Building Better Communities About Scotland’s Third Sector Interfaces
introduction “We look to Scotland for all our ideas of civilisation” Voltaire, French philosopher
contents 3 Introduction 4 About Voluntary Action Scotland
5 About Third Sector Interfaces
6 Developing the Third
10 Supporting
Community Planning
12 Supporting
Volunteering
14 Your Local Third Sector Interface
Sector in Scotland
16 Facts and Figures
8 Developing Social
18 Working Together
Enterprise
19 Looking Forward
Third Sector Interfaces in Scotland are making a difference in our communities. We’re directly supporting and developing ten of thousands of third sector organisations and hundreds of thousands of volunteers every year. Our work touches the lives of almost every citizen in Scotland.
S
cotland is a small nation made up of many, diverse communities. These communities have many challenges in common, as well as issues which are unique to their geography, size, health, prosperity and so forth. This uniqueness and diversity has contributed to the very diverse nature of our third sector: community groups, voluntary organisations, social enterprises and also volunteering, which is cross-sectoral. It is when we face unprecedented financial pressures that we really start to appreciate this diversity. As public sector cuts bite deeper and threaten those services upon which so many of our citizens rely, it is the third sector and volunteering that is leading on the development of many of the solutions. Scotland’s network of Third Sector Interfaces is uniquely placed at the heart of civic society in every part of Scotland to help bring about changes in the way public services are delivered. Interfaces receive funding from Scottish Government but are independent, locally owned organisations that tailor their work and priorities to meet local need. As a network we’re committed to continuous improvement, building on the best of our talents, being innovative, working with others - across sectors - and seeking to reduce inequalities and improve opportunities for the people of Scotland. Please take time to read this publication and find out more about what your Third Sector Interfaces have been doing, and continue to do, with diminishing resources and faced with increasing demand. Please also consider how you might be able to work with us, or about what we can do to help you to achieve your goals. Finally, I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to the hundreds of very committed board members, employees and volunteers who give their skills, expertise and energy to the extensive work of the network of Third Sector Interfaces across Scotland. Together, we’re building better communities.
Kenny Murphy Convener, Voluntary Action Scotland.
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Each Interface is unique to their local area. The name, structure and range of services are determined at a local level, in line with the available resources and local need.
voluntary action scotland VAS supports Interfaces by facilitating and enabling the sharing of information and good practice, the development of the skills of our governors, staff and volunteers and acting as a conduit with national stakeholders.
V
oluntary Action Scotland (VAS) is the umbrella body for Scotland’s network of 32 Third Sector Interfaces. There’s an interface in each local authority area. We work with Interfaces to develop shared intelligence and information so that we can better inform Scottish Government and others of the circumstances being faced in our communities. We then work with national stakeholders to influence policy development and implementation to ensure that our communities are supported to become more resilient. We work closely with other national third sector organisations to strengthen our collective voice and work together to achieve more than we could on our own. VAS is supporting Scotland’s Interfaces to develop as a new network with a focus on ensuring the delivery of high quality services which can be accessed by volunteers, social enterprises, community groups and voluntary organisations in every part of the country. We’re working on service values and standards, exploring branding options and supporting our continuing commitment to the EFQM quality framework*.
third sector interfaces E
ach local authority area has a Third Sector Interface (TSI). TSIs deliver the kinds of services that were delivered by Councils for Voluntary Services (CVSs), Volunteer Centres (VCs) and Social Entrerprise Networks (SENs).
* EFQM is the European Foundation for Quality Management and the majority of Interfaces have already achieved Committed to Excellence recognition from Quality Scotland.
Our vision is of a sustainable and high impact third sector delivering high quality services for the communities and people of Scotland.
The new Interface arrangements bring together four key, local infrastructure functions: ● Support to and promotion of volunteering; ● Support and development of social enterprise; ● Support to voluntary organisations operating in the area, both local and those national organisations that deliver services at the local level; ● Connection between the Community Planning Partnership and the third sector. An Interface is independent, community-managed support organisation, accountable to the third sector in its area, and responsible for engaging effectively with CPP and SG to represent the best interests of the sector, and the communities they serve. You’ll find a list of the 32 Interfaces on pages 14 and 15.
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Case Study 1
The Voluntary and Community Sector across Scotland is vibrant, dynamic and firmly embedded in our social, political and economic lives. It is a major employer, provider of high quality value for money services and the glue that helps hold together and create resilient communities.
