POP has been a part of a small working party of VCSE organisations that have been meeting to discuss the development of a VCSE Assembly for Devon, Plymouth and Torbay to connect to and influence the fundamental changes that are happening in the statutory sector, particularly the formation of the Devon-wide Integrated Care System (ICS) – a cross sector partnership that concentrates on improving the health and happiness of Devon residents.
For it to work, the Assembly needs to be a broad based inclusive and shared collaborative model where people, communities and organisations can contribute and engage in the way they want to. Everyone who wants to be included will be included.
From its membership, The VCSE Assembly will create a pool of people and organisations that can be tapped into to inform and influence strategic partnership discussions, co-design of services, policy development, co-commissioning and joint leadership and decision making. It will also provide a place where anyone can find out what is happening across partnerships through an open and transparent process.
Key principles of the Assembly will be:
- Entry point is always kept open – anyone can join the Assembly
- Those with specific interests and strengths will be encouraged to step forward
- Those that feel they need to be heard will be
- Digital systems that support the Assembly will be made open by default
- Collaboration will be encouraged
- Transparency and honesty will be a priority
- To concentrate on engagement and not representation
- To engage with existing local structures where they exist
- A place that provides peer support and development opportunities for the sector.
The Assembly aims to be a Countywide collective that represents the best of the sector and will be a vehicle where our voice can be heard and our influence can be made at county level.
At this time we are still trying to understand how this will impact on local working relationships, particularly around localities and the Local Care Partnerships and POP hope to be able to influence the new VCSE Assembly to support local engagement/working and relationships.
If you have any comments you want forwarded to those planning the new Assembly, please send them through to info@plymouthoctopus.org.
