Isn’t that always the way? You stand at a bus stop waiting for ages and then along come three of them, one after the other.

That’s a bit what it feels like these days, with the number of important things underway which carry far-ranging impact upon the work of the Third Sector. The Scottish Government has been consulting upon its proposed bills for the Integration of Adult Health and Social Care, Community Empowerment and Renewal, and Social Care (Self-directed) Support, all of which introduce significant reform. At EVOC, we’ve been very busy over the past several weeks with ThinkSpace surveys and events, gathering the sector’s views on these various proposals.

We’ve also been meeting with the City of Edinburgh Council to explore exactly what the potential is for working cooperatively with the sector: how can we shape services and support to communities together? You’ll hear more about this in the next few months.

After all this recent activity, we’re doing our best to step back and make sense of it all. A summary report on Markets, Money and Power looks at the responses of those who attended the event at the end of June and reports will soon be available on Power to the Community! and Integrating Adult Health and Social Care: Beyond Old Dogs, More Than New Tricks (both held in August.)

It’s very much a case of ‘watch this space’ as this work progresses.

Last week I met with a group of people from Norway.  They work for an organisation called Fruvillighetnorge which is much like EVOC in its function.  Our debate covered short term funding, creating sustainability, the social as well as service value of the sector, measuring our impact and outcomes and working with local and national political administrations.  Some interesting facts –  84 % of Norwegians are members of one or more voluntary organisations and 48% of the population do some form of voluntary work every year which is equivalent to 115,000 full time employees!

It will be no surprise to hear our colleagues from Norway are facing exactly the same issues we are and heartening to see the same passion and motivation on behalf of the sector.  Our visitors were particularly interested in community planning structures and the way our views are increasingly sought in defining issues as well as being part of the solution.  The integration of Adult Health and Social Care also stimulated some interesting comments –  with the central question being “working from a person centred approach how is it possible to provide support without integrated health and social care”. 

As always when we meet visitors from another country it gives us a short time to reflect on really good and progressive pieces of work but also what are the issues we still face.  In partnership with Edinburgh Social Enterprise Network and Volunteer Centre Edinburgh we recently asked you to complete a Survey Monkey about the services we provide and what we should be providing.  The results of this will form the basis of our partnership work plans over 2012 – 13 so watch this space for information.

 

It would be really easy to kick our toys out of the pram just now.  It seems that there is increasing pressure to be “part of the solution” and we in the Third Sector are suddenly being heralded as the “innovators who get things done”.  Oh – but “can you do all this and more, with even less?”

I am under no illusions about how difficult it is for Third Sector organisations at the moment.  As well as the time and resources used to engage with the statutory sector in policy and strategy development, community planning, capacity planning, scoping exercises – the list goes on – there is also increasing demand from the people engaged with our services.

While things might be tough for our organisations, it’s clear that they are horrendous for many of the people the sector works with.  Addressing this must be central to our efforts.

Making a difference in people’s lives is what drives us in the Third Sector. I believe that while things are tough we have a real opportunity to change how we DO things – with the individuals who use our services and with the statutory sector.  The statutory sector is clearly beginning to think differently.  Not just because of budget pressure but because the reality of social policy is changing.  Nationally and locally the questions being asked are “what is the social value?”,  “what is the community benefit?”, “how is this pushing forward real change and helping people to stay in their communities?” and “will this provide a truly personalized service?”.  Increasingly it is not just about the financial bottom line.

The Third Sector Manifesto for Council Elections 2012, recently published on behalf of the Edinburgh Third Sector Interface, highlights a number of proposals worth considering – proposals for ways to change how we do things. I encourage you to take a look at the ideas contained in the Manifesto, and bring these into the dialogues that you share with the people around you. The opportunity for change is real.

No, the system in which we operate is not perfect, and yes, there are some times when it feels like we are the very junior party at the table. But remember, folks, not that very long ago there were far fewer spaces at the table with our name on them! I am exceptionally proud of the knowledge, expertise, skills and commitment the Third Sector brings to the discourse.  We cannot and should not be complacent about how we deliver our services and the impact we have on social policy development and service delivery. 

So we can whinge and gripe, or we can try to shape a better future for the people who use our services. Let’s choose wisely.

On behalf of the Edinburgh Third Sector Interface, I am delighted to introduce Edinburgh’s Third Sector Manifesto for the Council elections in 2012. 

This document is informed by widespread consultation over the past few months with our Third Sector colleagues and network partners.

The Manifesto highlights the issues that we face together and offers a number of challenges to the candidates, urging them to be innovative and think outside the box.

You can read more about the Third Sector Manifesto in this press release which provides context from the three partners of the Edinburgh Interface.

Please feel free to download and circulate the Manifesto, and share it within your own networks. As the elections approach, let’s keep the voice of Edinburgh’s Third Sector prominent in the debates and ensure that the party platforms engage with the challenges we have set them for building a better Edinburgh.

Welcome to EVOCs all new singing and dancing website.  If you are like me and increasingly use the internet as the first source of any reference material you will know that it is vital that the information you gather is up to date, relevant and accurate.  At EVOC we have set ourselves a high benchmark and intend that our new website will become your first choice for information on what is happening in the Third Sector in Edinburgh and beyond.

The website has specifically been designed to encourage you to participate in discussions, debates and to provide you with a vehicle to let the sector know about your news, activities and planned events.  With one click you will know that your information will be targeted to the right audience and reaching networks all across the city.

We have developed this new resource with you in mind – please use it, let us know what you think and start clicking!