Awarded NAVCA Trustee Board of the Year 2019

About us

Founded in 1943, Barking and Dagenham Council for Voluntary Services (BDCVS) is a local infrastructure organisation that supports and promotes the work of the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) groups and organisations in the London borough of Barking and Dagenham. Currently, we are a small team, governed by a board of trustees, with our primary aim to strengthen and empower the local voluntary sector and enhance the well-being of the community. Our services include, but are not limited to:

1. Capacity Building Support: We offer support and resources to help voluntary and community organisations develop their skills, knowledge, and capacity. This may involve providing inhouse and external training programs, workshops, and networking opportunities to enhance their overall effectiveness.

About us

Founded in 1943, Barking and Dagenham Council for Voluntary Services (BDCVS) is a local infrastructure building charity and one of the oldest CVS' in the country. A member of the National Association for Voluntary Action (https://navca.org.uk/) and a trusted well-respected anchor institution we have a proud heritage supporting community action, social welfare and volunteering.

BDCVS champions local civil society. We provide practical support to voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise 'VCSE Social Sector' groups and organisations, that reflects the changing policy and funding environment in which they operate.

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Nurturing active communities, so they can tackle inequality and affect change for greater social justice, has always been central to our work. As the demographic profile of Barking & Dagenham diversifies, our role supporting people and organisations fighting for inclusion is ever evolving.

We collaborate with and work alongside other local infrastructure bodies in a fast-paced strategic partnership setting. This includes B&D council, the wider public sector, funders and more recently, the private sector and innovative new infrastructure enablers, such as BD Giving (https://bdgiving.org.uk/), BD Collective (https://bdcollective.co.uk/). We recognise the wellbeing of local people is impacted by a range of economic, social, health and educational factors. Only together with our partners, can BDCVS support fairness and opportunity for all. Therefore, our practical strategic focus is on the many thriving local networks to maintain momentum and become stronger in the challenging post pandemic era.

We manage the Ripple Centre (Ripple Centre - Barking & Dagenham CVS (bdcvs.org.uk), a thriving community hub and modern resource for all communities & groups. Our hall and meeting spaces are filled with community activities and events - from weddings to orchestras, after school play activity to conferences and training. Our versatile office space accommodates groups - large and small -focused on local delivery.

We have a formidable and long history of successful development and delivery work for and on behalf of the VCSE social sector. Our infrastructure development services are specifically targeted towards supporting and sustaining small VCSE social sector groups who reach deep into our diverse community.

2023 marks the 80th anniversary of BDCVS. BD Council for Voluntary Service retains a small committed staff team and a passionate volunteer cohort, led by an experienced Trustee Board. In a rapidly changing economic, technological, social & climate change environment. our Trustees are looking forward to modernising our organisation as a beacon of best practice, continuing to focus on activities where we can have the most impact; and is fit for another 80 years.

About us

Our Infrastructure Development Services:

Capacity Building Support: We enable local VCSE social sector groups to enhance their overall effectiveness by developing their skills, knowledge, capabilities and capacity. This includes peer group support development, advice on governance, legal and organisational requirements, training programs, workshops, networking opportunities and tailored one-to-one support. Our particular focus is on the unmet needs of the many small grassroot groups and agencies, who deliver services at the cutting edge and who connect and reach deeply into marginalized and structurally disadvantaged communities. 62 groups benefitted from our ConnexUS project tailored support last year. Many more groups really need this service (please refer to the feedback video below). Whilst this will always depend on funding, we have learnt flexible and new ways to delivery this service to meet the different needs and requirements of the groups within Barking and Dagenham.

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Funding Support: We enable VCSE social sector groups to identify and access funding opportunities and schemes from various sources, such as grants, trusts, foundations and socially responsible corporates. Through ConnexUS, we worked collaboratively with other infrastructure bodies, notably the new John Smith House Small Groups Hub (refer to FMC's page), which opened during April 2022, who raised almost £500k last year for groups individually and as partnerships. One crucial unmet need arising from this work means that we now organise and host 'Meet the Funders' events. This enables small groups to meet with national and local funders to discuss their service development proposals and gain some "strengthening application" insights.

Partnership Development Support: Our unique reach and insight gained through our capacity building and funding support activity, strengthens our ability to be a trusted bridge between public and private sector stakeholders and the VCSE social sector groups we work with. We facilitate and support social sector groups to collaboratively build the insight needed to deliver grassroot services together & exploit new funding opportunities. The partnerships and collaborations forged from this work enable consortiums to be formed. The learning of 'what works?' and 'what could be done better?' directly informs our forward planning.

Information Advice & Guidance Hub: The breadth of our infrastructure development activity and Ripple Centre community linkage means that we act as a key hub for information, advice and guidance for the VCSE social sector.

Advocacy and Representation: We pride ourselves on representing the interests and concerns of VCSE social sector groups. We have a long-standing reputation for being "the voice for the voluntary sector". Our current priorities are to work alongside infrastructure colleagues to amplify the voice and impact of the VCSE social sector. As we take an asset creative strengths-based approach, we focus on supporting and strengthening the advocacy and voice of grassroot VCSE social sector groups, partnerships and networks to influence local Borough wide policies and practices to challenge inequality and achieve positive long-term change for the most disadvantaged in our Borough.