Voluntary and Community Sector
The Community Network includes all voluntary and community groups based or working in North Tyneside. Their members bring vast experience of working in the community, grass roots knowledge, fresh ideas of how to deliver services and achieve real results, huge resources through volunteers and active members committed to improving the lives of their community.
The government established the Community Empowerment Fund (CEF), which is part of Neighbourhood Renewal Funds, for exclusive use by the community and voluntary sector. The Voluntary Organisations Development Agency (VODA) is the lead body for CEF in North Tyneside, which is managed through a steering group comprising of elected Community Network members, North Tyneside VODA, Primary Care Trust and the Neighbourhood Renewal Co-ordinator.
CEF part funds the Community Network Team, who work with groups to:
- develop the Community Network and the capacity of groups to be able to participate in the NTSP
- raise awareness about NTSP and the opportunity to participate
- facilitate the election and support representatives on to the Executive, Neighbourhood Renewal subgroup and thematic partnerships
- publicise the work of the Community Network and the NTSP
- develop mechanisms to bring issues from Community Network members to the attention of partners
VODA, an independent charitable company, supports the development of the voluntary and community sector in the borough through advice, information, training and services such as payroll and equipment loan. It recruits, places and supports volunteers and manages the Community ICT project on behalf of Network North Tyneside.
The Community Network is made up of a myriad of voluntary and community groups which vary in size, some with workers and many totally reliant on volunteers. Their common feature is that they are all independent, managed by voluntary management committees and all have some form of constitution. Many groups exist on very little funding, often that provided by the users of their service. Volunteers give freely of their time, which can be extensive. Others are significant employers, securing funding from a range of services from within North Tyneside and outside the borough.
The sector provides significant opportunities for work with people at grassroots level and provides services which meet local needs. On the whole the sector is extremely flexible, resourceful and responds to needs very quickly.
There are a number of organisations whose representatives have been very active in the NTSP. They provide partners with a good insight into local needs and concern, they can be a means of service delivery and they can highlight where there are real shortfalls in service delivery on the ground. There is a growing recognition that by working together more can be achieved for the benefit of the community.
