The detail: changes to VCSE Infrastructure Support
26th June 2024
Major changes to the support you receive are coming from July 1st 2024. Do not ignore this as it will affect every one of you who uses any infrastructure services.
You may have already seen our statement about the new interim VCSE Activation Contract, covering how VCSE support will be delivered over the next 12 months. You may also remember that at the time, we didn’t know what the new model would look like and how it might differ from the current contract.
We are able to deliver more detail on this now, and we want to share with you some of those details about what the contract will and won’t include, and what support you can and can’t access. These changes come into effect from 1st July 2024.
We understand that this is a significant change from what is currently delivered, and it will hit some of our VCSE groups very hard. We are doing everything we can to secure additional investment and capacity through seeking new partnerships, using our collective capacity to best effect to respond to the challenges facing the sector and figure out a way forward where we can support as many of you as possible.
Please be patient with us. Please trust that we are trying our best. Please keep an eye on Briefing Bradford and this website for any further updates.
See our outline about some of this below, we will also answer any questions you have should you like to email us.
Major change: Development Support
Changes in funding and priorities will mean that the new Activation contract will have a more defined focus than the old programme. This means that we will be delivering targeted support to VCSE organisations (identified through a data-driven approach) that can show they divert citizens away from health and care services, including children’s and young people’s services, provided by the public sector.
During the first few months of the new contract, we will be identifying which groups are eligible. We will be in touch with them in due course.
Eligible groups will receive an organisational diagnostic to identify the priority areas that your organisation needs to address. Through this process, we will be able to provide you with a development plan that we will resource through a small support fund which will fund or match-fund specialist support to meet your development plan. If you require specialist support you will work with an approved consultant/staff member to carry out the actions in your plan.
For groups that are not eligible under this contract or via support we can provide through other means, you can access self-serve resources on the Community Action website or we can speak to you about paid-for 1:1 support for your group at a rate of £40 per hour, £150 per half day or £250 per full day.
You will receive Briefing Bradford until April 2025 free of charge, and you may find some funding, training, or resources in here to meet your needs. You will also have free access to some of the other services and resources in this contract.
Major change: Social Enterprise Support and Business Engagement
Within the new contract, Social Enterprise and Business Engagement support will be delivered to organisations (identified through a data-driven approach) that can show they divert citizens from health and care services provided by the public sector.
Participate will continue to deliver this service. Social Enterprises will receive a diagnostic to identify priority areas and formulate a development plan that we will resource through a small support fund which will fund or match-fund specialist support to meet your development plan.
You can find out more about the support they offer on the Participate website.
Major change: Voice and Influence / Networks
The Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, and Supporting Communities Networks will end.
There will be an inclusion and accessibility function that REN will be developing with other equality organisations over the next few weeks which will help to make sure the support that is provided is inclusive and accessible.
The Leaders Network will continue to be facilitated by Community Action, independently of this Activation Contract. Details of this network and how to join can be found on the Community Action website. Any sector leader, no matter your level, is welcome to join our Network.
The VCS Alliance will lead the sector Voice and Influence structure. It will have specific focus on sector influence in Healthy Minds, Healthy Communities, and Children and Young People priority boards. The VCS Alliance will work with the Young Lives Network to design a new structure which may include a WhatsApp group. To register an interest in joining Young Lives Network, complete the survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YLN-VCSA
Major change: Training
We are no longer be able to provide free training. We will be delivering limited training courses while we evaluate how we best deliver training in the future and will communicate this when we have made a decision.
In the meantime, we are building a training directory of VCSE suitable training delivered by other providers – we are happy to signpost you to alternative training (where available) and this directory will be made available online in due course. This will be free to access for the whole sector.
Any training courses we do deliver will be charged for, and are open to anybody. This fee is non-refundable unless the course is cancelled. You are able to transfer your place to someone else but you will need to tell us who you are transferring this to.
We are still happy to provide in-house training to your organisation at a cost, please email us at info@cabad.org.uk to discuss this.
Major change: Volunteering
We are no longer able to provide free volunteering support to organisations, this includes 1:1 support, training courses and the volunteering quality kitemark. We have some volunteering resources available as self-serve on the website or we can speak to you about paid 1:1 support.
Major change: Funding
We are unable to give free funding advice or deliver funding courses to groups. Funding information will continue to be included in Briefing Bradford or we can speak to you about paid 1:1 advice and support.
Major change: Directory
The DIVA Bradford directory will close down on 30th June 2024. See our full statement on this online, as well as where else you can list your services.
When using our services, you will be asked to sign an agreement to advertise your services on digital platforms (Connect to Support, Bradford Shared Access online Directory, Local Access etc). This is not mandatory unless you receive a grant or formal contract from the ICB.
Minor change: Citizen Engagement
The Citizen Engagement programme will continue to be facilitated by HALE and CNet, with BTM and Keighley Healthy Living and will continue as it is until September 2024. Between July and September, it will undergo a co-design process with the sector to determine what Citizen Engagement will look like in the future.
Minor change: Here 4 BDCC Brand
You may see that the Here 4 BDCC brand will disappear and we will stop posting on the social media channels. You can follow Community Action on social media for updates, and keep an eye out for the #ABDC and #ActivateBradfordDistrictAndCraven hashtags where new contract activity will be posted.
No change (yet): Briefing Bradford
You will still receive Briefing Bradford free until April 2025. We will be using the time leading up to that to run an engagement exercise with you, with a view to making this a subscription service.
This subscription service will package up some of the services you value the most including Briefing Bradford, Snicket, training courses, room hire, and networking opportunities, as well as anything else you feel is important. This one annual payment will go back into the services listed here, helping us to help you.
We will be communicating details of this engagement exercise in the next few months.
No change: Snicket
Snicket will continue to be available for you to advertise job vacancies for low rates. From here, job adverts can be fed into Briefing Bradford.
No change: Room Hire
Groups will still be able to hire rooms at Central Hall, Keighley; Cardigan House and Little House, Bingley.
No change: Payroll
Payroll services and direct payments delivered by Bradford Community Payroll are unaffected by this contract change. Groups can still access the same services as they always have through BCPA.
No change: Banking for unregistered groups
We will continue to deliver this service to small groups in Bradford district.
