This is an update on discussions with the Council about new ways of working with the third sector, and next steps, as part of an ongoing dialogue with Council Chief Executive Martin Reeves and Director of Community Services Brian Walsh.

A proforma was circulated to voluntary sector providers of health, social care, children's and advice services, asking for current experience of and future support needs for collaborative / consortium working, and suggestions for areas of work where new ways of working could be piloted. Seventeen proformas were returned. Overall there was a good understanding of and willingness for greater collaborative working, consortium or otherwise. The responses were very helpful for gauging overall levels of experience and interest and the wide range of ideas was interesting, although there weren't particularly strong areas of consensus that can be pursued for this initial piece of work. However, greater collaborative / consortium working is going to be a long-term theme and one which the third sector may wish to pursue itself as organisations form their own arrangements including consortia. The experience presented in the proformas was valuable - clear understanding of responsibilities, communication, trust and mutual respect were common themes. It was also helpful to see the extent of consortium working that is already taking place within the sector.

In the first instance, the Council is interested in pursuing two specific areas for greater collaborative working with and within the voluntary sector - (1) transport and (2) homelessness. A potential third area - advice services - was identified as a specific expression of interest from within our sector. Existing work on this area will continue in its own right and it is likely to become a third area of work at a later date.

Coventry City Council will be hosting a major national personalisation conference in November and one of the themes will be joint working with the voluntary sector to develop new ways of working to achieve better outcomes in these times of reduced resources. VAC officers and the Third Sector Assembly elected representatives will continue to work with senior Council officers to take these very broad areas and start to flesh out some detail, working together to ensure that proposals are owned by voluntary organisations too, not just the Council. We are still at an early stage in the process, and further information will be available in due course on each area and how to get involved.

In the meantime, it is always helpful for VAC for you to brief us on your experiences with contracting or commissioning, particularly those shared across a number of other organisations. Several proformas noted VAC's lobbying role on behalf of the sector. Across our work we continue to promote the genuine added value (for both service delivery and wider social benefits) that local voluntary organisations bring, and continue to encourage and provide opportunities for our members to engage with key figures in the statutory sector, through both events and 1:1 brokering. Please speak in confidence to a member of VAC staff or e-mail us at info@vacoventry.org.uk