North West Network provides a comprehensive package of support measures to the region's voluntary and community sector. Services provided reflect the requirements of member organisations and the wider voluntary sector. North West Network services are delivered through three strategically interlinked operational teams, European, Volunteer Management and Black and Minority Ethnic Network, all supported by the Directorate.

For further information and to download our Information Sheets please  visit the below link.

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Directorate

The Directorate is the backbone of North West Network ensuring that projects do not work in isolation and that each project's aims and objectives fit and abide to the aims, objectives and strategic direction of North West Network. North West Network has five operational objectives to enable the delivery of its strategic aims for 2005/2006, these are:

• Maintaining voluntary sector confidence to access European Structural Fundsi
• Support for emerging networks
• Expansion of volunteer management and development services
• Development of wider funding and grant support services
• Development of wider intelligence and information dissemination on European affairs

European

Specifically this project brings forward activities that support the following operational objectives of North West Network:

Maintaining voluntary sector confidence to access European Structural Funds
North West Network is the voluntary sector regional partner for the North West Objective 2i and Objective 3i European Structural Fund Programmes. Aiming to maximise voluntary sector accession to Structural Funds, North West Network is working in partnership with Merseyside Network for Europe to develop and integrate service provision across the Objective 1i, Objective 2 and Objective 3 Programmes in the North West by providing training, representation, advice and support to the voluntary sector. North West Network has been instrumental in establishing the European Policy Group, a voluntary sector consultative forum which brings forward representatives of  One North West, Voluntary Sector North West and Merseyside Network for Europe to co-ordinate support services to the voluntary sector. 

Development of wider funding and grant support services
North West Network has a 13 year track record of representing the voluntary sector in the North West of England as regional partner to the European Structural Funds. Building on this experience North West Network seeks to develop and maintain a strategic position of knowledge and influence over funding programmes that affect the voluntary sector in the region. Promoting access to an array of funding opportunities and particularly those that offer opportunities to match with or develop projects supported by Structural Funds is a priority. North West Network has responded well to the changes in how European Structural Funds are distributed by successfully working in partnership with regional Co-financingi agencies.

Development of wider intelligence and information dissemination on European affairs
With imminent changes to the availability of European funding in the North West and the parallel enlargement of the European Union, North West Network is well placed to expand its information services to its membership covering a wider field of European affairs. To achieve this wider coverage North West Network seeks to be recognised as a European NGOi, representing North West voluntary organisations, internationally and identifying, developing and facilitating opportunities for transnational collaboration.

Volunteer Management

Specifically this project brings forward activities that support the following operational objectives of North West Network:

Expansion of volunteer management and development services
North West Network's capacity building services have evolved from its role as a Millennium Volunteer Development Agent. Capacity building support for volunteer involving organisations is delivered through a support process of self assessment, planning, implementation and review to enable and empower organisations to manage their own development. This process, accompanied by the provision of a wide range of information on good practice and policy developments, along with the identification of relevant funding streams increases the capacity and quality of volunteer and project management. The Volunteer Management team has developed its volunteer management services by developing a Self Assessment Manual (SAMi) to aid the capacity building of volunteer involving organisations and by working in partnership to develop CSV Media North's new pilot programme - Young Volunteer Challenge. Moreover, the team has recently been successful in attracting funds from the Big Lottery to deliver SAM across the region.

One North West

Specifically this project brings forward activities that support the following operational objectives of North West Network:

Support for Emerging Networks

One North West is the regional network for the black and minority ethnic voluntary and community sector (VCSi) in the north west of England. Historically, black and minority ethnic communities have been regarded as beneficiaries of regeneration initiatives rather than equal contributors to regional development. This has for the most part been due to the lack of a developed and coherent voluntary and community sector infrastructure in which active engagement can be supported and encouraged. Despite government policy commitment and the determination of the sector, the black and minority ethnic community is still under represented and poorly resourced. (BME Voluntary and Community Organisations: a Code of Good Practice).

As one of nine regional infrastructure organisations located within the English regions, One North West was established to help address these difficulties by providing an accountable and accessible network through which dialogue, influence and activity can be generated. One North West also aims to unlock funding for the BME sector at regional level; advocate effectively for the BME sector in the North West to ensure that is consulted and recognized and to increase the effectiveness of the BME sector by providing information, advice, representation, training, publications and development services. One North West is kindly supported by a Regional Infrastructure Programme Grant from the Cabinet Office, Office of the Third Sectori.

One North West is currently represented on the North West Regional Assembly, the Social Economic Environmental Partners, the North West Equality and Diversity Group and the Review and Scrutiny (of NWDAi) Group (NWRAi); the Voluntary and Community Sector Directors Meeting; the Regional BME Panel Task Group (Government Office for the North West); the Regional Economic Strategy Advisory Group (North West Development Agency); the North West Regional Strategic Migration Partnership; Migrant Workers North West Steering Group; GM Forum; and the Programme Monitoring Regional Committee (European Funding). One North West also holds the Vice-Chair of the North West Voluntary and Community Sector RES Strategy Group, is an active member of Voice4Change England the National BME Partnership, a Board member of the North West Together We Can Partnership and a member of the VSS Consortium (Greater Manchester) Diversity Steering Group.

For further information about the work of One North West please visit the website:
www.onenorthwest.org.uk

How North West Network Can Support You

• Representation and Policy
• Information Provision
• Telephone Help Desk
• Newsletter
• Website
• E-Mail Bulletin Service
• Advice Surgeries
• Training
• Access to Resources
• Project Development
• Partnerships and Networking