An article on Local Area Agreements and volunteering infrastructure
By Amanda Young and VE's regional development team
Volunteering magazine, July 2006, Issue 119
www.volunteering.org.uk/magazine
Many in the volunteering world, particularly Volunteer Centres, have been eagerly watching the development of Local Area Agreements; the new way to allocate existing money to service delivery in local areas. However, Local Area Agreements aren’t just three little words, they represent a complex process which can be difficult to understand and even more difficult to engage with.
In spite of these challenges, a number of Volunteer Centres have already successfully negotiated a place for volunteering within their Local Area Agreement. Here, the Regional Volunteering Team at Volunteering England presents a case for why other Volunteer Centres might want to get involved and where they can go for more information, including a link to FAQ
Volunteering and Local Area Agreements – where are the links?
A Local Area Agreement (LAA) is a three year agreement that sets out the priorities for a local area, based on the local Sustainable Community Strategy. These priorities are agreed between Central Government and a local area, represented by a local authority and the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP).
LAAs present an opportunity to change how services are delivered locally, with a real emphasis on outcomes and the difference they make to local people. LAAs simplify arrangements for pooled funding streams from Central Government to Local Authorities, which helps to join up public services and allow greater flexibility for local solutions to local circumstances. There is no new money available at present; it’s about co-ordinating the existing funds more effectively.
LAAs are structured around four blocks (or policy fields):
- Children and young people
- Safer and stronger communities
- Healthier communities and older people
- Economic development and enterprise.
Volunteering can make a real contribution to each block. For example, by increasing volunteering:
1. Both young and older people would be provided with opportunities to make a positive contribution to the community
2. Hard to reach groups and those who are economically inactive would have opportunities to develop their skills and receive accredited training
3. The capacity of organisations to deliver local services across all four blocks would be increased, where they involve volunteers.
Why should Volunteer Centres get involved in Local Area Agreements?
LAAs are a new and evolving policy initiative and the real benefits of Volunteer Centre involvement are likely to become clearer over time (as well as some of the potential costs). However, at this stage, there are some key potential benefits, including the opportunity to:
- Demonstrate the added value that volunteering can bring to the LAA – by increasing volunteering, social capital and improving the delivery of services in the voluntary and public sectors
- Contribute to changes in the way services are delivered for the benefit of communities
- Secure additional funding and other kinds of support for increasing volunteering
- Strengthen volunteering infrastructure
Central government funding streams are increasingly being pooled through LAA’s, while local funding may also be directed towards LAA priorities through Local Strategic Partnerships. The LAA sets out local priorities, so if Volunteer Centres are able to influence and ensure that volunteering is reflected as important, then this will help to ensure a more secure funding environment for the future.
There may also be immediate funding available through pump priming grants, if volunteering is agreed as a stretched target (for an explanation of these terms please refer to the list of FAQ under ‘further information sources’).
But, Local Area Agreements are not just important in themselves. The model of partnership working embodied in the LAA is likely to be here to stay and to become an important feature of local area funding and rewards. If Volunteer Centres do not get involved there is a danger that they will be marginalised, both in terms of influencing and undertaking service delivery. Volunteer Centres need to approach the LAA as an opportunity to build and strengthen relationships, covering not only initiatives such as LAAs, but also mainstream partnership work such as Local Strategic Partnerships and other partnerships such as sustainable development and the community strategy.
Can you give me an example of a Volunteer Centre that has successfully engaged with their LAA for the benefit of volunteering?
Yes. Volunteering Nottinghamshire (a federation of local Volunteer Centres in Nottingham) has been working with the Nottinghamshire LAA. They successfully argued that volunteering should be a key priority for the LAA and agreed to increase formal volunteering by a stretch target of 5.5% (2.5% over normal expected growth of 3%). In this case, formal volunteering is defined as people volunteering from groups and organisations at least two hours per week. Volunteering Nottinghamshire has been awarded a pump-priming funding of approx £123k over the next three years to achieve this target. If successful, the LAA will get a reward of £1.6m.
Volunteer Centre Westminster has also, importantly, ensured that the Volunteer Centre is identified as the delivery agent for achieving the stretch targets related to volunteering activity. For more information, please contact Chris Reed at chris@volunteercentrewestminster.org.uk
The LAA funding is additional investment in volunteering infrastructure that would not have happened without the involvement of Volunteer Centres and which will improve services to both volunteers and volunteer involving organisations.
How can I get involved in my LAA?
You should contact your Local Strategic Partnership; Community Empowerment Network, Local Voluntary Development Agency or Local Authority.
Further information:
Please access this article in Volunteering magazine's archive at www.volunteering.org.uk/magazine. This article appeared in the July 2006 issue. Links to further articles and FAQs, together with a survey on involvement with LAAs, can be found at the end of the article.
