Focus on LVSC and VSF

In addition to LVSC’s London-wide policy and voice work commissioned under service priority 76, London Councils funds Voluntary Sector Forum (VSF).

VSF is the network of all independent voluntary and community sector organisations funded by London Councils. The forum is hosted and co-ordinated by London Voluntary Service Council (LVSC) and managed by a steering group elected from the membership. Primarily it offers its members support, advice, information and representation and acts as a conduit between funded groups and London Councils.

Membership of and engagement with the forum offers groups;

• A co-ordinated voice for London Councils funded organisations;
  
• Engagement with London Councils through regular dialogue and consultation;
  
• Opportunities to influence the development of the commissioning process;
  
• Timely information on London Councils policy, processes, procedures and Grants Committee discussions;
  
• Advocacy and campaigning on behalf of funded groups;
  
• Advice about funding and commissioning;
  
• Relationship building with key London Councils officers and elected members;
  
• Opportunities to network and share information and good practice with other London Councils funded organisations;
  
• Promotion and awareness-raising of the work of funded groups at events and through case studies on the website and focus pieces in the email bulletins;
  
• A monitoring role on all key London Councils policies, processes and procedures; regular policy briefings and regular events and training, including the annual conference.
  
• All members receive the monthly email bulletin; access to training and the conference; access to one-to-one support; induction; outreach and opportunities to promote their work.
  

VSF priorities to 2012

VSF is currently working with HEAR (formerly the equality and human rights sub-group of Changeup) and London Councils to deliver the equalities training that London Councils requires of all commissioned groups.

VSF will focus on Strategic Monitoring Zones and ensure that they work to best reflect the work of London Councils’ commissioned organisations to elected members and to boroughs.

VSF will work closely with groups and London Councils on the development of the funding priorities for the next round of commissioning and work on the evaluation of the commissioning process to date. VSF was on the steering group for the evaluation and has been closely involved in the process from its inception to completion and will continue to closely monitor processes and policy development. VSF will respond to the final report now that it has been published.

VSF continues to promote member organisations’ work to demonstrate the value of what they are commissioned to deliver to London.

VSF is working to gather evidence to demonstrate the value of infrastructure support to the sector and pertinently to elected members.

VSF will also work to demonstrate that not all beneficiaries of London Councils commissioned work can be effectively counted and therefore monitored e.g. street homeless people, people of no fixed abode, women who access some domestic violence services.

Work will also progress on the impact of the recession on VSF members.

VSF will carry out campaigning work on any possible threat to the £28m grants budget especially when local authorities will be pressured into making budget cuts as a result of the recession.

There is work to be done to support organisations to monitor appropriately and to attend to the veracity and accuracy of the data; to look at sharing back office functions and possible clustering.

There is also work to be done on contracting and competition within and between VCSOs and with private sector and the wider ‘third sector’.