ICS Voluntary Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) Assembly

The Voluntary Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector is regarded as an equal partner in the Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care System. The VCFSE sector is playing an increasingly vital role in the Suffolk and North East Essex ICS and is represented at all tiers of the system including local neighbourhoods, place-based Alliances and the Suffolk and North East Essex system.

Following the formal inauguration of the Integrated Care Systems on 1^st July 2022, the expectation from NHS England is for all ICSs to develop a formal agreement to embed the VCFSE sector in system level governance and decision making arrangements, ideally through an alliance or assembly-style model, reflecting the diversity of the sector.

The  VCFSE sector across Suffolk and North East Essex has a number of existing VCFSE fora, including the ICS VCFSE Strategy Group, which has been meeting for over two years, throughout the period of the pandemic. This group will develop into the new Suffolk and North East Essex ICS VCFSE Assembly.

The core role of the VCFSE Assembly is to work with the wider ICS to ensure and support appropriate engagement, contribution and collaboration at every level of system from neighbourhoods and INTs, through Alliances, key thematic groups such as mental health on county basis and cancer on ICS basis, and overall ICP/ICS to deliver benefits and drive better outcomes for those living in Suffolk and North East Essex.

The VCFSE Assembly builds on and connects with current VCFSE networks across Suffolk [such as Suffolk Health and Wellbeing Network, VASP, VSL and North East Essex [One Colchester and Tendring Together], and other appropriate networks as identified, through appropriate membership and links with existing relevant meetings. Other key design principles for the ICS VCSEF Assembly include

• equality and equity of VCFSE sector voice,
• inclusion across diversity of VCFSE sector
• build on and incorporate existing networks where appropriate
• avoid duplication, and streamline where possible