About Us

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The Regional Forum works closely in line with the developing regional agenda and with the national focus on regeneration, social inclusion and civil renewal. It was set up in 1997 to act as a strategic voice for voluntary and community networks in the region and it has a very powerful partnership role with its members and with key regional agencies - Government Office for Yorkshire and the Humber, the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly and Yorkshire Forward – the Regional Development Agency.

The Work of the Regional Forum includes:

1. Developing programmes and projects to enable the voluntary and community sector to be fully represented and participate in policy development, decision making and the regeneration and renewal of disadvantaged communities.
   The role of the Active Partners Unit in training, benchmarking and policy work is having an impact on how communities get involved in regeneration initiatives.
   
   The Forum actively supports the regional Community Empowerment Networks by convening meetings to share working practice, consider policy development and discuss management of the programmes. Community Empowerment Networks have enabled more communities to be actively involved in neighbourhood renewal.

2. Developing programmes and projects, which promote both sustainable voluntary and community sector organisations and the growth and recognition of the social economy.
   The Regional Forum’s European Funding Service provides support and advice to make sure that the sector accesses the funds needed to deliver its projects. The Third Sector Forum is a voice and information resource for those organisations interested in the development of European funding. Meetings offer the chance to influence policy, spread good practice and network with similar organisations.
   
   The Forum is actively involved in the annual social economy showcase event: FOOTSEY. It is also taking a leading role in the development of Social Enterprise Yorkshire and the Humber (SEYH) as a leading regional network in its field.

3. Providing accessible and inclusive communication and consultation services to voluntary and community sector stakeholders and to key agencies through quality information provision, marketing, conferencing and internal knowledge management.
   The Regional Forum manages a range of information services for the voluntary and community sector, which includes three newsletters, policy briefings and the website. The Forum also maintains a group of e-mail networks, which enable organisations to share ideas and experience as well as facts and figures.

4. Promoting workforce and skills development in the voluntary and community sector through policy development with regional agencies and the promotion of careers, professional development and training programmes in Yorkshire and the Humber.
   The annual Learning and Skills Conference provides a forum for discussion of current policy issues, sharing of experiences and promotion of best practice in the field. The Forum is very active in developing links and voluntary and community sector representation to key workforce and skills agencies. In a very practical way, the Forum secured funding to enable several organisations in the region to receive ICT learning support grants.