children s Board providing important VCSE input. 0-25 SEND Strategic Board A 0-25 Summit representative attends this group which provides regular reports on progress towards outcomes and effectiveness of the Strategy for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities to the Shropshire Children s Trust. Safeguarding Adults Board Including the Learning and Development Sub group of the Keeping Adults Safe in Shropshire Board STP Neighbourhood Group and Prevention Group Town and Parish Council Forum Mental Health Partnership Board Including the MH Needs Assessment Steering Group and MH Suicide Prevention Steering Group The VCSA is represented at the Safeguarding Adults Board and updates are fed through to the VCSA Board. The purpose of the Neighbourhood Reference Group is to support the development of the strategic plans of Shropshire s Sustainability and Transformation Plan Neighbourhoods work stream and to ensure that different sectors and services are working in partnership. The group s members are representatives of the local authority and health services, the voluntary and community sector, social landlords and patient participation groups The purpose of the Forum is to share learning and find solutions to common strategic issues to enable town and parish councils to prepare plans to support the delivery of local services. Voluntary and community sector representatives are invited to the Forum to take part in the discussions, share expertise and to keep up to date with any opportunities for the VCS, e.g. partnering with local councils to develop and deliver community services. The Mental Health Partnership Board is a strategic forum to advise and lead the strategic direction of mental health commissioning and service delivery in Shropshire. Having a representative from the Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin Mental Health Forum assists the Board to deliver truly collaborative working and ensures that the promotion of emotional wellbeing and appropriate support for mental ill health in Shropshire is at the core of everything the Board sets out to do. 9
Key Issues 2015/16 Finance and Commissioning Workforce Demand for Services Sustainability Volunteering and Infrastructure Support External Influences Competition for grants has increased. Some organisations report missing out on funding opportunities as a result of significant increases in applicant numbers. Investment in the voluntary sector is increasingly based on contracts. Fewer, larger contracts can lead to limited opportunities for smaller groups and organisations. Nationally VCSE organisations are still encouraged to explore social investment and finance models including short term loans but these options do not offer a solution for many organisations. Employers within the VCSE sector have continued to see costs rise with pension contributions, increases in the national minimum wage and increased travel costs. Local infrastructure organisations report considerable losses of local VCSE groups and organisations, unable to continue due to a lack of income and other considerable challenges. VCSE organisations voice concerns that they are not able to respond to commissioning opportunities due to the tight timeframes being advertised and a failure to recognise the need for development time. Published commissioning intentions are seen as one method of providing more advanced notice of new tender processes. Some VCSE organisations have experienced very short contracts and found that the time needed to set up new services is not considered by commissioners. This can lead to problems with services unable to become very well established before the contract nears an end. VCSE organisations seeking or winning new opportunities report having to find funds for legal advice due to the complex documents and agreements being used (often disproportionate to value). The VCSE workforce appears to have reduced over recent years but it is difficult to evidence at a local level. Nationally, the growth of very large VCSE organisations has masked the issues in more rural areas. Wage levels in Shropshire are lower than average and this is particularly true within the VCSE sector where pay increases have not been possible due to financial pressures. VCSE organisations report increasing workloads having a detrimental impact on staff and volunteers. VCSE organisations highlight concerns that they do not have the available resources to invest in training and skills development for staff and volunteers. Finding trustees with the skills needed to see VCSE groups and organisations through challenging times continues to be a concern for some organisations. A continued trend has been that VCSA members report seeing more people with multiple and complex needs (often leading to a need for longer term support and sometimes an inability to accept referrals). Mental health is a growing concern and some VCSE groups and organisations don t feel well equipped to deal with the complex needs they are seeing. Access to urgent support from statutory services is a concern expressed by some VCSA members. VCSE services operating waiting lists have concerns over the risks this presents to people waiting for support. Ageing population forecasts remain a concern for VCSE organisations, particularly those working with older people. Local organisations continue to report an increased number of referrals as a result of changes to public sector services. Changes in welfare benefits continue to lead to a need for advice and support