ChangeUp and the
York & North Yorkshire
Sub-regional VCS Infrastructure Consortium
ChangeUp is the Government's initiative to modernise the support provided to frontline voluntary and community organisations. ChangeUp aims to ensure that by 2014 the needs of frontline voluntary and community organisations will be met by support which is available nationwide, structured for maximum efficiency, offering excellent provision accessible to all, truly reflecting and promoting diversity and sustainably funded.
This webpage provides information about the York & North Yorkshire Sub-regional VCS Infrastructure Consortium and the implementation of ChangeUp in York and North Yorkshire.
- about the Consortium
- Engagement and support of Black and Minority Ethnic Voluntary
and Community Organisations in North Yorkshire
- current Consortium working papers
- Consortium reports July 2004 - September
2004 (Early Investment Programme stage)
- Consortium report November 2003 - April 2004 (initial
work by Flying Giraffe)
- links to other ChangeUp related webpages
Documents are either Microsoft Word (.doc) format or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format. Help with downloading files. Some of the documents are very large and may take a few minutes to download.
For further information about the Consortium contact Eddie Dryden, Consortium Project Manager, email eddie.dryden@nyfvo.org.uk, telephone 01347 825710, or Alex Etchells, ChangeUp Administrator, email alex.etchells@nyfvo.org.uk, telephone 01347 825710. The accountable body for the Consortium is North Yorkshire Forum for Voluntary Organisations (NYFVO).
The Consortium is a partnership of voluntary and community infrastructure organisations based in and working in York and North Yorkshire, working together to take forward the modernisation agenda identified in ChangeUp in order to enhance infrastructure support available to front-line voluntary and community organisations in the sub-region.
The voluntary and community sector plays a crucial role in delivering public services and in building strong, cohesive and self-determining communities. Frontline voluntary and community organisations often work with those most at risk from social exclusion, providing help and support, and meeting multiple needs in ways which not only give citizens and users a voice, but also the means to tackle themselves the underlying causes of their problems.
Our vision is of voluntary and community organisations in North Yorkshire and York achieving their full potential in improving the quality of life of the communities they serve and contributing to civil renewal.
Our aims are that:
» the needs of voluntary and community organisations will be met
by support organisations operating throughout North Yorkshire and York
which offer excellent services. These services will be accessible to all,
will promote diversity, and will be adequately funded.
» the views, needs and interests of voluntary and community organisations
will be well represented at all levels throughout and beyond North Yorkshire
and York.
- Coast and Moors Voluntary Action
- Craven Voluntary Action
- Easingwold Community Care Association
- Harrogate & Area Council for Voluntary Service
- North Yorkshire Forum for Voluntary Organisations
- Northallerton & District Voluntary Service Association
- Richmondshire Council for Voluntary Service
- Ripon Council for Voluntary Service
- Ryedale Voluntary Action
- Selby District Association for Voluntary Service
- South Craven Community Action
- Stokesley & District Community Care Association
- Thirsk, Sowerby & District Community Care Association
- Volunteer Centre Craven
- York Council for Voluntary Service
- York Racial Equality Network
- Yorkshire Rural Community Council
Engagement and support of Black and Minority Ethnic Voluntary and Community Organisations in North Yorkshire
A development and research project was undertaken during 2006 which explored the needs of Black and Minority Ethnic voluntary and community organisations (BME VCO's) in North Yorkshire. The study found:
» North Yorkshire has historically had a small, diverse and dispersed Black and Minority Ethnic population – this population is, however, growing steadily and, in line with national trends, relatively more rapidly than in the UK’s urban areas.
» Racism is, in relative terms, more of a problem in rural areas such as North Yorkshire than it is in urban areas, partly as a result of the visibility, isolation and vulnerability of minorities.
» In recent years, the BME population of more long-settled minorities has been supplemented by significant numbers of migrant workers, particularly from East and Central Europe; their arrival has tended to overshadow concerns about the needs of longer-standing rural minorities.
» There are currently very few Black-led Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) voluntary organisations and few BME community organisations within the county.
» Most voluntary sector Local Infrastructure Organisations (LIOs) have had difficulty identifying and working with BME populations. More generally, most major policy and service agencies in the county have yet properly to address issues of ‘race’ and ethnicity in their work and funding has historically been very modest for work with BME communities.
» Partly as a result of this study, most LIOs have now begun to develop work aimed at BME communities, often through local partnership bodies. In general, effective engagement of BME communities is likely to take some years and strategic funding streams are needed to support this work.
Research reportReport of conference on 21 March 2007
Current Consortium working papers
Infrastructure Investment Plan (as at April 2006) -
this document is in three parts, each of which must be downloaded separately:
» overview
» appendix
a
» appendix
b
Updated
Terms of Reference; Strategic vision and aims; and Agreement on respective
roles. The Consortium meeting on 14 June 2006 agreed these three documents
as a refreshed version of documents discussed and adopted in 2005. The
Trustee Board of each member of the Consortium have subsequently endorsed
these three documents.
Just over £1million was invested by ChangeUp in York and North Yorkshire
in the year ending 30 June 2006. Key projects included:
- a new ICT support service and a greatly expanded employment advice service managed by North Yorkshire Forum for Voluntary Organisations
- expansion of the Priory Street Centre in York, contribution to the development of Community Houses in Selby and Ripon, and a feasibility study into improved facilities in Ryedale
- development of a comprehensive database of voluntary and community organisations and improved opportunities for organisations to access via a web portal the full range of infrastructure services including funding advice, influencing local and national policy, recruiting staff and volunteers
- modernisation of the volunteer centre (bureau) services including a feasibility study on establishment of a volunteer centre in Selby – the only district in the sub-region with no provision
- modernisation of infrastructure services in Hambleton, Harrogate Borough, Ryedale, and Scarborough Borough
The report "ChangeUp in Yorkshire and the Humber 2005/2006" celebrates some of the achievements of organisations in Yorkshire and the Humber delivering projects supported through the ChangeUp investment programme. It showcases examples of how this support work has helped frontline voluntary organisations to do their best for the people and communities they serve.
Consortium reports July 2004 - September 2004 (Early Investment Programme stage):
Work undertaken from July 2004 to September 2004 with funding from the Early Investment Programme (EIP) (Government Office for Yorkshire & the Humber / Home Office Active Communities Unit / DEFRA):
EIP/A1 - York and North Yorkshire Infrastructure Investment Plan (September 2004)
EIP/B1 - Establishing a service within North Yorkshire Forum for Voluntary Organisations that provides access for voluntary and community organisations to the Criminal Records Bureau’s Disclosure service - the service is now operational
EIP/B2
- Report and Feasibility Study for an IT Support Service in North Yorkshire
(September 2004)
and Budget
EIP/B4 - Practical support and consultancy to ensure that ICT systems within consortium members are fit for existing and future purpose - summary (September 2004) - the individual reports have been provided direct to relevant consortium members
Consortium report November 2003 - April 2004 (initial work by Flying Giraffe)
Work undertaken from November 2003 to April 2004 with funding from the NACVS/ACRE/VDE Partnership Development Fund:
Links to other ChangeUp related webpages:
NAVCA (the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action) - ChangeUp
Office of the Third Sector (part of the Cabinet Office)