What is the VCSE Assembly?
Each Integrated Care System (ICS) has a voluntary sector alliance. The alliances aim to bring together all of the Voluntary Community Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations within the ICS, enabling them to collectively inform and shape the ICS into a system which works for everyone. The Norfolk and Waveney ICS has a VCSE Assembly which aims to ensure that the VCSE sector is embedded at all levels.
The VCSE Assembly, along with statutory partners and support from the Norfolk and Waveney ICB VCSE Partnering Team, leads and delivers on the integration of the VCSE sector within the structures in our ICS.
By working as an integrated part of the ICS, the VCSE sector is able to influence and shape the design and delivery of services, from place-based, neighbourhood localities to strategic board level, making sure our ICS works for everyone.
The VCSE sector, via the VCSE Assembly, is able to provide expertise and reach into the communities that receive health and care services, particularly those that the statutory ICS partners can find it difficult to connect with. Via the organisations that work within these communities, the VCSE Assembly enables communities to highlight priorities, as well as supporting the design and delivery within our health and social care system.
The Assembly provides opportunity for VCSE organisations to participate in the ICS at various levels, be it at place or board level. Through the Assembly, VCSE representatives will sit in Programme Boards, Committees and even at board level to help influence decision making at all levels.
Background
The VCSE sector across Norfolk & Waveney is large and varied. There are 3,645 registered charities, 220 community interest companies and 124 societies with their registered offices in Norfolk & Waveney.
There are also many informal VCSE organisations, often referred to as ‘below the radar’ groups. Previous research has suggested a medium estimate of below the radar groups is 7.5 per 1,000 of population. This would suggest Norfolk and Waveney has 8,250 of such groups bringing the total number of voluntary, community and social enterprise sector organisations to be in the region of 12,000.
In January 2019, the NHS Long term plan was published, with a key priority to join-up health and care services. In July 2022 Norfolk and Waveney became an Integrated Care System (ICS), bringing NHS organisations together with partners in local government and the VCSE sector to provide more joined-up care for people.
Our VCSE Assembly
Since 2019, VCSE organisations across Norfolk and Waveney have been working in collaboration with health and social care partners to develop a VCSE Assembly.
Our VCSE Assembly Board for Norfolk & Waveney was effectively constituted in October 2022. Its purpose is to support fair and equitable partnering and engagement with the VCSE sector as part of the Integrated Care System, embedding sector voice into planning and decision making processes.
Built upon our strategic core values of Ambition, Connection and Integrity, we aim for the Norfolk and Waveney VCSE Assembly to be a positive force for change, where collaboration gives tangible outputs and outcomes.
The aims of our VCSE Assembly
As well as ensuring VCSE representation at all levels of the ICS, we aim to bring together the voice of the sector and make sure that we highlight the key issues that affect VCSE organisations, making sure that they are understood to be system wide risks within the ICS and not just seen as sector specific.
The key aims are:
- A Voice for the VCSE sector within the ICS, from Board to Place
- A communication opportunity from the ICS to the VCSE sector
- Building trusting relationships between the VCSE sector and ICS Partners
- Help the VCSE sector and ICS have a greater understanding to improve ways of working and commissioning relationships
- A vehicle to promote innovation and new ways of working
- A forum to provide fair, democratic representation across a range of ICS and system wide workstreams
- To support the new NHS 10 year plan, supporting moving toward prevention
Assembly Structure
The VCSE Assembly is a collaboration of a range of various networks and forums. Each Forum or network will have a focus and feed into wider working of the ICS. Our current Assembly board is made up of partners from across the ICS, as well as Forum/Network leads that align to key work streams within Norfolk and Waveney’s 5 Year Joint Forward Plan.
Essentially, by being a member of the recognised networks or forums, by proxy, you are a member of the VCSE Assembly.
The VCSE Assembly Networks and Forums
The Networks and forums are designed to bring together VCSE organisations that work across specific workstreams or with specific communities. These networks then aligned into a wider ICS structure, and help to deliver programmes of work within them. The Leads/Chairs of the relevant networks report into the VCSE Assembly Board highlighting risks, issues and workstreams from each network.
The networks and forums also allow organisations and individuals to actively connect with other VCSE sector colleagues from across our ICS places to focus on key areas of policy and strategy.
Via the networks and forums, VCSE Assembly information and communication will be distributed, including any relevant information or engagement requests from ICS partners.
Our Networks and Forums include:
- Mental Health
- Later Life & Ageing Well
- Children and Young People
- Infrastructure Network
- Place based networks
Assembly Hubs and Sub Groups
Assembly Hubs and Sub Groups are where leaders from the VCSE come together and discuss the issues which matter to them related to the work streams within the ICS. The meetings will occur throughout the year and will feature presentations from a wide range of external stakeholders, including ICS leaders. This enables an additional form of two-way engagement between the ICS and the VCSE. The meetings also include updates regarding the VCSE Assembly and ICS developments, as well as opportunities relevant to the VCSE sector.
Assembly Board
The Assembly Board acts as a steering group for the wider Assembly, as well as providing representation within ICS structures. The Steering group will help the creation of an action plan and long term strategy, as well as updates of a Risk Register, and support work streams recorded within an action log.
