An update of the new VCSE Partnership Model: the Gloucestershire VCSE Infrastructure Collaborative
Following updates earlier this year on the Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board’s (ICB) new Gloucestershire VCSE Infrstructure Collaborative, we’re pleased to share the latest announcement…
A bold new chapter for Gloucestershire’s Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector has begun, as a county-wide partnership, the Gloucestershire Infrastructure Collaborative, brings organisations together to strengthen communities and drive lasting change across the county.
Membership of the group consists of:
Active Gloucestershire
Create Gloucestershire
Feeding Gloucestershire
Forest Voluntary Action Forum (FVAF)
Gloucestershire Rural Community Council (GRCC)
Gloucestershire VCSE Alliance
Inclusion Gloucestershire
The Grace Network
Young Gloucestershire
Alongside the NHS and Gloucestershire County Council.
The Collaborative marks a shift in how the sector works, placing collaboration, shared leadership and community voice at its core. It brings together a diverse group of VCSE leaders, who will work collaboratively to shape how the sector grows, connects and supports communities and people across Gloucestershire.
The Collaborative will provide a broader and more connected VCSE infrastructure and in simple terms; will help community groups, charities and social enterprises to do their work well. This includes:
Bringing VCSE organisations together
Sharing information, skills and resources
Supporting volunteers and community-led activities
Making sure community voices are heard
Working as a true collaboration, members will focus on building stronger foundations for the VCSE sector by supporting organisations of all sizes-from established charities to small, grassroots groups. The Collaborative will act as a shared voice for the sector while creating better connections between organisations, communities and wider health and wellbeing system partners.
By bringing organisations together in this new way, the Collaborative aims to strengthen and connect this work, making support across the county more joined-up, effective and impactful.
Looking ahead, the ambition of the Gloucestershire Infrastructure Collaborative is clear: to support people to live healthier, more connected lives, enable communities to shape their own futures, and ensure that VCSE organisations are recognised and contribute as equal partners within the wider health and wellbeing system.
Members of the collaborative said:
“This is an important opportunity to build a stronger and more connected VCSE infrastructure across Gloucestershire. The VCSE sector has a vital role to play in improving health and wellbeing and tackling inequalities. Through the partnership, we want to build shared leadership, develop practical solutions together and create stronger collaboration across Gloucestershire for the benefit of our communities.”
Will Chapman, Associate Director (Prevention & VCSE Partnerships), NHS Gloucestershire said:
“This is an exciting and important moment for Gloucestershire. The formation of this partnership reflects our shared ambition to work differently, bringing together the knowledge, insight and reach of the VCSE sector with our system partners to better support our communities.
“I’m really looking forward to working alongside colleagues across the partnership as we begin to shape our collective priorities and build a strong, collaborative approach that puts communities at the heart of everything we do.”
The collaborative will work together in the coming months to agree and begin shaping its priorities, actions and next steps.
This marks an exciting step forward for the VCSE and the county, as VCSE organisations come together to lead change, strengthen connections and make a real difference for communities across Gloucestershire.