The Joint Forum (JF) is made up of representatives from Government (known as the Public Sector Group) and the Voluntary and Community Sector (known as the Voluntary and Community Sector or VCS Panel).
The Forum’s membership comprises 15 community and voluntary sector representatives from across the sector, and a variety of senior public sector representatives from across NI central government departments and local government and agencies. Its work is supported by a joint Secretariat from NICVA and the Department for Communities (DfC).
Recent Joint Forum Meeting
On Thursday 11th June, Joint Forum members came together for the most recent Joint Forum meeting of this current term. Held at NICVA, the meeting was chaired by Denise Hayward, Volunteer Now, in her role as Joint Forum Co-Chair and Chair of the VCS Panel, and the forums cross sectoral membership had a full agenda to consider.
Not unsurprisingly a key focus for the meeting was the current public sector budget pressures, including the headline budget for 203/2024 announced by The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (NI) and the draft spending plans/proposals being developed by Government departments in response to this.
Permanent Secretaries Colum Boyle, Department for Communities (DfC) and Mike Brennan, Department for Economy, (DfE) and other senior representatives from across a range of Government departments, including DoE, DAERA, TEO, DoH and DoJ were in attendance to discuss their departments budget position for 2023/24 and the impacts on the voluntary and community sector and those it serves.
To set this discussion in context and open the meeting NICVA CEO Celine McStravick delivered a presentation highlighting the key impacts of the continued Cost-of-Living Crisis and current budget pressures on sector, reflecting key messaging heard from organisations across the sector including via NICVA’s recent regional programme of engagement on Cost-of-Living impacts.
A frank and open discussion with the Permanent Secretaries and colleagues ensued on the unprecedented and extremely challenging budgetary environment, its far-reaching impacts on the sector and those it serves, the impasse with UK Government regarding the NI budget position, and on the challenges that lie ahead for both the sector and government in this context. Both Permanent Secretaries stressed that NI Government departments are most mindful of the important and central contribution of the sector, are acutely aware of the potential for significant impacts on the sector and it beneficiaries of the proposed budgetary cuts and have been advocating strongly across NICS, and to the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) and UK government regarding.
Voluntary and Community Sector Panel representatives raised a range of issues with regard to the budget position, including the cumulative and potential long-term impacts of ongoing budgetary decisions on the sector and those most vulnerable in our communities, including equality impacts. Panel representatives highlighted the urgent need for a strategic approach across government to adequately assess and mitigate these impacts and the need for much greater communication and collaboration with the sector regarding, given its central role and its contribution to many key areas of public service delivery – pressing that once services and expertise are lost, they will be almost impossible to replace. Amidst this crisis, the importance of Governments long term relationship with the sector and the pressing need for long term and strategic investment was also discussed.
Both the Permanent Secretaries and the other senior Departmental colleagues attending voiced their commitment to working with the Joint Forum and the sector more broadly, in showing strategic leadership and direction on tackling these complex issues.
The latter part of this Joint Forum meeting was then given over to looking to the future and updating on the Joint Forums continuing programme of work.
Emer Morelli from the Department of Finance ( DoF) provided an overview and update on the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) Renewal Framework, in particular the Collaboration work stream, which is looking at new, different and more collaborative ways of working to address key issues and challenges across Government including Bureaucracy. Whilst in no way wishing to detract from the very real budgetary challenges being faced in terms of the public sector budget, Emer advised of the importance of looking to the future and reflected that opportunities exist to ‘do things differently’ in order to bring about positive change. Action Plans are currently being developed for this work stream and Emer reflected that the Joint Forum would be a key ‘touch point’ as this work is progressed.
Bébhinn Ní Bhriain,Department for Communities (DfC) gave an update on the review of the Voluntary and Community Sector Infrastructure Support Framework which is currently underway, being led by the Voluntary and Community Sector division within DfC. As the lead government department for supporting the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE), the Department is currently reviewing the needs and priorities for the sector in regard to infrastructure support, including strategic capacity building. As part of this review DfC will be developing a refreshed policy framework to inform future commissioning and funding of supports for the sector. Bébhinn shared key messaging from their recent programme of regional engagement designed to inform the review and also updated on other key milestones and next steps for the review.
The meeting closed with an update on the work of the current Joint Forum Task and Finish/Subgroups convened to take forward and address key priority issues of interest to the Forum.
Joint Forum Task and Finish/Subgroups
To deliver on the Joint Forums work plan for this current term, a number of thematic Task and Finish Groups have been established. These cross sectoral groups made up of representatives from across the VCS and public sector are driving forward priority issues of interest identified via the Joint Forum.
Since the previous Joint Forum meeting held on 27th September 2022 the Communication and Engagement subgroup has been tasked to take forward proposals for a revised Concordat between the Voluntary & Community Sector and Government, which adequately reflects current issues in the relationship between the sectors, as was mandated by the then Minister for Communities at that meeting. To progress this work the subgroup is leading on the development of a draft statement of Values and Principles to help inform a successor to the existing Concordat , which will be agreed by the wider JF membership and is also considering proposals for wider cross-sectoral engagement and consultation to help inform this work, in readiness for sharing with any incoming Communities Minister/ NI Executive.
A task and finish group established to address issues in the Funding Relationship between Government and the Voluntary and Community Sector continues to progress its work on the development of recommendations to inform creation of a set Fair Funding Principles. Despite the challenging budgetary context, it was agreed by group members that progressing this work remains centrally important. Via a 'shared lens', to help inform their work, the Group has been examining good practice in other parts UK and Ireland and has held a range of workshop and discussion sessions, including inputs from public sector colleagues to share learning/ insight on current Public Sector Funding Frameworks/Guidance and an overview of key issues and challenges from the VCS perspective with regard to the funding relationship. The group also recently held a stock take workshop to review their progress and learning to date and plan forward. The groups ongoing work will also be closely linked into the developments re: a new Concordat, which is proposed will incorporate cross-cutting principles of fair and effective funding and commissioning approaches.
It is anticipated that both work groups will have reported fully on /delivered on their work plans prior to end of this current Joint Forum term, in May 2024.
Joint Forum Voluntary and Community Sector Panel
JF Voluntary and Community Sector Panel representatives have continued to meet regularly to drive forward the work and activities of the Joint Forum, including via VCS Panel meetings to plan and prepare for their input to Joint Forum meetings and events.
In addition to their active participation in the JF workgroups, in recent months the panel held a stocktake workshop to review current work strands of the Joint Forum and plan forward to ensure progress and are currently developing a VCS Panel paper reviewing the existing Concordat and suggesting Key Values, Practices and Outcomes that should be encompassed within any new Concordat/agreement - this paper will inform the ongoing work of the Communication and Engagement Subgroup .
You can view current membership of the Voluntary and Community Sector Panel here.
Next Joint Forum Meeting
The next full Joint Forum meeting is scheduled to take place on the 28th September 2023.
For more information on the Joint Forum including links to recent updates and the full list of current Voluntary and Community Sector representatives, please visit here.
If you have any questions or queries about the Joint Forum, please get in touch with the NICVA Secretariat via [email protected]
