Impact Statement
EVOC’s mission is to support the Voluntary Sector to build and enable resilient,
sustainable and inclusive communities.
Our vision is of a valued and respected Voluntary Sector, in which EVOC serves
as a trusted leader, effective strategic partner and model of good practice for
the Sector.
EVOC has set five key strategic objectives. All potential developments, team
and individual work plans are measured against these objectives:
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Consulting, supporting and representing the Sector
Building the capacity of and developing the Sector
Developing partnership approaches, principles and practice
Providing improved services by supporting and developing our people
Being a high quality, effective and developing organisation
Our achievements through the years 2013-14 as outlined below are a direct
result of collaboration, partnership, people & coproduction:
EVOC
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Supported innovation through collaborative working
Recruited a Deputy Director
Recruited four new Development Workers
Over 120 attended our inaugural Sector Conference and 2013 EVOC
AGM
 Launched the Redbook online directory –
http://www.evocredbook.org.uk
 Responded to six consulations on behalf of the Sector
 Worked collectively with Volunteer Centre Edinburgh & Edinburgh Social
Enterprise to collate the voice of the Sector and its development needs
(as Edinburgh Third Sector Interface)
Forums and thinkSpaces
 Almost 400 people attended thinkSpace events throughout the year;
with focussed discussions on a wide range of topics from Welfare
Reform to Health Inequalities
 Contributed to ‘Equally Well’ – the Scottish Government Strategy to
overcome health inequalities – highlighting the value of smaller agencies
taking a community development approach to local issues; building
resilience and social capital
 Supported Thematic Forums across Mental Health, Learning Disabilities
& Network of Organisations working with Children, Young People &
Families, on topics such as self-directed support and health & social care
integration
 Provided representation across a range of forums for planning and policy
groups - sharing information, peer support, and facilitating engagement
with public sector partners.
 Employed a Development Officer to help refresh the forums, resulting in
more inclusive meetings and a broader scope of discussions – crucial at a
time when providers face significant changes to operational
practise/structures and resource challenges
 Local Voluntary Sector Forums – concerted effort made to engage with
Neighbourhood Partnership Teams for a more effective two-way flow of
communication
Network of Children, Young People & Families (The Network) & Early Years
Development Fund
 Share information across sector, enhances collaboration and represents
Sector in a range of Partnership Groupings – particularly NHS Lothian
and City of Edinburgh Council
 Overseeing the work of the Third Sector lead on GIRFEC
 Thirteen Organisations receive funding through the Early Years Change
Fund – helping to strengthen Early Years Services and achieve the best
outcomes for children
 Encouraged more participation from Network Reps by making meetings
more focussed and digitising meeting notes and participation forms –
leading to a higher number of responses.
Local Opportunities & Reshaping Care for Older People
 Improving older peoples uptake of preventative services and social
activities within the Third Sector (particularly socially isolated older
people) – including a free RCOP training programme
 Making real partnership effort through the Older People’s Service
Providers Forum towards providing quality services & activities for the
City’s older people
 Administered funding for nineteen Innovation Projects on behalf of
Edinburgh RCOP Change Fund Partnership, as well as a £140,000
‘Voluntary Resilience Fund’
 £200,000 funding allocated to LOOPs initiative and range of
interventions in partnership with Health in Mind, Volunteer Centre
Edinburgh & several North East Edinburgh Agencies
 Worked with CEC Health & Social Care to develop two Coproduction
Partnerships to discuss fund/contracting issues for providers of services
to older people.
Organisational Development
 Responded to 550 individual enquiries requesting capacity and/or
development support
 Supported 35 organisations to address and resolve a range of
governance and management issues
 Supported innovation through grants programmes for organisations
working with older people and early years, disbursing £840,000 to the
sector.
 Provided training for nearly 500 people
In our two specific case studies, EVOC provided intensive support to
organisations on the following issues:
 Reconciling Charity Accounts
 Constitutional review and safe decision making at Board Meetings,
AGMs and EGMS
 Guidance and support through consent and notification issues with OSCR
 Guidance on legal structure
 Policy and organisation review – everything from organisational policies
to sourcing insurance
Partnership Approaches
 Worked on a collaborative response to the major changes to the service
delivery model for people experiencing homelessness, resulting in the
Council agreeing to pilot the new approach for 18 months
 Facilitated a group of organisations responding to a tender for an
enhanced playscheme service for children with disabilities – reshaping
their service to ensure a fresh collaborative approach and successful bid.
 Supported Substance Users Network Edinburgh (SUNE) forum to share
ideas - securing funding to research different approaches to redesigning
services on a large scale, collaborative basis, which puts the needs of
service users , their carers and families at the heart of the process
 Increased engagement in the Royal Edinburgh Hospital Public Social
Partnership (PSP) with three main streams - developing a personcentred support for people leaving REH, redesigning support for people
with progressive neurological conditions, & Greenspace : Artspace
project to improve health & wellbeing through surroundings
 Community Planning – supported and represented the sector at various
Partnership meetings in order to ‘mainstream a Social Value approach’
 Launched Recovery Essentials (a collaborative) - new Big Lottery funded
project which offers clients help & advice with budgeting and
understanding money matter, as well as immediate concerns such as
benefit sanctions and to share the learning across the wider sector
Compact Partnership & Compact 10
 Compact Partnership provides a ‘bridge’ between City’s Third Sector and
Community Planning arenas
 ‘Subject Specific’ strategies on Social Enterprise & Volunteering
developed and launched
 Sharing a vision ‘Where all forms of deprivation and inequality are
reduced’, and ‘improved social fabric’ included within the city’s high
level outcomes
 Compact 10 Project reflecting on partnership working within Edinburgh,
as well as how to best capitalise on progress and best articulate Third
Sector’s Vision for next ten years
EVOC consistently advocate that partnership working is the way to address the
intractable issues which people experience e.g. impact of poverty,
homelessness; working with a series of inspiring organisations, supporting
them to come together to provide seamless and needed support to individuals.
We strive to practise what we preach – all work is undertaken in the belief that
by collaborating and sharing our best practise, the people of Edinburgh will
receive the best possible services. We are indebted, as always to the
individuals that give their time, expertise and skills it is through these
partnerships that we are able to effectively address poverty, inequality and
exclusion.