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Issue 3 - Resource Directory

Every issue of Improving Support Magazine highlights useful content featured on the Improving Support Website as well as elsewhere on the web. 

Issue 3 Resource Directory

This website is your easy-to-use one-stop-shop with practical resources for everyone involved in supporting third sector organisations. The site has information to keep you up-to-date with developments in the field and learning to help you and your organisation adapt. There is also a range of resources to help you develop and maintain local partnerships, support shared agendas and work together to ensure stronger voices and better outcomes.

South West Forum’s report, A Thriving Third Sector, features six case studies from across the South West that demonstrate the benefits of working in partnership with the third sector and the critical role support providers play in making links and forging lasting relationships with local communities.

The Every Voice Counts Partnership has published a report mapping the extent of community involvement and empowerment.

The Birmingham ChangeUp Consortium has published a collection of resources to help third sector organisations to compete for public sector service delivery. The Enterprising Commissioning Toolkit contains information about the process and practical tools to help organisations tender effectively.

With funding from Capacitybuilders, Shared Intelligence published the Sustainable Models of Support Services report that includes a series of useful case studies including how merging support providers in Warwickshire brought efficiencies without losing local presence.

NAVCA’s Improving Local Partnerships Unit (ILP) has a wide range of useful resources and information on local partnerships including a library of case studies and good practice from across England, such as Skilling Up for LSPs showing how to remove barriers preventing third sector organisations from tendering.

Urban Forum has developed a range of guides now available on it's website. They include the Handy guide to Local Area Agreements, How Your Council Works and the Local Strategic Partnership Guide. Hard copies can also be ordered directly from Urban Forum.

  • NCVO

NVCO’s Sustainable Funding Project produces a range of publications including Fruitful Funding: a guide to funder’s levels of engagement to appraise the range and levels of engagement that funders can adopt.

You can also sign up for the Sustainable Funding Project’s Infrastructure newsletter to keep you up on the latest news, developments and resources.

NCVO has a range of resources on collaboration. Joint Working for Public Service Delivery looks at what to consider when entering into joint contracts.

NCVO’s report How Voluntary and Community Organisations Can Help Transform the Local Relationship looks at the role of community leaders and the ability of local people to participate in decision-making and the shaping of public services.

  • RAISE

RAISE’s new policy website offers a range of useful online resources including:

The Hidden Asset 2009 Research Report, which demonstrates the vast contribution made by the third sector in communities across the South East. It’s of value to infrastructure and frontline organisations operating in the region as well as regional and national policy makers and funders.

Useful Local Area Agreement guidance produced by RAISE outlines the purpose and structure of LAAs and the level of third sector engagement.

  • GMCVO

Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisations has published a report called Commissioning Possible showing how to remove barriers preventing third sector organisations from tendering.

  • Communities and Local Government

The Communities and Local Government (CLG) website - provides a wealth of information, advice and useful resources including:

Principles of Representation: A framework for effective third sector participation in Local Strategic Partnerships is a really useful framework that outlines how to maximise input on Local Strategic Partnership boards (LSPs), help LSPs involve the sector; and assist LSP partners to agree an inclusive approach to empower communities.

Delivering social inclusion through technology. Social Inclusion Advisors provide a free advice service for local authorities and strategic partners about how using technology innovatively and effectively can tackle social exclusion, local delivery priorities and meet national challenges within the local authority performance management framework.

  • The Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA)

The IDeA offers a range of resources on its website including:

How strong are your neighbourhoods?
IDeA has developed a mapping tool to help local authorities, Local Strategic Partnerships and their partners to identify how effective current empowerment is in local areas. It can also help users decide what additional support is needed and provides a base line for measuring community strength.

Delivering the goods.
Good practice examples of service delivery in the third sector that include case studies of Norfolk’s Local Area Agreement, achieving successful outcomes for the people of Wigan and using the commissioning process to improve service delivery in Coventry.

Commissioning learning.
Evaluation of Phase One of the National Programme for Third Sector Commissioning and guidance about Phase Two, is available to help commissioners and third sector organisations develop new ways of working more closely together. It includes details of workshops being run by the Institute for Voluntary Action Research (IVAR).

  • ACEVO

Getting Round The Table

ACEVO’s free guide will help you organise roundtable meetings with public sector commissioners. Produced as part of ACEVO’s work on Capacitbuilders’ National Support Service for Income Generation – Getting Round The Table is based on ACEVO’s experiences of organising roundtable meetings with commissioners over the last two years.

Meet the Changemakers: Expert tips for effective engagement

ACEVO produced this publication and podcast as part of Capacitybuilders’ Leadership and Governance workstream. These free resources bring together interviews from leaders across the third, public and private sectors on the leadership skills necessary for effective engagement.