ELCVS Change Up

ChangeUp

This Section provides a general introduction to ChangeUp and information on what's happening regionally and locally.

What is ChangeUp?

ChangeUp is a government initiative designed to improve voluntary and community sector infrastructure. It is administered nationally by Capacitybuilders.

Capacitybuilders is the national agency, launched in April 2006, with responsibility to take the programme forward and to manage the £70 million funding.

ChangeUp aims to ensure that by 2014 frontline voluntary and community organisations will have the support they need to achieve their potential, that this support is available nationwide, that its effective, accessible, and reflects and promotes diversity and is sustainably funded.

But ChangeUp is about more than just the money the government is providing over the next few years: ChangeUp provides a framework for identifying the needs of the voluntary and community organisations and the best ways to address those needs.

For details of ChangeUp plans for East London
For information on the latest developments
What does the government mean by infrastructure?

Who does what?

What’s happening Nationally

National support services:

For more information on latest developments

What’s happening Regionally

In London:
The London Regional Consortium is a strategic management group which formulates priorities, oversees the delivery process and takes an overview of the region’s activity. Members include pan-London voluntary and community sector organisations, public sector agencies and funders. The Consortium advises on how ChangeUp activities are developed in London and sets regional priorities. In addition there are 10 sub-groups which are coordinating activity across London. Involvement in consortia does not guarantee access to funding for any agency: groups are involved to ensure that their agency’s expertise can help to improve the planning, funding and delivery of infrastructure services.

The ChangeUp in London 2004 to 2008 Report on ChangeUp activity since it began is now available. The total ChangeUp investment in London’s infrastructure between 2004 and 2008 will be £12.7 million and this report was produced with the aim to give an overview of work that has taken place and to provide a breakdown of how ChangeUp funding has been allocated to meet London’s priorities. This is the first report that has compiled all ChangeUp activity in London into one document (please note: the document is 40 pages long, excluding annexes).

What’s happening locally

In East London:
At a sub-regional level, the East London CVS Network facilitates the ChangeUp East London Partnership. More information can be found here

See where the East London CVS Network sits between local and regional planning.

In your boroughs:
At local level, each CVS led on setting up a consortium for the borough and producing a local plan. For further information on local issues, please contact your local CVS.

Further Information about ChangeUp

Information on East London sub-regional activity
Information on local East London consortia & activity
Home Office Website
Government Office For London Website
London Voluntary Service Council

London Councils will monitor the whole process to ensure proper partnership working and buy-in

The Timeframe?

December 2007 Local and sub-regional ChangeUp consortia to submit Business Plan and Strategic Plan
Autumn 2007 Local and sub-regional ChangeUp consortia revise Plans & consult with key stakeholders
June 2007 Local and sub-regional ChangeUp consortia submitted Consortia Development Plans
March 2006 – March 2007 Implementation of regional, sub-regional and local plans
December 2005 London Regional Plan out to consultation
Autumn 2005 Local and Sub-regional Plans submitted to the London ChangeUp Consortium
Summer 2005 Consultation events on plans
March 2005 Partnerships brought together and local and sub-regional plans in development

ChangeUp: Latest Developments

Capacitybuilders has published Prospectus, Funding Strategic Change update Feb 08 & Consortium Assessment Guidance 2008

Destination 2014

This recent consultation aimed to identify the priorities Capacitybuilders should adopt to meet its vision and achieve its strategic objectives by 2014.

A series of consultation events were held early in 2007, with responses also fed in through the website, by post and by email. You can download the strategic framework: Destination 2014: Investing in change.

Review and Development of Consortia

ChangeUp activities are planned and delivered through consortia, which exist at local, sub-regional and regional level.
Capacitybuilders has recently announced that is has allocated funding to allow consortia to develop their plans, in particular to ensure that they have the necessary evidence base and structures to ‘look outwards’ and negotiate / collaborate with other partners to deliver high quality infrastructure services to front line VCS organisations, and to develop strategic plans for their activities up to 2014.

In return, consortia will be expected to meet certain minimum standards in terms of their equality and diversity, monitoring and evaluation practices, outcomes and impact and accountability.

The Consortia Development Fund, which aims to enhance the working of ChangeUp consortia around the country and ensure all are working to a minimum standard. Consortia are being requested to update their strategy to 2014 and to provide a business plan for 2008-11. Funding for ChangeUp projects has not yet been confirmed by government.

What does the government mean by infrastructure?

By "infrastructure" the government means the physical facilities, structures, systems, relationships, people, knowledge and skills that exist to support and develop, co-ordinate, represent and promote front line organisations thus enabling them to deliver their missions more effectively.

Voluntary and community sector infrastructure organisations provide infrastructure functions (support and development, co-ordination, representation and promotion) to frontline voluntary and community organisations. They are sometimes called umbrella or second tier organisations.

ChangeUp is a one-off investment to help Voluntary and Community Sector Infrastructure Organisations support the sector as a whole more effectively. The money is not meant to deliver services to frontline organisations. Instead it's supposed to be used strategically, to develop plans for sustainable improved services.