|
Wiltshire & Swindon
Infrastructure Consortium was formed in
2003/04 as a result of funding from ChangeUp, which in turn was a
response to the 2002 cross-cutting
review of voluntary and community sector
service delivery. This recognised the
advantage of building capacity within
the sector and made recommendations to
strengthen support available to groups
and organisations. On a national level
this included the formation of six
specialist hubs providing specialist
information and advice.
The aims of ChangeUp, developed in partnership
with the sector are that by 2014 the
needs of frontline Voluntary and
Community Sector organisations are met
by support that is:
Available nationwide;
Structured for maximum efficiency;
Offering excellent provision;
Accessible to all;
Truly reflecting & promoting diversity
and
Sustainably funded
Locally ten infrastructure organisations
joined
forces to form the Consortium. The aim
was two-fold: to work together to
identify what support and services local
groups and organisations needed the most
and deliver specialist projects, but
also to provide a voice for the sector.
Some initial research identified several
priority issues such as funding,
volunteering and organisational
development. From this information the
Consortium developed an Infrastructure
Investment Plan which has been used to
access further funding from ChangeUp and, more recently, Capacitybuilders.
Eight ‘hubs of expertise’ were initially
identified along with appropriate lead
organisations for each project. The
following gives you a flavour of what
has been achieved so far. Community
First took the lead on ICT and was one
of the partners responsible for
developing the Wiltshire Community Web along with
providing training sessions on the site
to groups. Swindon Volunteer Centre has
developed volunteering in Wiltshire,
with each Council for the Voluntary
Service (CVS) now having a dedicated
worker and access to VBase, the
volunteer database. There is also a
worker in post to promote volunteering,
develop new opportunities with
organisations and provide information
and good practice. Charities Information
Bureau has provided high quality funding
advice through an outreach service to
CVS’s in Wiltshire as well as offering
accredited training to funding advisers.
From the 1st April 2008 Wiltshire &
Swindon Infrastructure Consortium split
into a separate Wiltshire Infrastructure
Consortium and a Swindon Consortium (Empower Swindon).
On a national level, Capacitybuilders are reviewing the
hubs as well as the work of local
consortia. They have also launched a
consultation with the sector titled
“Destination 2014” which will form the
basis for its strategic objectives
leading up to 2014. So watch this space
for further developments!
|
