Georgie Constable

Although we are standing amidst a field of cuts to programmes and projects one new initiative remains standing. What am I talking about? Total Place.

This offers opportunities for the VCS to get involved in providing public services, at a local level. It is a relatively new initiative that looks at how a 'whole area' approach to public services can lead to better services at less cost. The principle behind it is doing more for less so not surprisingly, it is still going ahead!

Total Place seeks to identify and avoid overlap and duplication between organisations. This delivers a change in both service improvement and efficiency at a local level as well as across Whitehall. It aims to achieve three things:

1. To create service transformations that can improve the experience of local residents and deliver better value.

2. To deliver early efficiences to validate the work.

3. To develop a body of knowledge about how more effective cross agency working delivers both of the above aims

In the first phase of Total Place there were 13 pilots across the country, with one in the south west of england in Dorset, Bournemouth and Poole. This pilot focused on securing better outcomes for older people at less cost through:

• improved collaboration between agencies,
• a deeper engagement between citizens and communities
• and a genuine focus on place. The involvement of the community and voluntary sector in this pilot was slow to happen and the idea that a sector could be represented by one agency was not helpful. Timescales involved in the initial pilots certainly hampered the involvement of the sector. However there are now further projects happening across the country so there's plenty of opportunity for community and voluntary organisations to get involved. VCOs need to be proactive in pushing for involvement in these projects so that improved services are secured for local communities.

After all it is often the community and voluntary sector who have built up trust and respect within local communities, so who better to be the conduit for further discussion and active engagement of local people? The sector can bring extensive knowledge of communities especially those that the public sector has been unable to reach.

As a sector we need to make sure that local government and its statutory partners understand that there is an opportunity to achieve even more if the voluntary and community sector is fully engaged in each and every Total Place project.

So what are the implications for your organisation?

1. There are opportunities for VCOs to engage at a local level by contacting their local authority officer who will be engaged in projects in their area.

2. The range of different foci for projects mean that different VCOs will be able to engage in different areas.

3. Some areas or individuals may find resistance to the involvement of VCOS.

4. It is important for VCOs to work out what it is they have to offer the total place work and articulate this carefully.
5. There is a risk that public sector officers will take the line of least resistance and just contact the CVS or equivalent in their area so it is important for VCOs to educate themselves on what is happneing in their area.

Do you know what total place projects are operating in your locality? Do you know how to get involved? Do you know who to contact? Can you articulate what you have to offer?

To read more about what is happening in the south west go to south west forum's website][2] to download two new publications on Total Place and effective partnership working.