from the VCSE sector. Transport and access to services is a growing concern this year. The loss of public transport services has had an impact and VCSE organisations report that many people in need of support cannot access available opportunities because of where they live or the limited availability of public transport. Whilst demand for volunteering is growing, funding for volunteer recruitment and brokerage in Shropshire has been lost due to national changes in funding support. It has been recognised by the VCSA as a growing problem, and has raised concerns over the availability of infrastructure support to facilitate community activism and promote community resilience. Volunteer management comes at a cost but it is needed to support volunteers and provide training and expenses. Income sources to cover these costs are very limited and increasingly difficult to access. VCS Assembly members report that volunteering is not always understood. There are real differences between formal and informal volunteering and the expectations of volunteers in different areas of service provision. More people are staying in work longer and/or caring for others rather than retiring early and becoming volunteers. The economic pressures at the national level are resulting in the profile of our local volunteer workforce changing. Government policy requires those on benefits to volunteer. Often those individuals will volunteer for much shorter periods of time and need increased levels of support and management to develop the skills and confidence needed to volunteer effectively. As pressures on VCSE organsiations grow, volunteers are sometimes asked to deal with more complex cases and this has implications for volunteer recruitment and retention. VCS Assembly members are finding it difficult to find the time to attend events, meetings and read written updates in order to keep up to date with policy changes and maintain local networks. Time to plan and develop organisations is increasingly limited as more urgent service delivery work must take priority. Nationally there have been mixed messages concerning the Government s relationship with the VCSE sector. Changes in legislation and high profile VCSE contracts containing anti-lobbying clauses threaten the independence of the sector. The lack of investment in the Compact at the national level is also a cause for concern. 10
Reflections And The Year Ahead Message from the Incoming Chair I joined the VCSA Board about five years ago as the County Sport and Physical Activity Partnership representative and to be honest I wasn t quite sure what to expect. It fairly quickly became evident that the Board was made up of a very impressive range of expertise and that there was also real passion for community and voluntary life across Shropshire. The breadth and depth of knowledge on local issues as diverse as green technology to health & social care are really quite breath-taking and I am always taken by the quality of discussion at Board meetings. And sometimes these discussions do have an impact on local policy but in my view not often enough. So it is with some trepidation that I face the prospect of becoming Chair of the VCSA Board. We are facing probably the greatest challenge to public services that we have ever known in this country and the impact that this will have on community and voluntary life can really only be imagined. Some of you may read this knowing of casualties and I ve no doubt there will be others which may lead us to be downhearted. Yet it is my belief that we must approach our task with a positive, open and organised mind-set and that is why I have been leading a review of the Assembly over the last two years. I hope we can come out with a more proactive approach one which has greater purpose and influence as well as retaining the critical breadth, diversity and passion. Our volunteers and especially groups which support the most vulnerable will be relying on the Assembly even more in the years to come. So on to 2017/18 In the next 12 months the VCSA Board will work hard with the wider membership and partners to ensure that the voice of the voluntary sector is included in future decisions, changes and developments. The VCSA Board encourages Forums of Interest and individual members to be involved in the work of the Voluntary and Community Sector Assembly in Shropshire and feed in key issues, challenges and ideas. Here are some of the focus areas for the coming year Develop, nurture and maintain strong working relationships with - New Council and Councillors - Colleagues at the University Centre Shrewsbury - Public Sector Partners Inform VCSA Members of - Changes to data protection policy - Developments in Welfare Reform and Universal credit - How to sign up to the Social Value Charter - Work being developed by the VCSA Campaigns group Work in closer partnership with - the Change and Compact Group - Shropshire Providers Consortium Continue the core work of the VCSA Board including - regular communication with VCSA Members and Forums of Interest - working widely across the Marches LEP - working with partners to secure involvement in local projects - development of evidence bases, research and impact reporting - the voice of the wider VCSA membership and VCS is represented We look forward to working with you in 2017/18! 11
Post: Shropshire VCS Assembly, Shirehall, Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY2 6ND Email: vcsassembly@shropshire.gov.uk Tel: 01743 258521 Website: www.vcsvoice.org Twitter: @VCSVoice 12