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Neighbourhood Health

Neighbourhood Health
in Calderdale

What it means for the VCSE sector and why your involvement is important

What is Neighbourhood Health?

Neighbourhood Health is all about organisations working together to support people and communities to live healthier, happier lives. It brings together health services, local authorities and VCSE Sector organisations to better understand what matters to local people and provide more joined-up support.

In Calderdale, this way of working isn’t new. Partners have been working together through neighbourhood-based approaches since 2018 as part of Calderdale Cares, with community and voluntary organisations playing an important role from the start. As neighbourhood health becomes a national priority, Calderdale is building on these strong foundations, creating even more opportunities for the VCSE sector to share its insight, influence local priorities and help shape support that meets the needs of local communities.

Why is it important for the VCSE Sector in Calderdale to be involved?

The VCSE sector in Calderdale has a vital role to play in neighbourhood health. Local organisations are often the first to understand what is happening in their communities, have trusted relationships with local people, and can help identify needs, strengths and opportunities that other services may not see. It doesn’t matter whether you are a large charity, a small community group, or a volunteer-led organisation. Every organisation brings valuable insight, experience and connections that can help improve outcomes for local people.

NAVCA (National Association for Voluntary and Community Action) have developed a new handbook and briefing paper, prepared by The Partner Ship, Alliance42 and NAVCA, setting out why VCSE partnership in neighbourhood health is essential, and how we can make it happen in practice. It focuses specifically on how the NHS and other public sector partners can work effectively with communities and the local VCSE organisations that support them.

How does my Calderdale VCSE organisation find out more/get involved?

One of the best ways to get involved in Neighbourhood Health is through your local Integrated Neighbourhood Team (INT). INTs bring together organisations from health, care, local government and the VCSE sector to discuss local priorities, share knowledge and develop solutions for their communities.

By getting involved in your local INT, you can share your community insight, build new partnerships, influence local priorities and help ensure the voices of local people are heard. Together, VCSE organisations of all sizes can play a key role in shaping healthier, stronger and more connected communities across Calderdale. We encourage all organisations to get involved and be part of the conversation.

VAC Link Officers can support organisations to connect with their local Integrated Neighbourhood Team (INT), so if you’d like to get involved, just get in touch with one of our Link Officers.

Calderdale's five INT areas are:

Integrated Neighbourhood TeamVAC Link Officer
Calder and RyburnPam Barmbypam.barmby@cvac.org.uk
Central HalifaxMatt Orfordmatthew.orford@cvac.org.uk
Lower ValleyJordan Bakerjordan.baker@cvac.org.uk
North HalifaxKate Hornbykate.hornby@cvac.org.uk
Upper Calder ValleyJess Robinsonjess.robinson@cvac.org.uk

Further Reading

VAC + Membership

What's included?

You will receive a VAC Member welcome pack with useful information on getting the most out of your membership and a few extra treats!

Every member of VAC will be invited to our Annual General Meeting (AGM) and has voting rights for resolutions and proposals either in person or by proxy.

When you sign up to be a VAC Member, you will be assigned a Go-To Contact from the VAC team.

They will be your main point of contact for your membership, helping to answer questions and signposting you to the right place within VAC and/or our partnerships.

We want the VAC membership offer to be responsive to the needs of our members.  Member check ins keep us up to date on your organisation’s news and developments but also on any challenges or support gaps that may be affecting the VCSE sector.

The information we receive during our member check ins will highlight trends and challenges that we can then explore support and solutions for via our membership offer and partnerships with local providers and authorities.

To support VAC members to feel connected and informed, we have created a unique Member Area on the VAC Website.

The online dashboard will keep you and your colleagues up to date on the latest member opportunities, training and news.

The Member Area also has a forum function, allowing VAC Member organisations to interact and support each other.

A quarterly newsletter to keep our members up to date on not only VAC Membership updates and opportunities but also specifically created content on topics of interest to the local voluntary, community and social enterprise sector. 

The Bimonthly Member Network is for VAC Members to connect with other VAC Members!

A perfect opportunity to support one another, find out about other local services and explore new collaborative opportunities and partnerships with fellow VAC members.

40% Discount on VAC Room Hire – We offer a range of flexible rooms for hire located in Halifax, West Yorkshire. Our rooms include a fully equipped, large training room with SMART board and flipchart facilities seating up to 25 theatre style, two smaller meeting rooms seating up to 12 and a small office with computer facilities suitable for one-to-one meetings or rent-a-desk.

25% Discount on Virtual Office – Perfect for start ups or smaller organisations, our Virtual Office service offers a postal address, pigeonhole and reception facilities.

25% Discount on ID Badge Printing – Competitively priced to accommodate for smaller orders, our in-house ID Badge service supports both design and printing.

Based on feedback and insight we gain from our members, our training and events offer will complement local infrastructure support training programmes.

All sessions are cost effective and VCSE sector driven.  As a VAC + Member, you will receive a considerable discount on all VAC Training and Events.

VAC Membership

What's included?

You will receive a VAC Member welcome pack with useful information on getting the most out of your membership and a few extra treats!

Every member of VAC will be invited to our Annual General Meeting (AGM) and has voting rights for resolutions and proposals either in person or by proxy.

When you sign up to be a VAC Member, you will be assigned a Go-To Contact from the VAC team.

They will be your main point of contact for your membership, helping to answer questions and signposting you to the right place within VAC and/or our partnerships.

We want the VAC membership offer to be responsive to the needs of our members.  Member check ins keep us up to date on your organisation’s news and developments but also on any challenges or support gaps that may be affecting the VCSE sector. 

The information we receive during our member check ins will highlight trends and challenges that we can then explore support and solutions for via our membership offer and partnerships with local providers and authorities.

To support VAC members to feel connected and informed, we have created a unique Member Area on the VAC Website.

The online dashboard will keep you and your colleagues up to date on the latest member opportunities, training and news.

The Member Area also has a forum function, allowing VAC Member organisations to interact and support each other.

A quarterly newsletter to keep our members up to date on not only VAC Membership updates and opportunities but also specifically created content on topics of interest to the local voluntary, community and social enterprise sector. 

The Bimonthly Member Network is for VAC Members to connect with other VAC Members!

A perfect opportunity to support one another, find out about other local services and explore new collaborative opportunities and partnerships with fellow VAC members.

20% Discount on VAC Room Hire – We offer a range of flexible rooms for hire located in Halifax, West Yorkshire. Our rooms include a fully equipped, large training room with SMART board and flipchart facilities seating up to 25 theatre style, two smaller meeting rooms seating up to 12 and a small office with computer facilities suitable for one-to-one meetings or rent-a-desk.

Competitive rate on ID Badge Printing – Competitively priced to accommodate for smaller orders, our in-house ID Badge service supports both design and printing.

Based on feedback and insight we gain from our members, our training and events offer will complement local infrastructure support training programmes.

All sessions are cost effective and VCSE sector driven.