By Ben Archibald from NICVA
Published on 21 Nov 2006
Over the past few months Blueprint Development Consultancy has been gathering views from the sector on what its future needs are in terms of networks and infrastructure support. Before the recommendations are submitted to DSD we would like to hear your views on the report.
A blueprint for support services?
The state of the support infrastructure underpinning the voluntary and community sector was a key issue addressed by the Task Force and taken forward by government in Positive Steps. In response, NICVA, supported by a wider Steering Group determined that a sectoral view on the issue should be sought to influence Government thinking at an early stage. To assist in the process the Steering Group agreed the need for external support and appointed Blueprint Development Consultancy to undertake a short research assignment.
Find out more about current and past research.
Assignment aims
The objectives for the assignment were agreed as follows:
- To facilitate organisations to participate in a debate about what their support needs are and how they should be met;
- To define support needs and explore how they are currently being met;
- To propose a framework for future support services in Northern Ireland, taking into account the Review of Public Administration;
- To influence DSD in developing their support services strategy.
The paper is available in PDF format.
Draft Discussion Paper
1.4mb, PDF format
A summary of the paper is available, also in PDF format.
Draft Discussion Paper Summary
197kb, PDF format
Provide NICVA with your comments
Based on the responses of 105 organisations a number of questions which may inform and influence sectoral response have emerged. To that end we would ask you to consider the recommendations in this report and to provide NICVA with your comments and thoughts by 12 December 2006.
We would ask that you consider a number of key questions, as follows:
- Does the paper move the discussion about support services forward?
- Are there issues raised or proposals that you would endorse or disagree with?
- Are there areas or issues not covered that you would have expected to see in this report?
- Do the proposals in Section 6 of the report offer a useful basis for discussion within the voluntary and community sector and between the sector and government?
Please send your views on the document to Gordon McCullough, either through the online survey on the website or by email to:
FAX: 
: 028 9087 7799
We would welcome as may views as possible on the proposals and it would be particularly helpful if networks could discuss them with their members, if time permits.
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