In Dundee a local charity which was “dedicated to supporting the dreams of sick and disabled children� was failing to meet the requirements of OSCR and of its own governing documents and did not fully appreciate the roles and responsibilities placed on the Trustees. The local interface provided targeted support to the Management Committee and helped them address issues of governance, recruiting new Trustees and policy development. The charity is now in a far healthier position and without real practical support given may well have failed.
developing theA third sector s a sector that is constantly evolving in the face of new local and national circumstances, interfaces are the natural home for so many of the advice and support services required to help ensure the healthy development and sustainability of the sector. Interfaces are in touch with over 31,000 third sector organisations. Feedback from local community and voluntary organisations highlights that their main current concerns are around lack of funding to sustain vital local services and activities, that they are worried about unemployment, particularly of young people, that commissioning and procurement processes are too complex, and that the need to Reshape Care for Older People is a key priority.
Case Study 2 In Inverclyde a small pre-school nursery was at risk of closure owing to loss of premises. The Inverclyde Interface supported the organisation in identifying and securing new funding sources for alternate premises. Such was the success that the income received will also be suďŹƒcient to help build a playground for the nursery. A real asset to the community was sustained and developed.
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developing
social enterprise
Case Study 1 The Edinburgh Interface have successfully provided business support to Bespoke Organic Events (BOE) to form a Community Interest Company and for the merger of that company with an existing restaurant specialising in organic locally sourced food and the acquisition of another food company. It is expected that following the merger the new enterprise will employ the equivalent of 10 full time staff and have an annual turnover of some £550,000.
T
he requirement by Scottish Government for interfaces to give support to and development of social enterprise has brought new challenges, demands on resources and the need to form new relationships. For many interfaces and their constituent partners there was already a long and successful experience of this activity and of encouraging a more enterprising sector. All Interfaces are committed to supporting social enterprise development with some 25% of interfaces having dedicated staff in place to do so. Investment has been made in staff development and training and there is clear evidence of a significant increase in referrals being made by Interfaces to more specialised agencies and support programmes.
Case Study 2 In Orkney a group of local people who had a dream of establishing an arts materials outlet with gallery space for local artists and space for classes were helped by Voluntary Action Orkney to turn that dream into a reality. The appropriate structure for the enterprise was developed, training opportunity given and taken up assistance given in finding suitable accommodation. They are now on their 4th exhibition for local artists. The Director of the company has noted that without Voluntary Action Orkney and their support we wouldn’t be here – they facilitated every step.
A social enterprise is a business that trades for a social and/or environmental purpose. They bring in most or all of their income through selling goods or services. They also have clear rules about what they do with profits, reinvesting these to further their social purpose.
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I
t is the expectation of Scottish Government that interfaces shall represent the interests of the third sector in the Community Planning process and ensure the sector is fully engaged and treated as equal partners in the Community Planning Partnership. The experience of interfaces to fully meet that expectation presents a varied picture across Scotland with significant issues of equality, timely access to information and the swathe of local forums and policy/planning groups with whom the interface is asked or would wish to engage. All of Scotland’s interfaces report their engagement in Community Planning and have confirmed their representation on the Board of the CPP and other key strategic partnerships. As we learn from the experience of others we are gaining in our confidence to assert more strongly the valuable contribution we can and should make to the CPP process and to ensure we engage in a meaningful way.
Case Study 1 East Dunbartonshire agree a Community Engagement contract, providing support for the PPF and supporting wider community engagement through Community Planning. An example of their activity is that of the East Dunbartonshire CVS running 2 Health Needs Analysis sessions which involved over 90 people. That work is now being followed up via the Community Planning for the Total Place project.
Case Study 2 In the Scottish Borders the Borders Third Sector Partnership was invited by the CPP Strategic Board to assist in the planning and coordination of thematic conferences which would include all statutory partners, public sector RSL’s and the wider Third Sector. The purpose of these conferences was to improve partnership working and importantly to recognise the Third Sector as a vital partner in the delivery of future services. Three events have so far been held and The Borders Partnership held a key role in their organisation, facilitation of workshops and progressing actions.
Interfaces are working with all 32 Community Planning partnerships to support people and organisations across sectors to work better together to improve the quality of people’s lives. This is achieved through helping to develop and sustain a range of structures, processes and behaviours to improve partnership working.
suppo rting
community planning
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supporting volunteering Case Study 1 Improving Employability An 18 year old volunteer from East Renfrewshire felt that her level of administrative skills and shyness were holding her back from employment. She was supported into a volunteering opportunity and from that experience now says “ … I have been going out and meeting my community. My social skills have really improved. I now feel motivated to look for work and I have been helped with my interview skills. I feel optimistic about the future. Volunteering has been the best thing that I could ever have done!”
