Mission

We aim to develop an on-line community brokerage system using our structures, and the structures supported by Shropshire Council and its public sector partners to support sharing and giving in local communities.

Category

Education and Skills

Additional Information

Our Shropshire: website proposal Summary This proposed project is to develop an on-line system backed by brokerage support that will take the needs/aspirations of our communities and help shape local solutions through the use of available skills, assets and resources. Shropshire has a wealth of assets – skills, buildings, services etc. These assets may be tapped into through the implementation of a tool that will allow increased sharing, giving and volunteering. Making connections across the county, through the use of technology, that geographical boundaries and distance have traditionally prevented.   The Background Shropshire VCS Assembly has 300 members and 16 Forums of Interest (groups of VCS organisations) working together around common beneficiaries/themes). See http://vcsvoice.org/forums-of-interest/ for more information. The VCS Assembly offers mechanisms for representation/engagement, allowing organisations to work together and with public and private sector partners.   Shropshire VCS Assembly mobilises the county’s VCS groups and organisations – bringing them together with the public sector to work for the benefit of local communities. Members of the Assembly contribute a significant amount of their time, volunteering to develop policy/strategy, and design/deliver partnership programmes and projects.   The VCS Assembly has developed two ‘sister bodies’ 1)    Shropshire Providers Consortium CIC (a bidding consortia of 32 members allowing smaller providers opportunities to access business, and jointly win contracts and grants); and 2)    ShropShare (securing partnership between the private sector and VCS based on the model of a Community Business Partnership. This will help cement joint work with the private sector established through the VCSA’s Extending Partnerships project).   Examples of other projects led by the VCSA include establishment of local systems to implement the Community Rights to Bid and Challenge; Employ with Conviction (encouraging local business to employ ex offenders); Building Health Partnerships (establishing joint projects between the VCS and CCG); Welfare Reform Awareness; Shropshire Social Value group; VCS Joint Task Group (joint design of a commissioning strategy and supporting tools); and a Social Inclusion project (working with the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership). There are a large number of other projects delivered by the Assembly Board and it’s 16 Forums of Interest (see: http://vcsvoice.org).   The Vision The Assembly (hosted and funded by Shropshire Council) works closely with the CCG, Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office and other public sector partners to respond to policy developments and design and deliver partnership projects. There is significant partnership working in place as a result of our structures but we recognise where we can do more to support partnership working at a community level.   Trying to capture all of the social action generated through the Assembly is a challenge because the Assembly also acts as a catalyst for many less formal networks and activity to give and share. At a time of shrinking public funding, it is more important than ever that we develop an online tool that will both recognise current sharing of resources, skills, equipment and assets and allow that to grow through on-line tools and brokerage support.   We aim to develop an on-line community brokerage system using our structures, and the structures supported by Shropshire Council and its public sector partners to support sharing and giving in local communities.   The proposal We want to establish a web based tool with brokerage support to maximise the sharing of skills, resources, equipment and assets. We would like an online system for community level and countywide action. With capacity to assist all communities, however rural/affluent/deprived.   For example, partnership engagement activity in one local community has highlighted a need for co-operative buying of electricity and gas. Other communities may wish to share equipment or secure volunteers. In a rural county community needs are diverse, yet, despite shrinking public sector budgets we do have the resources to meet needs.   Elements of the system will include time (volunteering), charitable giving (financial), sharing of information and resources (e.g. volunteer forms, governance documents), skills (e.g. sharing staff i.e. finance officers), equipment (e.g. IT, display stands); and venues. We also want the system to gauge interest in joint buying (the county has an oil buying project). It will reduce duplication of time/money/energy spent by VCS organisations, their volunteers and public services. We have the countywide and thematic networks in place, we now need the tools to enable all to recognise, celebrate, support and grow local level giving and sharing (often known as impact volunteering).   Outcomes Potential outcomes would include: Increased understanding of the needs of VCS groups and organisations and their beneficiaries. Increased volunteering through greater awareness within the public and private sectors concerning local needs. Increase in charitable giving. Improved awareness of the voluntary and community support work currently undertaken by the private sector (corporate social responsibility functions). Increased sharing of resources, skills, equipment and assets. Through sharing of resources and tools such as forms, templates and best practice examples. Reduction in duplication of effort (leading to reduced costs). Increase in information sharing. Increased awareness of what can be achieved by sharing resources within the voluntary sector and across sectors. Improved networking within the VCS and across sectors. Increased community self reliance/resilience. Improved promotion of the work taking place at a community level for the benefit of local people. Improved monitoring of impact volunteering, giving and sharing activity. Improved evidence of making a social contribution for those using volunteering as means to access employment opportunities.   For an example of an online system that goes some way towards achieving some of the outcomes listed above see New York’s NY Service at: http://www.nycservice.org/#s   Why invest in this proposed online system? Our idea is based on local needs highlighted by VCS organisations and other community leaders we work with. Our 300 members and our partners emphasise that locally we are not doing enough to value existing community action, or to encourage community led action (impact volunteering).   The benefits of the innovation are: Bringing different sectors (VCS, public and private) together to develop a joint solution that can be shared – at all levels and by all communities. The significant cuts in public sector funding are having an impact, and organisations are making cuts. If we can generate efficiencies through the sharing of resources, the impact of those cuts will be minimised. We undertake an annual ‘impact of the recession survey’ and we hope that once in place our on-line system may generate more positive feedback from our members when the survey is repeated. We are concerned that there is currently limited local support for volunteering. Using an on-line system to promote and monitor volunteering specifically around community needs could be a cost effective way of adding capacity in this area. Nationally there is evidence that the economic downturn has reduced levels of charitable donations. We could use surveys to baseline this in Shropshire and then monitor how our website helps to target giving to local charities (studies suggest that most charitable giving is to large national charities rather than more direct to small local VCS groups and organisations). Our members tell is that they do little to share their resources such as space in buildings, staff and information because they lack the systems to help them to understand who they could share with and how. We could better understand our communities and their needs using an online system. (See New York Service example of how impact volunteering is now monitored).     Who would use this online system? Initially working with the VCSA’s 300 members, our public sector partners and ShropShare’s private sector members, we would then aim to extend use across Shropshire to partnership networks, boards, forums and all local VCS groups and organisations (1,360). Success will rely on widespread use.   We have robust networks in place but plan to extend this to local commissioning/governance boards and/or Shropshire’s Local Joint Committees. The system would have the ability to encourage giving and sharing within communities and between communities.   We need this tool and accompanying brokerage support to use resources more efficiently but also to make use of latent resources, focus efforts around need, and jointly find solutions. It is important that the strategic networks/partners (including Shropshire Council) transfer responsibility into the hands of communities and service users. An online system will capture needs, identify available resources/expertise, provide a platform for sharing and giving, and encourage all to do more for themselves and each other without reliance on statutory services. This model is easily scale-able (and sell-able) and once established could be used by other counties.   Support required - turning the idea into reality We need technical support in the development of a website/online tool. Buying that support in could cost approximately £30,000. We have made contact with an expert who developed a website based on a similar ethos and could learn from that example - see http://cornwall.shapedbyus.org.   A staff resource would also be helpful in order to coordinate the project, promote the project, monitor use of the site, and undertake more detailed brokerage support through the establishment of joint buying projects.   We need a website that requires minimum on-going funding and maintenance. It would be populated by the users/ communities themselves.