Nexus Response

Voluntary and Community Sector Infrastructure Support Policy Framework – Department for Communities Consultation

Nexus Response

Voluntary and Community Sector Infrastructure Support Policy Framework – Department for Communities Consultation

#BreakTheCycle

Nexus Consultation Response:

Voluntary and Community Sector Infrastructure Support Policy Framework (Department for Communities)

The Department for Communities drafted this proposal with the help of a multi-stakeholder Reference Group and has benefited from the contribution of over 300 people through a series of pre-consultation workshops and discussions and from the input of 430 organisations to our survey of sector needs. This proposal was also developed collaboratively by the Joint Forum between Government and the Voluntary and Community Sector which includes representation from across the sector, all government departments and local government.

As a charity that relies on government funding, external grants, donations and the work of volunteers, Nexus welcomes this comprehensive review of Northern Ireland’s Volunteer and Community Sector. Our organisation strongly believes in the work of the sector and the contributions from volunteers, advocates, and leaders in the community. We value the support and input from our volunteers, community partners, and fellow charity organisations that work across Northern Ireland, and we believe that the network of groups of experts and service users is a vital forum for discussing new projects, evaluating current work, and progressing awareness and support.

The comments, suggestions, and questions in our response are based on our expertise and experience as a charity operating in the voluntary and community sector. Read the response by clicking here or on the image below.

Nexus welcomes the Department’s proposed Framework for supporting the Voluntary and Community Sector. We would like to see a further commitment to developing partnerships with fellow Voluntary and Community organisations as part of a strategy to engage with local communities and strengthen already existing support mechanisms. We also want to emphasise the benefits of these proposed changes- the values, outcomes and actions- being made on a statutory footing as this will strengthen monitoring and accountability.

We welcome this proposed framework to strengthen the support and infrastructure for Voluntary and Community services and we look forward to supporting the framework and engaging in future outcomes.

If you have any questions or comments about this consultation response please contact communications@nexusni.org.