VCS Equality and Diversity Advisory Group

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VCS Equality and Diversity Advisory Group

• Gloucestershire VCS Assembly

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A bit of history

• 2001 Funding from the County Council to support
  voluntary and community sector (VCS) involvement
  in the Gloucestershire Strategic Partnership
• VCS reps on the Gloucestershire Strategic
  Partnership
• 2002/3 Access and Inclusion Working Group set up
  to proof the Community Strategy

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What does the VCS in Gloucestershire look like?

• At least 2,830 VCOs in Gloucestershire
• Areas of work mainly children and young peoples
  services and health and social care
• Half of these organisations have paid staff
• economic value of unpaid volunteer time, in
  survey of 245 organisations alone was 4.7million
• VCS Assembly a mechanism for getting the VOICE
  of voluntary and community organisations (VCOs)
  heard

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Setting up the VCS Assembly 2003
26 members on Board of Reps
26 Networks and Forums
1000s of Voluntary and Community Groups
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Representation from the networks

• Each network rep was responsible for feeding back
  to its members
• Equality and Diversity was represented through
  board members for specific networks eg.
  Gloucestershire Older Persons Assembly, Linking
  Communities, Glos. Disability Forum
• Recognition that this model was not as effective
  as it could be and placed heavy burden on reps

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What does the Gloucestershire VCS Assembly look
like today?

• Open to any VCO in Glos (1800 on countywide
  database)
• Thematic VCS Strategy Groups provide co-ordinated
  strategic voice for VCS at a county level
• Steered by the Assembly Board key people from
  the VCS with representation from the Equality and
  Diversity Advisory Group, Strategy Groups,
  district forums and cross-cutting themes
• VCS reps elected via the Strategy Groups to
  countywide strategic partnerships and from
  Assembly Board onto Gloucestershire Conference
  Executive
• Higher profile for Equality and Diversity issues

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Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) Assembly
Structure Diagram and Relationship to
Multi-Sector Partnerships
Gloucestershire VCS Assembly
GIG eg GAVCA, Stroud VCA, FVAF
Voluntary or Community Group
Practical support
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Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) Assembly
Structure Diagram and Relationship to
Multi-Sector Partnerships
Gloucestershire VCS Assembly
GIG eg GAVCA, Stroud VCA, FVAF
Voluntary or Community Group
Practical support
VCS Thematic Strategy Groups
Strategic voice
Safer and Stronger Communities
Children and Young People
Health and Wellbeing
Economic Development
Environment
Equality and Diversity Advisory Group
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Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) Assembly
Structure Diagram and Relationship to
Multi-Sector Partnerships
Gloucestershire VCS Assembly
GIG eg GAVCA, Stroud VCA, FVAF
Voluntary or Community Group
Cross Cutting Themes Districts
Practical support
VCS Thematic Strategy Groups
Strategic voice
Safer and Stronger Communities
Children and Young People
Health and Wellbeing
Economic Development
Environment
Equality and Diversity Advisory Group
VCS Assembly Board of Representatives
Children and Young People Strategic Partnership
Safer and Stronger Communities Strategy Group
Children and Young People Strategic Partnership
Safer and Stronger Communities Strategy Group
Health and Wellbeing Strategic Partnership
Accountable Bodies Group
Gloucestershire First
Health and Wellbeing Strategic Partnership
Accountable Bodies Group
Gloucestershire First
Environment Partnership
Environment Partnership
Gloucestershire Strategic Partnership
Gloucestershire Strategic Partnership
Community Strategy Executive Board
Community Strategy Executive Board
Gloucestershire Conference
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A bit more about the VCS Assembly

• Sends out a weekly email bulletin the Gloshub
  bulletin to 800 email addresses
• Sends out a weekly Children and Young Peoples
  email bulletin
• Sends regular information updates on health,
  environment, economic development and equalities
• This information service is free to voluntary
  and community groups

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How good is the Assembly at engaging with all
groups

• Recognition that the Assembly works well for
  public sector partners and for larger more
  established voluntary and community organisations
• EHRC funded research in 2008/9 looked at how the
  Assembly engages with groups from equalities
  strands
• Co-incided with funding to set up a VCS Equality
  and Diversity Advisory Group for the Assembly

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What is the aim of the VCS Equality and Diversity
Advisory Group?

• To advise, lobby and provide leadership in
  matters concerning equality, diversity, and human
  rights to and on behalf of the Gloucestershire
  Assembly for the Voluntary and Community Sector,
  and contribute to increased community cohesion in
  Gloucestershire

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How will it achieve this?

• By advising and supporting the Assembly Board and
  Strategy Groups
• By supporting increased engagement of
  under-represented groups in the Assembly
  structures
• By supporting the development of a wider network
• By working in partnership with public sector
  partners, including County Equalities Network

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Who sits on the VCS Equality and Diversity
Advisory Group?

• Recruitment process held in Dec 2008
• 11 members bringing their own personal experience
  and expertise
• First meeting in Jan 2009
• Keen to identify gaps in expertise and to co-opt
  additional members
• Keen to adopt a holistic approach to equality and
  diversity issues with members bringing their
  experience to bear on all aspects of e d
• Supported by a wider reference group of VCOs with
  an interest/involvement in equality and diversity
  

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Successes so far (early days!)

• Recruitment process for members
• Strengthening of relationship between public
  sector (County Equalities Network) and VCS
  Equality and Diversity Advisory Group (EDAG)
• Independence of EDAG can say difficult things

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Challenges

• Providing leadership on equalities in the county
  - equality and diversity does not have a high
  profile in Gloucestershire
• Hierarchy of discrimination/equalities
• Mainstreaming equality and diversity ie making
  sure it doesnt just sit with EDAG/CEN
• Future funding for this group and backfill for
  EDAG members
• Making sure that this group makes a difference