The Suffolk Volunteering Strategy is now gaining momentum since it was endorsed by the Health & Wellbeing Board in November 2015, with work beginning on an action plan which will bring the strategy to life, something we want you to get involved with.
The document was created in partnership between the voluntary & community sector, public sector and private sector, and is seen as a strategy for the whole of Suffolk.
Councillor Alan Murray, Chairman of Suffolk’s Health and Wellbeing Board, said:
“The value and contribution that volunteers make to our community cannot be underestimated. At a time when Suffolk organisations are collaborating more than ever before to support people to live well and prosper, we must do all we can to value and support our many volunteers in Suffolk.
People choose to volunteer for many reasons: they may want to help others or to develop new skills and meet new people. Whatever the reason, volunteers not only deliver inestimable benefit to people they support, they also help to make Suffolk a healthier and happier place to live.”
Community Action Suffolk has been asked to facilitate the development of the next stage which is the Action Plan. This will work on bringing to life the objectives set out by the strategy and provide the strong framework needed for volunteering to be effectively supported and promoted.
The Action Plan aims to recognise the good work which is already happening in Suffolk, as well as investigating if there are new ways to work which Suffolk would like to explore. By investigating new dynamic, innovative and flexible volunteering experiences to work alongside the great opportunities available to volunteers already, the aspiration of the strategy is to encourage more people to be involved in their communities and volunteering.
All partners are being asked to consult with customers and colleagues about the objectives and how these could be created into and Action Plan, and CAS is also taking the opportunity to consult with the VCS at its different network meetings across the county.
If you would like to be involved in this consultation, and add your views to how volunteering might look and be experienced over the next five years, then click here to book onto a network meeting.
The strategy will also be available at the Suffolk Volunteering Conference (27 April 2016) for final feedback, before the Steering Group finalise the document for it to be shared with the Health and Wellbeing Board in June 2016. Click here to book a place at the Suffolk Volunteering Conference.
If you would like to receive a copy of the Strategy document, or know more, please contact Carolyn Shaw:
Carolyn Shaw
Volunteering Team Leader
Community Action Suffolk
01473 261116 / 07702533058
[email protected]