Work for a voluntary sector organisation, as a paid worker. Volunteer, trustee of a board member, or a beneficiary and you may have untapped sources of power to influence.

Over the coming months we have two sessions that may be of interest to you:

What does co-production mean?  

Tuesday, May 14 –1 hour online session Book here

Bringing your power to networks and meetings

Tuesday 18 June at the Maple Centre  Book Here

Who, what and how are you representing?

Whatever the size of your organisation and your role, you should always feel your place at the table CAN count.

Working in the voluntary sector part of our role is to give a voice to the sector as a whole or to the people we work with. The Care Act 2014 and Integrated Care Systems (alongside no money!), have moved the role away from tokenistic ticks, the angry voices from the third sector to one enshrined in law and more of a cultural norm.

Our sector is vast and diverse and when called upon to give ‘the voluntary sector viewpoint’  we are in fact being asked to speak on behalf of a £58.7bn sector (civil-society-almanac-2023)This may feel like a daunting ask.

As a small voluntary organisation, you may have no paid members of staff, you may have experience of delivering services and being part of a community, your knowledge and experience is probably first hand, you hear the rich day-to-day stories of how individuals are coping. Contrast this with a CEO of a large national organisation, whose day-to-day work is removed from the community it serves, instead the day-to-day isa series of meetings and papers. The voice of both the CEO and the person running a hands-on organisation can be equally as powerful and impactful around the same table. 80% of the sector is made up of organisations with income of less than £100,000, with 47% of organisations with income under £10,000 (Civil-society-almanac-2023)

If you have ever felt that you’re at a meeting and your organisation/role is insignificant, then we urge you to think again.

Different levels of voice and the context

The Care Act 2014 puts the onus of  services to be delivered around the needs of an individual, and the term co-production is widely used, the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), sets out how the involvement of people can vary in a short video which is worth a watch The Ladder of Co-production What and how Co-production

In the last couple of years, we have seen the advent of Integrated Care Systems to tackle health inequalities at a local level establishing a new way of working. The voluntary sector and local communities are integral to taking a more systematic approach requiring confident voices from organisations and communities to be equal decision-makers.

Durham University carried out a research study on the benefits of the third sector’s contribution to tackling health inequalities alongside the NHS. Details and narrative of the report can be found Voluntary sector game changer – here is an extract from Victor Adebowale thoughts on the role of the voluntary sector:

‘That’s why integrated care systems (ICSs) must look and feel different from the past by embracing the VCSE  (Voluntary, Community, Social Enterprise) sector like never before. VCSE bodies should be able to build on the work they are undertaking and be treated as key partners in the delivery of health and care.  

The new arrangements, which will see an integrated care board (ICB) conducting the core business of the NHS and an integrated care partnership bringing together key local system partners including the VCSE, must represent a significant step change in the relationship between NHS organisations and the voluntary sector, building equity in decision-making and governance.’  Victor Adebowale CBE

Build our collective confidence

Today, we have potential to influence, but our confidence, integrity and values may also mean we hesitate, we hold back in fear of misrepresenting or devaluing our knowledge and experiences. Maybe we feel out of place in meetings, out of depth and unprepared.

Let’s build our collective and individual confidence,  join our co-production Book here find your power  Book Here events and sit confidently as an equal partner.