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Community Planning & the Voluntary Sector

What is Community Planning?

Community Planning is the term used to describe the process where statutory bodies such as Fife Council and NHS Fife work together in partnership with the voluntary sector and local communities and other bodies to plan and deliver better services.

The 2003 Local Government in Scotland Act established a statutory basis for Community Planning in Scotland, placing a duty on local authorities to lead and facilitate Community Planning in their areas. The success of the Community Planning process depends on the commitment and participation of a wide range of public, voluntary, community and private sector bodies.

The idea behind Community Planning is that it should provide a framework for agencies to work in partnership to put together plans which are complementary, co-ordinated and community-oriented. These plans should ensure that the services that are delivered are effective, joined-up and shaped around individuals and communities.

What is the Fife Community Plan?

The Fife Community Plan was produced by the Fife Partnership and covers the following themes:

  1. A stronger, more flexible and diverse economy
  2. Improving health & wellbeing in Fife
  3. A well educated and skilled Fife
  4. Safeguarding and improving Fife's environment
  5. Stronger communities
  6. Safer communities

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What is the Fife Partnership?

The Fife Partnership is the name given to the partnership that has lead responsibility for Community Planning in Fife, and this partnership directs action and monitors the progress towards achieving the Fife Community Plan. This partnership is comprised of:

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How does the Fife Partnership operate?

The leaders (or their designates) of each of the above organisations meet on a regular basis as The Fife Partnership. There are five strategic partnerships that report directly into the Fife Partnership:

  1. Fife Health & Wellbeing Alliance
  2. Fife Economic Forum
  3. Fife Lifelong Partnership
  4. Fife Community Safety Partnership
  5. Fife Environmental Network
  6. Sustainable Communities Group

These strategic partnerships have the responsibility for co-coordinating the work of a wide range of partners to take forward the main themes of the Fife Community Plan.

There are a number of cross-cutting partnerships, forums and theme groups that are responsible for a range of activities across the Community Planning themes. The effective working of these groups contributes to achieving the goals outlined in the Community Plan. All of these partnerships and groups continue to work together to achieve Fife's Community Planning objectives:

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How is the Voluntary Sector involved in Community Planning?

The Voluntary Sector is involved in Community Planning in Fife in two main complementary ways:

  1. CVS Fife's strategic role in representing the interests of the Voluntary Sector
  2. Voluntary Sector Networks and Forums

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1. CVS Fife: Strategic Involvement

In addition to being a member of the Fife Partnership, CVS Fife has a place on the following strategic groupings:

CVS Fife's Strategic Involvement is informed at all times by our interaction with the wider voluntary sector, particularly via the voluntary sector networks and forums.

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2. Voluntary Sector Networks and Forums

CVS Fife helps to facilitate Fife Voluntary Sector Children's Forum and three geographically based Voluntary Sector Health & Wellbeing Forums.

Fife's Voluntary Sector Children's Forum

This forum currently has 62 members from a range of voluntary sector children's and youth services organisations. The forum has its own Chair, and it also elects representatives to sit on the following bodies:

The forum meets four times per year, and is led by a Co-ordinating Group, which consists of those members playing a representative role. Members of the forum will play a key role in shaping the next Children's Services Plan for Fife.

Health & Wellbeing Forums

CVS Fife facilitates three area-based Voluntary Sector Health & Wellbeing Forums, which provide an opportunity for the sector to connect into the health improvement agenda for Fife, as well as providing support and a two-way communication channel for the three Voluntary Sector Representatives that have places on each of the Community Health Partnerships in Fife, as follows:

The Dunfermline & West Fife Health & Wellbeing Forum also supports voluntary sector representation on the following:

All three forums also receive reports from a representative who sits on the Fife-wide group:

Voluntary Sector Lifelong Learning Group

This is a fairly small, focussed group of voluntary sector organisations with a direct role in delivering learning and training activity.

Voluntary Sector Drug & Alcohol Managers Group

The Voluntary Sector Drug & Alcohol Managers Group is a well-established group with strong links to the Fife Drug and Alcohol Action Team. However, recently the group has expressed a desire to become more linked to the Voluntary Sector Health & Wellbeing Agenda.

Additional Activity

Voluntary organisations also get involved directly with particular Community Planning initiatives that link to their core activities. On these occasions, their involvement is around representing the interests of their own organisation or service as opposed to the wider interest of the voluntary sector. Review events and consultation exercises that feed into the Community Planning process often call for direct involvement from voluntary organisations. Recent examples include:

The organisations that take up these direct involvement opportunities are often linked in to the Voluntary Sector networks, and are therefore able to wear their voluntary sector hats as well as representing the interests of their own organisations. CVS Fife continues to work with the Community Planning partners to ensure recognition of the Voluntary Sector Forums and Networks as the appropriate route to secure voluntary sector representation.

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In It Together Project

The In It Together Project was concerned with raising awareness of Community Planning within the Voluntary Sector whilst encouraging organisations to become involved in Community Planning processes. The overall aim of the project was to ensure that the voices, knowledge and skills that exist within the sector become part of the process when new plans for service delivery are made in Fife.

The Project came to a conclusion at the end of March 2006 with a review day to share the lessons that were learnt and celebrate the success that it experienced during its 20 months. A full report of the project and its findings are available for download: In It Together Final Report (600KB pdf).

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Further Information

For further information on Voluntary Sector involvement in Community Planning in Fife, please contact Bryan Poole, CVS Fife's Acting Manager. For specific queries regarding the Voluntary Sector Forums & Networks, contact Douglas McLellan, Network Support Officer.

May 2006