Alas, the rumours are true, & after an incredible couple of years working with EVOC I am now moving on to a new role. I am excited about taking on new challenges, and at the same time incredibly sad to be leaving such a fantastic team here at EVOC.
I thought therefore before leaving I would impart some wisdom gained in my time here. These are just my humble opinions; there are some fantastic resources in our Information section covering a wide range of issues in greater detail, which I thoroughly recommend checking out if you want to know more about the life and times of Edinburgh’s Third Sector.
1. Show your TSIs some TLC
When I first told people I was going to be working for a TSI, the general response was, ‘Fantastic! Brilliant! Amazing! What’s a TSI?’ Even on meeting people working in the wider Third Sector, there was only a general, vague, murmuring knowledge of TSIs and the work we do.
So, in a nutshell:
- TSI stands for Third Sector Interface
- There are 32 of these across Scotland – one for every region (here’s a handy list to find the TSI closest to you)
- The main remit of the Third Sector Interface is to build empowered, resilient communities & a thriving Third Sector.
- They do the above by bringing together agents locally across different sectors and by serving as trusted leaders, effective strategic partners and models of good practice for the Sector.
In my time here, seeing the work, reach and social impact EVOC has has been completely awe inspiring (if you don’t believe me, check out our annual reports). We have provided advocacy for a huge number of charities, and a varied and in depth training programme for Edinburgh’s Third Sector (with funding available towards covering the cost, ’cause we’re quite nice like that). We have organised thinkSpaces covering the big issues such as Pensions Autoenrolment, Consultation on the Council Budget, and our upcoming Locality thinkSpaces (shameless plug, please come along!).
We have represented the Third Sector as part of the Integrated Joint Board for Health & Social Care and during the Edinburgh Budget consultations – directly contributing your feedback and concerns. Projects such as the Recovery Essentials Financial Inclusion project have provided financial advice and support for people in all stages of recovery; and the Edinburgh & Lothian Trust Fund has provided small grants for both organisations and individuals.
That’s just off the top of my head.
We cannot do this however, without the input from the wider Third Sector. So give us your views, come to our networks, our Neighbourhood Partnerships and our Voluntary Sector Forums; tell us the issues you are facing and share best practise. Talk to us.
2. Coproduction – Not just a Buzzword
On starting with EVOC, coproduction and partnership working felt a little like a gimmick, a ‘dazzle ’em with jargon’ kind of thing. That was until I saw it in practise. Smaller local groups with an in depth knowledge of their community, working together across sectors to provide truly person-centred, joined up services to address the issues local people were facing.
For me it was a bit of a lightbulb moment: it made sense. Admittedly, this is a rose coloured glasses kind of view. Of course there will be problems, of course there will be politics. The idea of coming together and working towards a common goal however should always overshadow this. Of course, it should also be common knowledge that coproduction in services should also perhaps, maybe, possibly include the people who will be using it. Engage in your community, ask for feedback, keep on improving your work. Talk to your service users.
3. Change & the way we deal with it
There is no denying the way in which the Third Sector operates has changed hugely in recent times. Funding pools have dried to puddles, as demand for services reaches an all time high.
It does lead the question, how can we do more with less? Despite my rosy hued vision of a perfectly coproduced project in the paragraph above, it does get harder to share best practise with organisations that you may end up having to compete with for funding.
With that in mind, it’s not all doom and gloom. The Third Sector has never been one to rest on its laurels, and in this time of turmoil I have seen organisations roll up their sleeves and deal with the issues at hand. On the positive side, this has led to some more joined up services across Edinburgh. On the more realistic side, organisations have had to make some very difficult decisions with regards to services and projects, and unfortunately this will probably continue as we work towards more sustainable development. We could all become insular at this point very easily, but I would urge you to keep working together. Come to our networks, join us at our thinkSpaces, tell us the issues you are facing and work together towards solutions. Talk to each other.
Perhaps my views will change in the forthcoming years, and I will write a very different, more cynical blog. For the moment however I am very optimistic. There has never been a better time to be in the Third Sector. It’s been a real pleasure, EVOC.
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