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Partnerships

Voluntary Action South Leicestershire works in partnership with community groups, voluntary agencies, private companies and statutory organisations, like local councils and the NHS. The reasons for choosing partnership working can be numerous but usually partnerships are formed to either tackle a specific issue or develop a long term relationship with individuals, groups and agencies that share a common interest.

The benefits of partnership working are many and include:

• Better planning of services
• More creative and informed service delivery
• Greater voice for minority community interests
• Better use of resources and less service duplication
• Easier to identify gaps in services
• New opportunities to attract external funding

Important partnerships that Voluntary Action South Leicestershire are part of include the the following:

Harborough District Council and Leicestershire County Council

Harborough District Council and Leicestershire County Council are Voluntary Action South Leicestershire’s main funding partners. Both local authorities and Voluntary Action South Leicestershire have agreed a method of working together that respects the different types of working arrangements between the sectors. The partnership agreement is encapsulated in the local Compact.

The Local Strategic Partnership

The Local Strategic Partnership is a very important group, which will have a major impact on a wide range of service planning and provision. Local Strategic Partnerships exist in nearly all local authority areas in England and Wales. They bring together representatives from the local statutory, voluntary, community and private sectors to address local problems, allocate funding and discuss strategies and initiatives. They aim to encourage joint working, and community involvement and prevent 'silo working' (i.e. different agencies that share aims working in isolation) with the general aim of ensuring resources are better allocated at a local level.

South Leicestershire Voluntary Sector Forum

The aim of the Voluntary Sector Forum is to strengthen and develop the voluntary and community sector in South Leicestershire into a cohesive and articulate body, in a climate of equal partnership with statutory agencies and other bodies.

The Forum provides an opportunity for local groups to ‘showcase’ their work, and outside speakers from the statutory sector are also invited on a regular basis. Each meeting of the Forum provides an opportunity for local groups to discuss their work and share ideas. Guest speakers are also asked to speak covering issues of local interest.

We want to extend the membership of the Forum to be as inclusive as possible. It is important that all sizes of groups are represented, as we want as wide a contribution of views and expertise as possible.

All local community groups and voluntary organisations are encouraged to become members of the Forum. Members receive information on forum events and news.

For those who cannot attend events, we can also communicate via mail and e-mail. To join call 01455 433232

There is also an on-line forum on www.harboroughonline.co.uk. Click on Have Your Say, and select the Voluntary Sector Forum. Register on that site to join in the conversation and post your own topics.

There are many other examples of partnership working that could be described here. However, the important point to highlight here is that working together with other organisations ensures that Voluntary Action South Leicestershire can maintain it’s key role of being the voice for the Voluntary and Community Sector in South Leicestershire.

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