NCB’s Voluntary Sector Support (VSS) programme aims to build capacity within the children and young people’s third sector so that it can continue to deliver effective services for children and young people.
The programme builds on NCB’s sector wide infrastructure support role and provides a range of services directly to children and young people’s voluntary sector organisations, keeping them informed on matters of policy and practice, supporting them around commissioning and funding opportunities and offering access to core services such as ICT, HR and event management. The programme has emerged in response to the needs of NCB member organisations and earlier work by NCB including the Children’s Centre Project and VCS Engage, see ref in notes.
The VSS programme focuses on health, faith and black Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) organisations who work with children and young people through strategic projects funded by the Department of Health’s Third Sector Investment Fund and the Department for Children Schools and Families’ Children, Young People and Families Fund. NCB is particularly interested in extending its services to smaller organisations through this programme.
As one of the programme’s current activities NCB is hosting events through until March on the Government’s ‘You’re Welcome’ quality criteria, which aim to make health services young people friendly. Details of the events can be found in the events section of www.ncb.org.uk.
In addition, NCB is delighted to be working in partnership with Voice4Change and FaithAction Network on Speak In,a project which aims to increase engagement between Children’s Trusts and third sector organisations working with children and young people from different ethnic and faith communities.
The new VSS website has recently been launched where visitors can access policy briefings relevant to the third sector on areas such as PSHE, Child Health Strategy and Early Years, download reports and publications and find out more about the programme’s work. The VSS e-bulletin, also recently launched and aimed at organisations and practitioners working in the third sector, will provide updates on resources, events and activity from the programme. To sign up email vssbulletin@ncb.org.uk.
Emma Foxall, Coordinator of VSS said:
“NCB is committed to expanding our work with third sector organisations. We hope that the VSS programme will provide useful and practical information and support to children and young people’s organisations. We want to build the capacity of the sector and strengthen its links with Government, to make sure that our voice is heard in the formulation of policy and practice and that we continue to deliver excellent services to children and young people.”