ICS 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.  There are a number of terms that are used to describe this important sector such as the Community sector, Third sector or Voluntary sector but based on feedback from our local organisations we use VCFSE sector, as it recognises the breadth of organisations working with communities across Suffolk and North East Essex.

The VCFSE sector plays an increasingly vital role in the Suffolk and North East Essex ICS, improving population health and wellbeing, tackling health inequalities, and supporting people to live well in their communities.  The sector 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 was 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 SNEE ICS VCFSE Assembly launched in March 2023, and built upon the work of an existing ICS network of VCFSE leaders that had been meeting since the pandemic.

• collaborate and connect effectively on key issues and the wider ICS ambitions, from locality and place to whole ICS
• provides a platform for VCFSE sector partners to connect with each on strategic ideas and learning 

• ensures that key workstreams agreed by the VCFSE Assembly are developed and progressed with the support of the SNEE ICS VCFSE Steering Group.

The Assembly provides a direct route for statutory partners to engage and collaborate with a wide number of VCFSE partners effectively and efficiently.  Each meeting includes presentations from ICS statutory system partners who bring strategic items for discussion with the Assembly.

The VCFSE Assembly builds on and connects with current VCFSE networks across Suffolk [such as Suffolk Health and Wellbeing Network, VASP, and North East Essex [One Colchester and Tendring Together], and other appropriate networks as identified.

The Local Infrastructure Organisations (LIOs) support the growth, development and sustainability of the VCFSE sector and have an important role in supporting the Assembly, particularly with reaching small and grassroots organisations who due to their limited capacity may struggle to engage with the networks within the system.

Across our system we have three LIOs, who respond to the needs of their local community offering a range of services to build the skills and capacity of the sector, support the growth of volunteering and co-ordinate networks for collaboration and partnership working across the system.

Community Action Suffolk (CAS)

Community 360

Community Voluntary Services Tendring (CVST)