Overview

Within the national Every Child Matters agenda, the voluntary and community sector is acknowledged as a partner in the planning, design, delivery and evaluation of services for children, young people and families. The role of this project is to facilitate this in Manchester.

Our project engages and supports the participation of the sector in this work – ranging from district collaboration and workforce development through to planning and governance. Through the Change for Children agenda we are working in a rapidly changing and dynamic environment within which voluntary and community sector organisations are required to work and engage with statutory and other voluntary and community sector partners in new ways.  Due to the size and diversity of the sector, this creates issues around how to ensure information is accessible, inclusive practice is developed and opportunities to participate at different levels are available to nurture and sustain a thriving voluntary and community sector, which this project addresses and will continue to do so.

One of the ways we do this is to support a process which enables a diverse range of organisations to participate at a strategic level and ensure there are regular and appropriate channels of communication between voluntary and community sector representatives and the wider sector.

Examples of meetings which we support engagement on include the Children's Board, Manchester Safeguarding Children's Board, Workforce Strategy Board, Family Support Steering Group, Parenting Board and others.

Details of Members of the Voluntary and Community Sector in Manchester, attendance at strategic meetings.