The Department for Communities is seeking views on draft proposals for future Infrastructure Support of the Voluntary and Community Sector in Northern Ireland.
Public consultation is now open!
We have carried out a programme of extensive engagement to refresh our approach to supporting sector infrastructure and develop an integrated policy framework to underpin future funding programmes.
We have engaged with a wide range of organisations in the sector, including those supported through our existing funding programmes as well as those that are not. This engagement has drawn together their collective experiences to understand key priorities and needs, listen to ideas and opinions, and add voice and input to help us shape future programmes of support for the sector. We have also engaged with other departments, local government and independent funders. See a complete overview of our engagement here.
We have also worked closely with a reference group comprising a range of sectoral interests, drawing on their lived experience, expertise, and knowledge, and together explored a range of insights and ideas in the design of new approaches. This reference group met six times between March and September 2023.
We are now keen to share what we have learned from our engagement sessions and seek views on our proposed framework through a public consultation. The proposed framework and consultation documents can be found here.
HAVE YOUR SAY
We welcome views and responses on the proposed framework through our consultation events being hosted both in person and online throughout November and December 2023, and are inviting you to sign up for one of our events below. The events will take the form of roundtable discussions and are an opportunity to share thoughts, ideas or comments.
| When | Where | Eventbrite Booking Details |
| Tuesday 28th November 11:00am – 12:30pm | The Junction, Dungannon | The Junction |
| Wednesday 29th November 11:00am – 12:30pm | Holywell Trust, Derry-Londonderry | Holywell Trust |
| Thursday 30th November 2:00pm – 3:30pm | Virtual (Microsoft Teams) | Virtual |
| Tuesday 12th December 7:00pm – 8:30pm | Virtual (Microsoft Teams) | Virtual |
| Wednesday 13th December 11:00am – 12:30pm | The Braid, Ballymena | The Braid |
| Thursday 14th December 11:00am – 12:30pm | Duncairn Centre, Belfast | Duncairn Centre |
Please register your attendance through these Eventbrite links.
We also welcome views and responses on the proposed framework via the online survey or via email at vcsinfrastructure@communities-ni.gov.uk.
If you require any further information or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at the above email address.
You can also find out more information on our website.
Department for Communities
Causeway Exchange
1-7 Bedford Street
Belfast BT2 7EG