Throughout 2013 Voluntary Health Scotland has worked in partnership with ACOSVO (Association of Chief Officers of Scottish Voluntary Organisations) and Children in Scotland to explore what learning opportunities exist for voluntary organisations and public sector organisations to develop their skills for partnership working.
This collaboration has included a well-attended Equal Partners roundtable for third sector chief officers and Scottish Government officials (15th May 2013), followed by the publication of a short study scoping Scotland’s existing provision of learning opportunities that build cross-sector skills and understanding.
The Cross_Sector_Leadership_Development_Report_June_13 suggests that there is room for new activity in the area of cross-sector leadership development, recommending that intermediary bodies are well-placed to reach a wide pool of leaders via their membership bases. As a result, Voluntary Health Scotland, ACOSVO and Children in Scotland have committed to developing and extending the Equal Partners programme so as to benefit more participants.
The report concludes:
“The skills, knowledge and understanding of individuals and organisations in both sectors are invaluable, and can be transferred through a planned and consultative approach with stakeholders. The underlying focus for this work, in addition to the many benefits for organisations and Scottish Government, should be around the improvement of communication in order to achieve improvements in service design and delivery across all sectors.”
For more information about Equal Partners, contact claire.stevens@vhscotland.org.uk