Role of Voluntary and Community Sector
The voluntary and community sector plays a vital leadership role in developing
policies and services that improve and enhance society. It touches the lives
of thousands of people each day. The voluntary sector influences virtually
all aspects of our society from social justice, human rights, environment,
health and faith, to arts and culture, international development, sports and
recreation. Many organisations deliver services to and advocate on behalf of
individuals and groups who are disadvantaged, marginalised and/or excluded,
and whose voices might otherwise not be heard.
The Voluntary and Community Sector is a key player in creating greater social
inclusion and democratic renewal, providing mechanisms for community involvement
in the various government initiatives and neighbourhood renewal programmes
promoting public involvement and partnership working.
Role of Infrastructure
All organisations need quality support in order to provide quality services. VCOs may access information and services from a range of different points within their community. These include:
- Neighbourhood based organisations (eg: community centres)
- Borough based organisations (eg: CVS, Volunteer Centres)
- Cross-borough projects (eg: community accountancy projects)
- Sub-regional projects (eg: LEAD, East London CVS Network)
- Regional services (eg: PEACe)
- National organisations (eg: national bodies such as The Refugee Council, Bassac)
Infrastructure organisations can also be divided into the following categories:
Generic Infrastructure:
Those organisations based in boroughs providing either the generalist range of infrastructure services as described in the NAVCA membership criteria as the ‘core functions’ of infrastructure services (see below). In particular they provide information and advice around organisational development, accessing funding opportunities, and training opportunities for both staff and trustees.
Specialist Infrastructure:
These are agencies providing support around specific issues, (such as support
for the HR function or community accountancy), or who work with a particular
community (eg: BMER or LGBT communities).
What is a local infrasturcture organisation?
In every urban and rural area in England, local infrastructure organisations (LIOs) work behind the scenes to ensure that local third sector groups and organisations get the support they need.
They provide their members with a range of services and development support, and are the voice of the local third sector.
LIOs differ greatly in character and size, from small rural organisations with one or two paid staff, to large multi-million pound operations. Each is part of a network that is in touch with over 164,000 local third sector groups and organisations across the country.
What does a local infrastructure organisation do?
Local infrastructure organisations help the local third sector in a variety of ways:
Identifying and filling the gaps
By monitoring the services provided by the third sector in its local area, an LIO is able to easily identify where the gaps are. It can then work with new groups to address unmet needs and ensure that existing groups are equipped to tailor their services to the changing needs of the community.
Raising standards
LIOs are key to a fully-functioning, high quality local sector. By providing access to information on anything from funding and legal advice to training and quality assurance standards, they ensure that local groups and organisations have the knowledge, skills and resources they need to support the local community. .
Enabling communication and collaboration
Encouraging local groups to share resources and to work collaboratively creates a more efficient way of working and helps to build a stronger local sector. LIOs provide local groups and organisations with a forum for networking, enabling them to share good practice and expertise to form partnerships which can bid for public service contracts .
Providing a voice
LIOs act as a conduit, representing the diverse views of local groups and organisations to agencies such as the local authority and other public bodies. They also promote two-way communication, so that the local sector is consulted on policy developments and can contribute to discussions and decision-making at a local level. They often take the lead in establishing a local Compact - an agreement between the sector, councils and other local public bodies .
Promoting strategic involvement
The local third sector has a vital role to play in local policy-making and planning. LIOs make sure that the sector is represented and involved in local strategic partnerships, local area agreements and other influential planning groups, and actively work with representatives to ensure they keep on top of key local issues .