E
ngaging with volunteers of all ages, Interfaces provide a wide range of support from the initial enquiry, providing specific information through to brokering the placement, supporting organisations to train and retain volunteers and ensure it is a good experience for all. Interfaces are also very active in recognising volunteering through celebration events and awards schemes. Building good relationships with local and national organisations has been important when helping organisations to engage with potential volunteers. In the first 6 months of the current financial year, Interfaces dealt with just under 35,000 volunteering enquiries, promoted over 20,000 volunteering opportunities across Scotland and placed more than 11,000 volunteers into suitable opportunities. The new Saltire Awards celebrate and reward Scotland’s young volunteers, aged 12 to 25 years. The Awards have been designed to encourage all young volunteers to work towards. There are a range of certificates and awards to aim for - from volunteering in a Challenge to achieving the Summit Award for outstanding achievement. Saltire Awards have been developed by Interfaces with support from Voluntary Action Scotland and the Scottish Government. They will be available in every local authority area from April 2012.
Case Study 2 Changing People’s Lives A young mother who had never been in employment was the victim of domestic abuse and lacked confidence. She received mentoring to volunteer and progressed through a number of different opportunities and undertook skills training. As a volunteer in an office situation she gained administrative skills. She now tutors evening classes on jewellery making at a local college and is running a small online jewellery business. She readily acknowledges the changes that being a volunteer have helped bring to her life and those of her family, feeling much more confident about herself and positive about the future
Volunteering is at the heart of every community in Scotland and one of the key roles of Interfaces is to promote, develop and support volunteering locally.
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26
your local third sector interface 1
Aberdeen
8
Aberdeen Council of Voluntary Organisations (ACVO) Tel: 01224 686058 www.acvo.org.uk
2
3
4
Aberdeenshire
9
Angus
East Lothian
10
Community Action Angus Tel: 01241 875525 Website: Not yet available
Clackmannanshire
11
Dumfries and Galloway Dumfries and Galloway Third Sector Interface Tel: 01387 270205 Website: Not yet available
7
12
Voluntary Action East Lothian Tel: 0131 665 3300 www.voluntaryactioneastlothian. org.uk
Inverclyde
18
Midlothian
20
East Renfrewshire 19
21
16
Edinburgh, City of
13
1
22
Falkirk
14
15
Fife Third Sector Interface Tel: 01592 567001 www.cvsfife.org
Glasgow Glasgow Third Sector Interface Tel: 0141 332 2444 www.gcvs.org.uk
16
Scottish Borders
26
Shetland Islands Voluntary Action Shetland Tel: 01595 743901 www.shetland-communities.org.uk
Moray Moray Third Sector Interface Tel: 01343 541713 www.voluntaryactionmoray.org.uk
27
South Ayrshire
28
South Lanarkshire
North Ayrshire North Ayrshire Third Sector Interface Tel: 01294 443044 www.theayrshirecommunitytrust. co.uk
North Lanarkshire
Orkney Islands
Scottish Borders Third Sector Interface Tel: 01896 755370 www.the-bridge.uk.net
Voluntary Action South Ayrshire Tel: 01292 263 626 www.voluntaryactionsouthayrshire. org.uk
Voluntary Action South Lanarkshire Tel: 01698 300390 www.vaslan.org.uk
29
Stirling Stirlingshire Voluntary Enterprise Tel: 01786 430000 www.sventerprise.org.uk
30
23
Perth and Kinross
31
24
Refrewshire
West Dunbartonshire West Dunbartonshire CVS Tel: 0141 941 0886 www.wdcvs.com
23 7
Fife
Midlothian Third Sector Interface Tel: 0131 663 9471 www.mvacvs.org.uk
25
Voluntary Action Orkney Tel: 01856 872897 www.orkneycommunities.co.uk /VAO
3
CVS Falkirk and District Tel: 01324 692000 www.cvsfalkirk.org.uk
Inverclyde Third Sector Interface Tel: 01475 711733 www.cvsinverclyde.org.uk
Voluntary Action North Lanarkshire Tel: 01236 748011 www.vanl.co.uk
2
Edinburgh Third Sector Interface Tel: 0131 555 9100 www.evoc.org.uk/about /third-sector-interface
Dundee Voluntary Gateway Tel: 01382 305728 Website: Not yet available
17
19
32
Voluntary Action East Renfrewshire Tel: 0141 876 9555 www.va-er.org.uk
Clackmannanshire Third Sector Interface Tel: 01259 213840 www.ctsi.org.uk
6
East Dunbartonshire
Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action Tel: 01771 624787 www.bridgecvs.org.uk
Argyll and Bute
22
Voluntary Action East Ayrshire Tel: 01563 574000 www.cvoea.co.uk
East Dunbartonshire Third Sector and Volunteering Interface Tel: 0141 578 0291 www.eastdunbartonshirecvs.org.uk
Argyll and Bute Third Sector Partnership Tel: 01631 564839 www.argyllcommunities.org
5
East Ayrshire
4
14
29 30 17 20
24
5 13
9 15
31
21
11
10
12 18
Perth and Kinross Association of Voluntary Service (PKAVS) Tel: 01738 567076 www.pkavs.co.uk
Engage Renfrewshire Tel: 0141 887 7707 www.engagerenfrewshire.com
