News

It is important to acknowledge that it is the volunteers, staff and directors alike who, working in the Third Sector, provide the bedrock for the city’s success.

Here is a chance to better acknowledge the contribution and impact that these key groups of people make both across our city and within our localities.

Let’s boost the volume of nominations for the annual Queen’s Awards

Can you consider making a nomination for the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service 2019, which is for small and larger groups of people (rather than individuals). Please click on the link provided for further details:
The Queens Award for Voluntary Service 2019 (submission by 24 September 2018)

The Edinburgh Partnership is carrying out a consultation on improving community planning governance arrangements in the city following a period of review. You may have already taken part in a discussion which has formed the proposed changes. 

The consultation is asking your views on:

How communities and community groups can more effectively influence decisions about their community

How the governance arrangements can be improved to:
 – Make it clear how decisions are made, and who is making them, by improving the groups and structures involved
 – Make partnership working stronger
 – Make better connections between the different levels of the partnership working in the city

The consultation is now open and can be accessed using this link.

You can also take part in this consultation by using the attached word document. It comes with supporting documentation and an equalities monitoring form.

Edinburgh Partnership Governance Consultation 2018 (amended)

Appendix 1 Governance Existing Arrangements

Equalities Monitoring Form (Generic)

The completed word document should be emailed to community.planning@edinburgh.gov.uk or returned by post to:

Community Strategies Unit
The City of Edinburgh Council
Business Centre 2/1
Waverley Court
4 East Market Street
Edinburgh, EH4 7BG.

The consultation closes on Sunday 9th September 2018.

If you need further information or support to participate in this consultation please contact community.planning@edinburgh.gov.uk

Edinburgh Compact is a city wide partnership between the public and third sectors which seeks to influence public policy and encourage closer collaborative working between voluntary organisations such as Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations’ Council, Volunteer Edinburgh and the Police, Fire and Rescue Service and Health and Social Care Partnership.

Membership is made up of a range of individuals working in the public and voluntary sectors including its Chair, Jan-Bert van den Berg.

Explaining what the Compact Partnership does he said: “Very simply it brings varied interests, knowledge and experience in the city together across health and social care, social justice and issues that affect its citizens. It is there to look at how we can jointly make life better for people, whose life isn’t particularly good at this point in time.”

Creative Thinking

Aside from chairing meetings, Jan-Bert brings his expertise to Edinburgh Compact to “actively think about how we are stuck in silos and how we can work together more collaboratively.”

This refreshing approach has been built up over three decades of working in the arts and culture sector in Edinburgh, with community arts charity ArtLink.

Speaking about his work, Jan-Bert said: “Artlink works with people who are elderly and who have a range of disabilities or experience mental ill health. Our work bridges culture and the voice of people whose lives tend to be trickier due to experiencing a range of inequalities.”

Spaces in Between

Jan-Bert brings his creative thinking to Edinburgh Compact, thinking of ways that the public sector and third sector can work together across boundaries to make things better for communities and individuals.

He said: “I remember doing a drawing class in Art College and the tutor asked me to look at spaces in between objects rather than the object itself. That has stayed with me whilst I work across these boundaries.

“We tend to think in set patterns often within the comfort of our own experience or point of view. That approach will not work to the greatest benefit of the people we meant to serve. My interest is always is to look across boundaries and think about things in a slightly different way and to articulate that into action.”

Jan-Bert thinks that working in partnership, can provide organisations with a friendly critical eye and present an “opportunity to learn from each other and find ways of working more effectively and in the interest of people.”