NVSC - Newham Voluntary Sector Consortium
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What does Newham Voluntary Sector Consortium do?
About Us
What does Newham Voluntary Sector Consortium do?
Newham Voluntary Sector Consortium helps voluntary, faith and community sector groups to be more effectively involved in the LSP. It achieves this by:
- Setting up and maintaining a database of all the voluntary, faith and community groups in Newham
- Keeping those groups informed of the opportunities to take part in decision making and encouraging their participation
- Developing ideas and initiatives from the community and putting these to the LSP members
- Providing the voluntary, faith and community sector members of the LSP with training and support
- Arranging the election of the voluntary, faith and community sector members of the LSP.
What is the Community Empowerment Fund (CEF) ?
The Community Empowerment Fund is part of the Government’s National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal. The Government wants voluntary, faith and community organisations – as well as local residents and community members – to be equal partners on Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs). It recognises that they will find it much easier to participate effectively if they have some funds of their own. So the Government has set up the Community Empowerment Fund to support community, faith and voluntary sector involvement in LSPs. The Government is giving up to £206,000 per year to Newham from the CEF to give local people (especially people who are most often excluded) a direct say in the improvement of their neighbourhoods. Booklets explaining the Community Empowerment Fund are available in 50 languages. If you would like to receive a copy in the language of your choice please contact the Newham Voluntary Sector Consortium. Further information is available at www.neighbourhood.gov.uk/cef.asp
What is the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) ?
The LSP was set up in June last year to replace the Newham
2010 Partnership.
There are 29 seats on the LSP and voluntary, faith and community
sector representation is built into its structure:
- 10 community reps, appointed by each of the community forums
- 1 rep from the faith communities
- 1 rep from the voluntary sector
- 1 rep from the community sector
- 2 reps from the youth parliament
- 6 reps from each of the LAPBs (inc Newham’s police commander)
- 2 reps from the commercial business sector
- the leader of the council, plus 2 councillors nominated by the cabinet
- the chair of the Primary Care Health Trust
- the chair of the Newham Hospital Trust
- the chair of the Newham Mental Health Trust
Two key priorities of the LSP are:
- To promote the engagement of Newham’s people and communities in decisions about the future of the borough
- To agree the borough-wide priorities for action that have been identified through the community consultation process
Six Local Action Partnership Boards (LAPBs) are being set up and will play a pivotal part in helping organisations to work together to deliver the solutions identified in the community planning process. They are split into six strategic themes: Environment & Housing, Local Economy, Health & Social Care, Culture, Life Long Learning and Community Safety. Voluntary, faith and community groups already work with the LAPBs and with the community forums. Newham Voluntary Sector Consortium will work to help voluntary, faith and community groups become even more influential in LSP decision making. Find out more about the LSP at YourNewham.com