West Norfolk Voluntary and Community Action

This team at WNVCA encompasses information, policy and cohesion diversity within its remit. The purpose and activity of the team is to ensure that the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) is fully informed, engaged and consulted with at both district and county level. This is particularly important in the implementation and development of public services.

Over the past few years nearly all

governmental departments have moved away from being the providers of services to becoming the commissioners (buyers in). Therefore, it is important that the VCS is robustly represented in this process and is an integral part of this change.

The Partnership team represents the voluntary sector on West Norfolk’s Local Strategic Partnership (LSP), ensuring that the VCS has a strong voice and is involved and consulted on local plans and policies.

Local Strategic Partnerships are non-statutory, multi agency partnerships which follow local authority boundaries; bringing together at local level the different parts of the public, private, community and voluntary sectors. This encourages different initiatives and services to support one another so that they can work together more effectively. They have been set up to ensure that the services provided meet the real needs of the community.

Our LSP which is know as The West Norfolk Partnership (WNP) is made of four individual thematic groups; these are Healthier Communities and Older People, Children and Young People, Economic and the Safer and Stronger Communities Partnership. Our Team also participates in Voluntary Youth, Older People, Diverse, Health, Carers and Transport Forums. All this action driven involvement puts the team in an excellent place to meet the promises made to the community in our Mission Statement and Aims.

The West Norfolk Partnership (WNP) is a group of key public, private and voluntary sector organisations who work together to improve services and the quality of life in West Norfolk. The WNP tackles the toughest problems that people say affect their lives, like raising skills, improving services for children and young people and tackling important local health issues. As well as local people members include representatives of the Borough and County Councils, the health and education services, housing providers and the police.

Supporting us with throughout all these actions are the Norfolk Compact guidelines by which Government departments and the voluntary sector work together. This important document is a valuable tool in the structure of partnerships and has been effective many times in reinforcing partnership working

In additon the Partnership Team make regular and active contributions in the Public Involvement Forum and the Voluntary Sector Local Area Agreement Reference Group speaking up for West Norfolk's VCS at a County level.

The Partnership team is thus very actively involved in not just West Norfolk, but Norfolk as a whole and is now seen as an additional effective route by which the wider voluntary sector fits into district and county affairs and can influence and tackle issues that really matter to local people.

Although there are still plenty of challenges ahead as the partnership team works hard to raise the level of VSC participation in local affairs, which includes those hard to reach groups as well as increasing the involvement of faith groups in local issues. However, these are exiting times as public consultation and engagement are very much the way forward.