28
Highland Highland Third Sector Partnership Tel: 01479 812100 www.htspinterface.co.uk
25
8
27 6
up to date contact details are on our website www.voluntaryactionscotland.org.uk
West Lothian Voluntary Sector Gateway West Lothian Tel: 01506 650111 www.vsgwl.org
32
Western Isles Co-Cheangal Innse Gall Tel: 01851 700366 www.c-cig.org.uk
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facts figures
6 months: April - September 2011
Volunteering
Third Sector Interfaces themselves Over 600 paid sta employed by Interfaces Over 900 volunteers engaged by Interfaces
>600 >900 sta
volunteers
46,699
Volunteers Placed: over
more than
4,000
Young volunteers recognised through MV and Saltire Awards
11,0 0 0
4,825
young volunteers placed
3,922
unemployed people placed in volunteering roles
1,585
people with health or additional support needs placed
1,10 4
people over 60 placed in a volunteering role
Third Sector Support
1,817 Organisations benefiting from training
20,000
Volunteering opportunities promoted
Dedicated/intensive support to organisations
Requests for help or guidance
Social Enterprise Referals 795
Just Enterprise
over
5,245
Social Entrepreneurs Fund
The Enterprise Growth Fund
478 over 1,000
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looking
C
working
together T
he strength of our Interfaces and that of VAS lies not just in our individual resource and experience but in our ability to connect, share and work with other organisations in the pursuit of our common interests and agendas. Interfaces draw on a long and established tradition of innovation, the development of local strategic relationships and support to thematic networks. Working together, gaining strength and giving support to each other is part of their genetic make up and a characteristic which brings real added value. VAS has demonstrated a strong commitment to working alongside and with our sister National Intermediaries, both at strategic policy level and on areas of joint operational activity. Our work with Scottish Government and the intelligence that we bring from Interfaces is valued and will be further strengthened as we refine and develop our capacity to capture and analyse that intelligence. Our programme of national interface meetings is demonstrating our ability to develop common approaches, create a learning network and increase our knowledge base.
forward
ommunities and people across Scotland are struggling to cope with the economic crisis. There’s a huge demand on the third sector to work with people to build and sustain resilience. VAS and Third Sector Interface have a significant role to play in ensuring volunteers and the diverse range of third sector organisations are supported and enabled to have an impact in their communities of place and interest. Our public sector partners are turning to us more than ever before, and recognise that we can, and must, learn from each other.
VAS goes into the coming months with a clear focus on working with the network of Interfaces to identify best practice and share it between and within Interfaces, build on the engagement and representation structures we’ve developed and ensure the voices and needs of local people and communities are heard by those control budgets and who plan and commission services. We will continue to develop relationships with key, strategic partners as well as build on the relationships we’ve already established with Scottish Government and other public and third sector organisations at a national level. There are opportunities as well as challenges in the current climate. We need to continue to work hard to ensure the third sector is supported and resourced to play a full role in influencing, supporting and delivering across key social policy areas such as co-production, self-directed support, empowered communities, the integration of health and social care, active citizenship, employability and many more. VAS and Interfaces will work together to meet these challenges, working with our partners and harnessing our collective resources and talents to build better communities.
Voluntary Action Scotland and Scotland’s network of Third Sector Interfaces work at a national and local level to promote, develop and represent Scotland’s third sector, social enterprises and volunteering. The 32 Interfaces are key partners in each local Community Planning Partnership – promoting and supporting the role of the third sector and volunteering in improving the delivery of public services across every community in Scotland.
For more information about the work of Voluntary Action Scotland (VAS) or Third Sector Interfaces please contact VAS: Tel: 01324 692025 E-mail info@voluntaryactionscotland.org.uk Alternatively, you can visit our website: www.voluntaryactionscotland.org.uk
Registered office: Unit 6, Callendar Business Park, Callendar Road, Falkirk, FK1 1XR. Voluntary Action Scotland is a Company Limited by Guarantee in Scotland, No. SC361901 and Registered Charity No. SC042793.