1. Radisson Blue Hotel, Gasworks Business Park, Belfast 6 July 2017
Delivering Change in a Shifting Landscape: Future challenges and opportunities for the VCSE sector and its partners  
Radisson Blue Hotel, Gasworks Business Park, Belfast
6 July 2017

2. The BCT VCSE Futures Programme
Purpose Platform for VCSE sector, its funders and policy makers to consider how to build an enabling environment that supports the sector achieve the best outcomes for the people it works with Aim To provide the VCSE sector and its partners with robust information to support the creation of policies and practices which will enable the sector to maximise its impact

3. Meeting purpose
To hear your views on what needs to happen to create an enabling environment that delivers the best outcomes for the people the VCSE sector works with

4. By the end of this workshop we will have:
An awareness of the background to this initiative
A sense of the main themes emerging so far
A list of suggested actions that could be taken by the VCSE sector itself, policy makers and funders

5. The BCT VCSE Futures Programme 2016 -2018
Substantial engagement with the sector, funders and policy makers to identify issues and actions
Commission and publication of thought provoking opinion pieces on relevant and topical issues
5 small projects through each of the original Trust partners supported

6. Why do this work?
Desire of Building Change Trust to leave a legacy beyond the 5 themes
Trust started with consultation to shape its themes/strategy - what has changed in the last 8 years
Opportunity to use Trust’s networks and knowledge to help shape future interventions for sector – Trust has no selfish agenda beyond 2018
Timely – big changes in NI – governance failure, Brexit, cuts
Fits within context of other initiatives – NPC State of the Sector – Inquiry into future of civil society in England

7. Process for this initiative
Phase 1 (Initial engagement)
Design of process
Phase 2/3 (Engagement)
Ongoing engagement and opinion pieces
Phase 3 (Critical Reflection) July to October
Reflection on overall findings
Phase 4 Focused engagement on developing proposals Oct 17 - March 18
Regional Round Tables
Phase 5 – Setting the Agenda April - June 2018
Closing Conference

8. Overall Framing of the Futures Project
To create the enabling environment that delivers the best outcomes for the people and places the VCSE sector works with:
What specific actions can:
the sector take?
policy makers take?
funders take?

9. Engagement Events Initial Sector wide Workshop ACF Conference
Ballymoney Community Resource Centre
Community Arts Partnership
CO3 Conference
Development Trusts NI
Disability Action
Early Years
Fermanagh Trust
NICVA
NWCN & Holywell Trust
WRDA
NI Trusts Group
Rural Community Network
Public Sector Group

10. A flavour of the themes emerging to date
Need a shared understanding of how the VCSE sector is defined - what is the the sector?; why does it matter?; how do we promote it?

11. themes emerging to date…
How can the VCSE Sector achieve the best outcomes? - though co-design & co-production; through advocacy and challenge?
Collaboration is required at different levels – inter- sectoral; intra-sectoral.

12. themes emerging to date…
Recognition of independence and interdependence of the VCSE sector and other players – and of the potential tensions between these - is required.
Clear, more participative structures are required for influencing policy.
There is a need to develop sustainable and/or alternative funding models.
There is a desire for reduced bureaucracy associated with funding, and associated with being a charity.