UK Unifies Volunteers

The volunteering sector in the UK has taken on a much more streamlined approach with the launch of Volunteering England.

Embracing recent Government comments on volunteering the merger of The National Centre for Volunteering, Volunteer Development England and The Consortium on Opportunities for Volunteering will enable volunteering in England to be represented by one strong and coherent voice.

The resulting organisation says the merger will create a volunteering brand, which is easily identifiable to all target audiences, from local government to the general public.

Its aim is to work strategically across the voluntary, private and public sectors, to raise and maintain the profile of volunteering as a powerful force for change.

The primary aim is to make it much easier for the public to understand what volunteering is, make volunteering opportunities more accessible and to know who to approach about volunteering.

The new integrated agency says it will achieve this by
= Working to secure and support an England-wide network of quality volunteer development agencies, promoting and enabling volunteering and community involvement;
= Undertaking research, policy and development activity;
= Providing grants, support and advice to sustain and develop volunteering.
= Keeping volunteering high on the policy agenda, working with government to promote opportunities for, and remove institutional barriers to, volunteering;
= Providing authoritative, up-to-date research on volunteering issues;
= Supporting volunteering development through:
– Promoting accredited quality frameworks for volunteering management and local volunteer development agencies;
– Convening national events and practitioner networks;
– Campaigns and events to raise the profile of volunteering.
– Providing consultancy, education, training, publications, information and web-based services;
– Providing grants and strategic support to the work of volunteers;
– Identifying, disseminating and promoting good practice in the involvement of volunteers.

The new Chief Executive Christopher Spence MBE says an integrated national volunteer development agency will be well placed to support the voluntary and community sector at national, regional and local level to maximise the contribution of volunteers, as well as to increase both the number and diversity of those involved.

For further information on Volunteering England, check out the new web site at www.volunteering.org.uk
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