Would you like to represent the sector?

The current term of the members of the voluntary and community sector side of the Joint Forum is about to expire. NICVA is now seeking nominations for the new membership.

The Joint Government/ Voluntary and Community Sector Forum Panel (the Panel) is made up of 15 representatives from the voluntary and community sector. They each nominate an alternate, who attend meetings on their behalf if they are unavailable. The current voluntary and community sector representatives are drawn from a wide range of organisations, including some of the larger voluntary organisations and some small community groups.

The Panel meets with the members from Government Departments three times per year as the Joint Government/ Voluntary and Community Sector Forum (the Joint Forum). The Panel also meets independently before and after each Joint Forum meeting.

The Joint Forum was established in 1998 and this will be the Panel’s third incarnation. The Joint Forum focuses on issues that are of general concern to the community and voluntary sector. It does not take on specific issues between a voluntary organisation and a government department - these are best dealt with at the departmental level.

Over the past year, it has worked on a variety of issues including the Programme for Government, the Taskforce and Pathways for Change, A Shared Future and the evaluation and monitoring of Partners for Change. The work plan for the coming year will focus on a range of themes including the Taskforce, Partners for Change, communications, and Compact compliance.

All organisations listed on NICVA’s database should have received the relevant papers in April. Application packs can also be obtained from zoe.anderson@nicva.org . No applications will be accepted after 14 May.