The Voluntary and Community Sector Emergencies Partnership (Emergencies Partnership) is a government-backed partnership between national and local voluntary and community sector organisations.
The Emergencies Partnership was formed based on learnings from the domestic crises of 2017, including Grenfell, and a sector-wide ambition to deliver a more coordinated response during emergencies.
The Emergencies Partnership recognises the crucial role that the voluntary sector plays, both nationally and locally, to support those in need. We also see the increasing demands made on the sector and are here as a safety net:
- To boost and enhance support from national to VCS organisations, and to help raise the profile of grassroots organisations
- To further strengthen coordination of national and local response efforts during emergencies
- To provide a single access point between government and the voluntary and community sector.
What does the Emergencies Partnership do?
The Emergencies Partnership has four strands of work:
1. A national platform to gather intelligence on unmet need at national, regional and local levels
2. A request for support service for when the demand for support outstrips the supply available to meet it
3. Five regional multi-agency cells, with representatives from national and local voluntary organisations across England, to facilitate a more collaborative and coordinated response across the voluntary and community sector
4. One national volunteering cell which has national overview and provides a single point of contact for requests for large-scale volunteer support
The role of local infrastructure
Each regional multi-agency cell is built on a network of ‘Liaison Leads’ drawn from local infrastructure. Your local infrastructure organisation can connect to the Liaison Leads, who can then draw on the Emergencies Partnership network and resources to support need in the local area as well as provide insight to inform future action. As leaders of local charities and infrastructure organisations, the understanding they have of local needs and capacity is a key factor in the Emergencies Partnership being able to operate effectively.
Where can I get support?
| Your local contact is: Hannah Reid – Community Action Suffolk [email protected] / 07702 532809 |
You can also request support directly by visiting vcsep.org.uk/request-support
They are committed to working with the Emergencies Partnership to support the local VCS by: hearing where demand at a local level outstrips supply
- Feeding this in as a request for support to the Partnership
- Keeping you updated with this request and the support
- Sharing insights on emerging needs in your area
Other key contact points with the Emergencies Partnership:
Twitter @vcsep
Linkedin: VCS Emergencies Partnership
Fortnightly bulletin: https://bit.ly/EP_news
