Cornwall VSF is able to act as a gateway for the public sector, enabling agencies to involve, collaborate and consult with voluntary and community organisations (VCOs) within Cornwall. We can offer policy officers and commissioners advice on working with VCOs and channels of communication and feedback.
We also offer the following services:
Representation. We can help the public sector identify and support appropriate representatives from voluntary and community groups to be involved with public policy development and service delivery. See our page on representation for more information and a list of some of our representatives.
Mediation. We are able to offer informal mediation between different VCO groups and also between VCOs and public sector agencies in the event of disputes.
Communication. We are developing a database of over 3000 VCO organisations active within Cornwall. We hold quarterly open seminar meetings for the third sector on issues of topical interest. We have recognised sub-groups such as Cornwall Infrastruture Partnership (CIP) – the local consortia responsible for the delivery of the Government’s Change Up programme. We work closely with Signpost magazine (a local VCO newsletter produced by East Cornwall Council for Voluntary Service) and Interlink, a network of community groups supported under the Local Area Agreement.
Consultation. We are able to respond in depth to local, regional and national consultations involving the third sector. For example, we have given feedback on the ‘One Cornwall’ proposal for local government reorganisation, on the European Convergence programme, on Cornwall NHS’ dementia strategy and many more.
Strategy and policy development. We can work alongside public agencies in the development of strategies and policies for the long term best interests of Cornwall. For example, we have worked closely with Cornwall County Council and Cornwall Strategic Partnership on the development of the Local Area Agreement and the Cornwall Sustainable Communities Strategy.
Research. We have undertaken many pieces of research on behalf of or in partnership with public sector agencies. An example is the ‘Valuing the Voluntary Sector’ research we undertook funded by the European Social Fund (you can see an extract from this on the ‘Facts and Figures’ page of this website). Where we are not directly involved, we can also assist public agencies in identify research partners from the sector for specific issues thanks to our in-depth knowledge of the local third sector.
Commissioning and procurement. We can asssist commissioners in their work with user groups and service providers from within the local third sector. Thanks to the feedback we receive from colleagues, we are well placed to advise on best practice in relation to improving the commisssioning process from the perspective of those ‘on the receiving end’ . We can also provide informal mediation where there is a need for service transformation.
A good example of where we are working closely with the public sector in most of these areas is our work with Cornwall County Council. We have a three year Service Level Agreement for Strategic Representation with them, co-ordinated through a monthly meeting of VCO leaders and representatives of each directorate.
For more information, contact Mark Richardson, Chief Executive, by emailing mark.richardson@cornwallvsf.org
