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Community Voices are individuals working in the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector who are trained to engage with the local population in Kirklees on the West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board’s behalf and talk to them about changes and developments in health services. Community Voices give communities a louder voice and help to make sure that health services are developed in response to the needs of local people.
VAC, in partnership with West Yorkshire ICB, offers free training for local people to become Community Voices and help local communities to have a say when changes to health services are proposed.
The NHS has a duty to involve local communities when health changes are being considered and the training provides the knowledge and skills needed to carry out engagement and consultation work on behalf of the NHS locally.
Engagement is an ongoing dialogue with the local population which seeks to build up a positive and meaningful relationship.
Consultation is the formal process of asking the public their views on any proposals to change the way a service is provided and delivered.
Community Voices are from local voluntary or community organisations*, have strong links to their community and enjoy listening and talking to people. Because their role is to talk to local communities about changes to local health services, it is important they have an interest in health issues.
The mandatory training is spread over 4 half day sessions and has 5 elements, including a practical task:
Once the training has been completed Community Voices are:
Offered opportunities to carry out surveys or run focus groups
Able to earn money for their local voluntary or community organisation for each survey completed.
Invited to local events where they can meet with the people and organisations involved in shaping local health services.
On completion of the training Community Voices receive a certificate valid for 2 years. It’s easily renewed by taking part in a bi-annual refresher session.
To gain your certificate you must attend all the sessions and successfully complete the practical task.
The role of voluntary and community organisations
Because Community Voices must have links to a local voluntary, community or social enterprise (VCSE) organisation, that organisation must confirm it meets certain standards. This is to make sure that the organisation can deliver any engagement or consultation activities safely and competently.
To take part in our Community Voices Programme, please contact engagement@cvac.org.uk. Community Voices training is currently available via a series of four two hour Zoom sessions.
The dates and times of the next series of training sessions is outlined below.
| Programme 1 - 2023 | Presenters | |
|---|---|---|
| Training Session 1 How the NHS Works | Tuesday - 10/10/2023 10am - 12.30pm | WY ICB Engagement team |
| Training Session 2 Legal and statutory obligations for engagement. | Tuesday- 17/10/2023 10am - 12.30pm | WY ICB Engagement team |
| Training Session 3 Engagement Methods & approaches | Tuesday - 24/10/2023 10am-12.30pm | WY ICB Engagement team |
| Training Session 4 Equalities, Safeguarding and Evaluation and Certificates | Tuesday - 28/11/2023 10am-12.30pm | -WY ICB Equality team -VAC |
To help support the development of a new model for wheelchair services, NHS Calderdale and NHS Greater Huddersfield Clinical Commissioning Groups wished to engage with service users, carers and stakeholders to help them improve this model and inform decisions on what a good quality service looks like if the resources are in the right place.
As part of their approach to improving healthcare available to people living across the district, NHS Greater Huddersfield and NHS North Kirklees Clinical Commissioning Groups, in partnership with the Local Authority, wanted to engage with patients, family and carers and staff on NHS commissioned services for people who have a serious mental illness, that includes a primary diagnosis of psychosis, including people with a dual diagnosis.
The purpose of the engagement is to provide a picture of A&E over a one week period by surveying people who attend A&E and then do a follow up survey 7 days later. The information gathered would then be used to tell NHS Calderdale and NHS Greater Huddersfield Clinical Commissioning Groups what else needs to be done to support people in the local community who may not have needed to go to A&E.
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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.
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.