The group consists of:
- ICB Representatives
- Local Authority Representatives
- ICB VCSE Partnering Team members (to facilitate)
- Chair of VCSE Assembly
- ICB VCSE Board Member
- ICB Finance and Commissioning Lead
- 2 Place Development Leads
- Mental Health Forum Lead
- Children and Young People Forum Lead
- Later Life Network Lead
- Health Inequalities and Prevention Lead
- VCSE Infrastructure Lead
- Research and Innovation Lead
The Assembly Board may change as the Assembly moves forward and will be reviewed by the Chair and VCSE Assembly Board members.
The VCSE Assembly Board will meet formally bi-monthly, with 6 formal board meetings per calendar year.
The VCSE Assembly steering group may meet outside these times, to help drive forward actions from the plan and help review ongoing workstreams.
Relevant information, including meeting notes and the risk register will be publicly available for all VCSE Assembly members, published on the VCSE Assembly website.
See who are your representatives here: (Link to be updated soon)
VCSE Representation
The VCSE Assembly aims to help provide wider ICS structures a place to get the voice of the sector. Some ICS structures, such as Place Boards or Health and Wellbeing Partnerships, may look to the VCSE Assembly to highlight relevant VCSE networks/forums or representatives.
Recruitment of Representatives and Board members
VCSE Representatives and Assembly Board members will be recruited democratically via a fair and transparent recruitment process. Forum leads will be democratically elected by forum members to provide a VCSE Assembly representative and if appropriate, substitutes. In roles where there is no direct forum or network to elect, the process will include expressions of interest application communicated via all forums and networks, as well as promoted on communications and websites. VCSE Board members will shortlist and conduct interviews for the role, alongside ICS colleagues where appropriate.
With recruitment, there will be an effort to make sure there is a diversity from organisations across the assembly, with organisations ideally having a single representative on the board and for any representative roles. The roles however will also be given to those that fit the role profile and are recruited via the process above. This should help provide a wide range of representation across the VCSE sector.
How do I get involved?
Join our relevant networks or forums that best suit your organisation’s needs. You may wish to be members of a number of networks or forums. Each network and forum is different, so please get in touch with the lead for further information. Please note that some may have eligibility criteria, to make sure they keep within the relevant workstream.
As the VCSE Assembly develops, we will look to identify gaps in work streams and representation, and integrate current forums or networks where possible, or if not, form new networks to support the assemblies work.
If you have any questions about VCSE Assembly or cannot find a network forum that fits for your organisation, please contact: nwicb.vcseassembly@nhs.net
Mental Health
A supportive creative space with a focus on partnerships and collaboration, working alongside NCC, NSFT & ICB colleagues to support the shared vision of providing high quality mental health services across Norfolk and Waveney.
Lived experience and co-production form an integral role within the forum, identifying local needs and gaps, as well as strategic decision making and future developments.
Increasing our reach to other providers and partners to strengthen our partnerships and vision for service provision across all areas of Norfolk and Waveney.
A collaboration of providers and commissioners with a clear focus on influencing the direction of future mental health services, ambitious in our aims to make a real difference within our communities.
Sharing good practice and experiences as well as any learning opportunities. Provide a forum for members to share their experiences and ideas.
Provide information and updates in relation to new projects, funding and initiatives.
Ensuring that service user leadership remains consistent, meaningful and embedded within the MHPF and decision making.
If you have any questions or would like to join the forum, please contact Julie Marks at julie.marks@together-uk.org
Children and Young People
The Voluntary Sector Forum (Children, Young People and Families) is a forum for voluntary community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector organisations that provide services to children, young people and their families in Norfolk. The Forum provides a means for two-way engagement between our sector and statutory partners. It is also an effective mechanism for members to raise key issues that impact on our sector and those we represent.
Later Life Network
The Later Life Provider Network is a partnership of local organisations who predominantly provide services to people aged 50+, supported by academic research/best practice institutions and lived experience groups.
Through the network, we aim to promote the needs and experiences of later life, collaborate with local leaders and influencers to shape and co-design future services in Norfolk & Waveney.
We will share best practice from our own services, and promote opportunities for research and engagement to improve quality standards and outcomes.
We will facilitate wider engagement with lived experience groups and organisations in the community who can solicit the views and needs of local people in the design of local services.
We will represent the challenges of later life and provide solutions to how they can be effectively supported, and their impact to quality of life or health equality.
Empowering Communities
The Empowering Communities Partnership is a partnership delivered by five organisations. Voluntary Norfolk (VN) and Community Action Norfolk (CAN) are the core partners. We are also supported by our strategic partners: Norfolk Community Advice Network (NCAN) and FUSE Network, and delivery partner Norfolk Community Foundation (NCF).
Our commitment to the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector in Norfolk is to deliver:
- a good, easy to access, universal offer of support
- targeted specialist support in response to VCSE needs
Our aim is to deliver a progressive and impactful programme of support to the VCSE sector across Norfolk. The Empowering Communities partnership brings together different expertise, perspectives and experiences, which will feed into the shaping and planning of the programme.