At this meeting members extended a warm welcome to Raymond Caldwell (Director, Voluntary and Community Division, Department for Communities) for his first meeting as the new Public Sector Joint Chair.
We also formally acknowledged and thanked two VCS Panel members who had recently stepped down: Andrew Irvine (East Belfast Mission) and Fergal McFerran (Children’s Law Centre), in recognition of their valued contributions.
Joint Forum Meeting Highlights: Strengthening Collaboration Across the Sectors
Key Topics Under discussion included:
1. Updates from Joint Forum Working Groups
The primary role of the Joint Forum during this current term (2024–2027) is to support the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the Partnership Agreement between the Northern Ireland Government and the Voluntary and Community Sector, including its embedded Fair Funding Principles and Ways of Working.
This meeting included updates from the Evaluation Framework, Communications Plan, and Statutory Duty working groups, which were recently established to drive forward practical implementation and raise awareness of the Agreement.
Cross-sectoral membership and Terms of Reference for each group have now been agreed. With work programmes underway, each group is expected to report on progress at the next Joint Forum meeting.
2. Fair Funding Principles & Ways of Working
Members explored practical steps to advance the implementation of the Partnership Agreement’s Fair Funding Principles, with a focus on promoting transparency, equity, and sustainability in funding relationships. The Forum reaffirmed its commitment to making Fair Funding a central priority during this term, recognising its importance in shaping effective and accountable partnerships.
To embed these principles into the Joint Forum’s work programme, members have agreed to incorporate them through case study analysis, the development of evaluation frameworks, and structured reporting mechanisms.
3. Northern Ireland Budget Update
A regular item on the Joint Forum’s agenda is the Northern Ireland Budget update. At this meeting, the Department of Finance provided an overview of key budgetary developments, including an update and insights on the Local Growth Fund, expected to replace UK Shared Prosperity Funding from end March 2026 and also the potential for Multi-Annual Departmental Budgets to support longer-term financial planning and stability.
4. Partnership Agreement in Practice
With a focus on supporting the Partnership Agreement into practice, a deep dive into Principle 5 of the Partnership Agreement – Collaboration – was led by the YouthStart Consortium. Their presentation offered valuable learning and insights into how collaborative approaches are delivering real impact for those they support, including examples of shared delivery models and co-designed services and how lessons and learning could be aligned to the Partnership Agreement. Group discussion followed and explored our shared understanding of:
- What creates an enabling environment for genuine partnership working across the sectors
- What conditions enhance collaboration
- What barriers remain—and how we might address them
Looking Ahead
This meeting was an important opportunity to reflect, challenge, and shape how we work together to deliver better outcomes for communities across Northern Ireland.
The next Joint Forum meeting will take place on Thursday 5 February 2026.
Please read the attached Joint Chairs Update for a summary of key information and insights from this meeting.
Get Involved/Find out More
Interested in learning more about the Joint Forum, its membership, and workplan? Visit NICVA’s Joint Forum Overview and Updates to explore the Forum’s current priorities and how you can contribute to strengthening collaboration across sectors.
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