SERVICES
Community Action Northumberland
Provides a range of advice and support services for community and voluntary groups to enable people throughout Northumberland to overcome disadvantages and improve their quality of life.
Services offered
Provision of general support and advice, within rural areas of Northumberland, to existing organisations and new groups looking to set up. Priority is given to: very small rural communities; communities without a parish council ; organisations without assets or staff; communities in need of services; community groups with difficulties and communities without parish plans.
Support and advice is actioned by community development officers located in the District Council areas of Alnwick, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Castle Morpeth and Tynedale, backed up with information / website support.
Provision of “expert” support for community buildings and parish councils
Expert support for community buildings is provided through the dedicated village halls adviser assisted by the Community Initiatives Officer and the community development officers.
CAN provides the Secretariat for and facilitates the operation of the Northumberland Association of Local Councils (NALC) which supports parish councils.
Supporting voluntary and community organisations to engage with decision makers and statutory service providers.
CAN is a founder member of the VCS Consortium and hosts the employment of the Sector Development Officer (SDO). The SDO sits on the co-ordination and implementation group of the LAA. CCN also encourages the development of specialist networks for voluntary organisations and groups. The SDO and the VCS Consortium
Acting as a voice for the Voluntary and Community Sector, alone or in partnership with other VCS organisations.
Community Action Northumberland actively participates in the Northumberland Strategic Partnership (NSP) - inputting into the processes of the Northumberland Local Area Agreement, the Local Compact for Northumberland; Local Strategic Partnerships (LSP) at district level; European Regional Development Programme (ERDP); LEADER+; Objective 2 Regional Structures; the Rural Affairs Forum and others.
Policy work in monitoring local conditions and making representation to decision makes at a local, regional and national level
Community Action Northumberland
Provides a range of advice and support services for community and voluntary groups to enable people throughout Northumberland to overcome disadvantages and improve their quality of life. We all have a right to certain services and opportunities, but for many people who live in Northumberland, these are not always readily available. Community Action is concerned that everyone should know what their rights are, where to get the help they need or how to organise and provide their own local facilities. Community Action believes that community groups can influence their own future by seeking help from the appropriate authorities or by setting up and managing self-help initiatives. Either new or established groups may need information, advice and support and Community Action Northumberland exists to provide these.
Help Offered
Community Action offers both direct and indirect help. Direct help comes from the staff who will travel anywhere in the County to work with local people to solve problems. Whatever the problem - from litter to lack of transport or from charitable status to children's play equipment - it is important to find the right solution for each particular village or group. Community Action staff can help people to design a suitable project, find the funds, and put it into operation.
Where appropriate Community Action works closely with specialist agencies and local authorities to bring together the best possible advice and practical help. In this way local groups can increase their knowledge and become confident in managing their own affairs. Indirect help come from Community Action's research, monitoring and lobbying roles. By keeping abreast of voluntary and rural issues Community Action is able to foresee likely problems, alert decision-makers and make its views heard at local, regional or national levels. All too often policies devised for the country as a whole cause special difficulties for rural communities or voluntary groups; Community Action is an important watchdog for Northumberland.
