Developing a Voluntary and Community Sector Strategy for Rutland

As organisations such as local authorities and others responsible for state-provided services are faced with the challenges of increasing complexity, growing demand for services, and reductions in resources, this sector will be even more important to help people live well and solve problems together. 

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A Steering Group of representatives from the VCS and Rutland County Council was convened to lead on developing the strategy.  We drew on CAR’s strong links with the local voluntary sector to engage as many organisations – both large and small – from across the sector as we could.  This was key to developing a strategy that reflected the diverse nature of Rutland’s voluntary and community-based organisations by representing a cross-section of views.

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To ensure the strategy was evidence-led we ran a survey and focus groups to establish data on the make-up of the sector and to identify it strengths, potential for development and support needs.  We also pulled together official data on the demographics of the county into a single report focussing on topics relevant to the voluntary sector such as the aging population, transport and health.

The strategy including key recommendations and actions and full research findings can be found on CAR’s website Reports | Volunteer Plus Rutland.