Untitled Document

Lambeth Voluntary Action Council (LVAC) Strategic/Work Priorities Paper
1st April 2004– 31st March 2005

INTRODUCTION

The need for this paper has arisen from the huge expectations and demands placed on Lambeth Voluntary Action Council, not only from LVAC’s own Voluntary and Community Sector members but also from the wider Voluntary and Community Sector in Lambeth, (we would also like to politely point out and stress that LVAC has and is still a membership organisation and we will support our members first and foremost) and our statutory partners, the London Borough of Lambeth and the Primary Care Trust. With insufficient available resources we simply cannot be all things to all people, as much as we would like to be. With so many agendas/issues in such a needy Borough as Lambeth, we at LVAC thought it was very important to define what our strategic/work priorities for the current year are, taking into account what we are paid to carry out and what are currently the most important issues to our members, which to some extent probably mirrors the wider Voluntary and Community Sector in Lambeth. An underlying value of all the work that LVAC undertakes will be our representational role on behalf of our members and our role in capacity building the sector through our work. The following is a summary of what work forms our strategic priorities and that we will be undertaking during the above period:

• COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT NETWORK
To aid in the development and promotion of a vibrant Community Empowerment Network in Lambeth, which in the long term will be recognised as The Network of Networks and will enable effective participation in the Local Strategic Partnership as a priority, and other partnerships as deemed necessary.

• LAMBETH’S HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE FORUM AND ITS ASSOCIATED SUB FORUMS
To help develop and maintain a vibrant Health and Social Care Forum and associated sub forums e.g. Older People’s, Mental Health, Physical and Sensory Disability and Children, Families and Young People’s sub forums which are open to all (including non – LVAC members) that will enable genuine consultation and engagement with the statutory bodies on behalf of the Voluntary and Community Sector in Lambeth. To also work strategically and ensure involvement in Lambeth’s newly formed Health Partnership and Health Executive Partnership.

• COMPACT
To work in partnership with our statutory partners, the London Borough of Lambeth and the Primary Care Trust to further develop Lambeth’s COMPACT and to ensure that Lambeth’s Voluntary and Community Sector is made aware of the COMPACT and uses it to its maximum benefit.
• INFORMATION
To continue to play a leading role in facilitating information sharing within the Voluntary and Community Sector and also the statutory sector with the regular publication of our popular quarterly newsletter and various other briefings etc. as and when appropriate.

• PARTNERSHIP
Through our post of Partnership Development Manager to encourage and promote community involvement in a wide range of partnerships and support existing networks and forums with the aim of strengthening these forums by addressing their capacity building needs. To also encourage joint working between voluntary and community groups in the Borough.

• SUSTAINABILITY
To ensure the sustainability of voluntary and community groups in Lambeth (specifically targeting Black and Ethnic Minority and Small Groups) through undertaking an audit needs analysis to inform the provision of our annual training programme and capacity building support, that includes our successful Community Accountancy Project, Small Groups’ Project, Council for Ethnic Minority Voluntary Organisations (CEMVO) Partnership Project and NetworkPlus Capacity Building Projects. We will also develop on the work of our NetworkPlus Project in partnership with our sub regional Central London partners and develop stronger links with the Learning Skills Council and further develop our work in the area of Education/Training and Employment for the benefit of our members and the various communities of Lambeth.

To continue to develop LVAC’s internal infrastructure which will enable us to more efficiently meet the ever-growing external agendas of so many communities, bodies and institutions.

• VOLUNTEERING
To support the development of a Volunteer Bureau in Lambeth. Due to space constraints at LVAC’s current premises, LVAC will work in partnership with any credible partners in attempting to establish a Volunteer Bureau. This will mean that the Volunteer Bureau does not have to be based at LVAC, we are more interested in ensuring a Volunteer Bureau is developed in Lambeth, whether internally or externally of LVAC.

• VOLUNTARY SECTOR RESOURCE BUILDING
To continue to explore all avenues for the development of a Voluntary Sector Resource Building in Lambeth, which as well as housing LVAC’s growing staff team, would more importantly have various facilities available to the Voluntary and Community Sector in Lambeth e.g. start up office space for community groups, interview rooms, training/meeting rooms, conference facility, library of voluntary sector resources including I.T. and high speed internet access, high volume photocopying facilities, café etc.

CH May 04