Your Voice Matters, The VCS Alliance VCSE Sector Consultations Roadshow Is Coming to Your Community
This June, the VCS Alliance is taking to the road. Fourteen free, in-person consultation sessions are coming to communities across Bradford District and Craven, and if you work in or alongside the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector, this is one event you cannot afford to miss.
The VCSE Sector Consultations roadshow is part of the Act as One Place Provider Partnership, a collaboration built on a simple but powerful principle: that the VCSE sector must be an equal partner in shaping and delivering health and care in our place. Not an afterthought. Not a contractor. A genuine partner, with a real seat at the table.
But for that partnership to mean something, it needs to reflect the full breadth and depth of our sector. And that starts with you being in the room.
What the consultations are about
The sessions have been designed to give VCSE organisations a direct line into conversations that will shape how the sector is recognised, resourced and commissioned going forward. That means exploring what equitable partnership really looks like in practice. It means asking how commissioning can be made fairer, more flexible and more proportionate. It means making the case, with evidence grounded in your lived experience, that the VCSE sector’s expertise, insight and community impact are not optional extras in the health and care system. They are essential to its success.
These are not information-giving sessions. They are genuine consultations. The questions asked, the concerns raised and the solutions proposed in that room will feed directly into shaping the future of the partnership. What you say matters. What your organisation has experienced matters. The frustrations, the gaps, the things that work and the things that don’t, all of it is valuable, and all of it needs to be heard.
Why turnout matters
It would be easy to assume that someone else will show up and say what needs to be said. But representation doesn’t work that way. The more diverse the voices in the room, the stronger and more credible the picture that emerges. A consultation attended by a handful of the same well-connected organisations tells one story. A consultation that draws in small grassroots groups, community anchors, specialist services, faith organisations, volunteer-led projects and established charities tells a far richer and more accurate one.
Every organisation that doesn’t attend is a perspective that goes unheard. Every community that isn’t represented leaves a gap in the evidence. The VCS Alliance has created fourteen sessions precisely to make attendance as accessible as possible, different dates, different times, different parts of the district. There is almost certainly a session that works for you. The only thing standing between your voice and this process is booking a place.
The strength of what comes out of these consultations will be in direct proportion to how many people go into them. A packed room sends a message on its own, that the VCSE sector is engaged, organised and serious about its role in health and care. Showing up is itself an act of advocacy.
Who should attend
If your organisation delivers services to people in Bradford District or Craven, in any capacity, at any scale, this consultation is relevant to you. It is not a requirement to be a large organisation with a policy team. You don’t need to have previously engaged with the Place Provider Partnership or attended any previous events. You just need to care about the future of the sector and be willing to share what you know from the ground.
Front-line workers, service managers, trustees, chief executives and volunteers all bring something different and valuable to this conversation. Bring a colleague if you can. The more of your organisation’s perspective you can represent, the better.
Find your nearest session and book your free place
All fourteen sessions are free to attend and are listed in one place on Eventbrite. You can browse the full schedule, find the date and location that suits you best, and secure your place in just a few clicks.
Sessions are running throughout June, with morning and afternoon slots available across Shipley, Idle, Skipton, Ilkley, South Bradford, Central Bradford and Keighley/Airedale. Places are free but must be booked in advance, so don’t leave it too long.
The future of our sector is being shaped now. Be part of it.
The VCS Alliance is committed to building a health and care system that works with the VCSE sector, not without it. When our sector is valued, supported and properly resourced, communities are stronger, and therefore, healthier and more connected. These consultations are a crucial step in making that a reality.
Your organisation has a story to tell. Your communities deserve to be represented. And the partnership being built through this process will be stronger for every voice that contributes to it.
Don’t wait. Find your session, book your place, and show up.
Better outcomes. Fairer futures.
