Engagement
In order to influence strategic decision making, providers and users need to understand how the commissioning structure works in their locality and how they can engage in local strategic partnerships and other local commissioning structures. It is important for providers and users to appreciate where and at what level they should seek to influence local authority decision making. There may be opportunities for this to be done individually and collectively as well as locally and regionally. Within this work it is important to recognise that national agendas can support the local profile of HRS. For example HRS is making a significant contribution to the current PSA16 (public service agreement), a central government target, expected to be achieved through the delivery of local services. This element of the project will use intelligence acquired from across the country to develop resources to support providers in engagement. This will include a planning tool to support provider fora
Where does housing related support sit on your LSP?
Sitra has compiled a spreadsheet of where housing related support organisations are sitting on local strategic partnerships across the country. The spreadsheet will also show where Supporting People teams and provider forums are sitting in the locality. NAVCA supported this work by identifying with it's members where they represented voluntary and community orgnisations on the LSP and/or its thematic groups.
The spreadsheet was designed in order to help providers see what is happening in their locality and then engage with the necessary representatives.
This information was gathered by conducting desk-based research in December 2009 (HRS) and March 2010 (CVS) this information is accurate as of those dates.
Sitra would like to add to this spreadsheet and ensure it is as accurate as possible especially with the proposal of Statutory Health and Wellbeing Boards. If you have an amendment or addition to make to it, please contact Sue Baxter by emailing sueb@sitra.org
The spreadsheet is available in the Sitra resources below.
Role of the local CVS
The local voluntary and community sector network (CVS) commonly has the role of representing the third sector within strategic decision making structures such as LSPs. Housing related support providers are often not linked in to their local CVS who also may not be aware of the needs of the HRS sector. See the resources produced by NAVCA (below in external resources) if you want to contact your local CVS or appreciate more about their role and responsibilities in representing the third sector strategic voice in the arena of multi-sector partnership work.
Resources
Sitra Resources
Report on providers local strategic engagement
Questionnaire for Providers
Spreadsheet of where housing related support providers and local infrastructure organisations (CVS) sit on LSPs, of SP teams and provider fora.
Report from Local Strategic Partnership Survey
External Resources
Working with Local Area Agreements (Stuart Nevill)
NAVCA directory of members where local infrastructure organisations can be found by area
NAVCA tools and guidance on third sector representation on strategic structures
