Involving the voluntary and community sector

To develop its ambitions and priorities, the Kirklees Partnership developed and agreed a COMPACT with the voluntary and community sector (VCS). Subsequently work has been undertaken to develop a Voluntary and Community Sector Strategy, which will include implementation of the COMPACT as a key priority.

To implement the work set out in the Local Area Agreement, the VCS in Kirklees is represented on each of the Local Public Service Boards (LPSBs). Each of the four boards has two VCS representatives, elected by the sector, who sit on the boards bringing the unique perspective and experience of the VCS to influence the work of each board.

In addition to this, the sector has six representatives who sit on the Kirklees Partnership Board, together with senior officers from two VCS infrastructure organisations. These representatives work with all partners to oversee the work of the boards and discuss cross-cutting issues.

Finally, the sector has two representatives on the Kirklees Partnership Executive. The Executive is responsible for ensuring the LPSBs are working towards the outcomes and objectives of the LAA, including giving a clear lead on how the Partnership takes forward the issues raised at all levels of the process.

Representation for the sector comes from the Voluntary Action Network (VAN) - a network of VCS individuals, groups and organisations. VAN works with the main purpose of bringing together the sector to provide a 'voice' for the VCS in Kirklees, especially in relation to decision-making processes. VAN's structure mirrors that of the Kirklees Partnership, with four forums, corresponding to the LPSBs and a Strategic Management Group (made up of the representatives on the LPSBS and the KP Board), that works in the same way as the Kirklees Partnership Board and Executive combined. VAN is managed by Voluntary Action Kirklees.

The VAN structure enables the sector to select its representatives to the Local Public Service Boards and to provide a forum the sector to debate issues and feed in views to the boards.

For more information on the Voluntary Action Network, contact Alistair Cheetham on 01484 518457 or at alistair.cheetham@voluntaryactionkirklees.co.uk