Volunteering Reconfiguration in Suffolk

The Suffolk Volunteering Federation is leading on Volunteering Reconfiguration in Suffolk.

As part of the work of the One Voice Suffolk county consortium, the Suffolk Volunteering Federation (SVF) undertook early research into the provision of core functions of Volunteers Centres in Suffolk. This research identified the need for “radical change” in provision as identified in Volunteering England’s “Building on Success” document.

In order to encourage strategic and cohesive delivery of volunteering services at a local, regional and national level, the totality of the core functions clearly needed to be better developed and entrenched inside Volunteer Centres.

The research report recommended that all Volunteer Centres, whose remit was volunteering recruitment and promotion, were to be encouraged to engage wholeheartedly in a process of change and embrace a volunteering model for the 21st century whilst securing the legacy of the good work currently taking place across the county.

Extensive consultation took place in the six month period to September 2006 between the Trustees and senior staff of Volunteer Centres, county and district statutory agencies together with county and district voluntary sector infrastructure organisations. At these consultation events different models for the reconfiguration of volunteering services provided by Volunteer Centres across the county were examined.

Simultaneously dialogue took place between SVF and Suffolk County Council Adult and Community Services (ACS) to inform their review of Volunteer Centres. This culminated in a new service agreement being written by SVF, consulted on by the Volunteer Centres and recommended to ACS.

A model having been agreed, a project team was formed to progress the process of reconfiguration. Planning taking place in each district of the county, indicates that initial positioning of the model may be achieved by April 2008, reducing the current number of Volunteer Centres in the county with the objective of increasing performance and penetration.