Strong Communities Board

The Strong Communities Board strategically connects public services to the residents, communities and neighbourhoods of Trafford. Bringing people together from across our agencies and communities enables strategic delivery to gain partner support (and constructive challenge), and more effective stakeholder and resident engagement to be planned.

Trafford's State of the VCSE Sector Report

The 2020 State of the VCSE survey was led by Salford CVS, on behalf of 10GM alongside GMCVO. The partnership included Greater Manchester local infrastructure services and local authorities including Trafford Council, working alongside The University of Salford. 

The survey was launched during the Covid-19 pandemic and a series of qualitative focus groups were conducted alongside the online survey. 

The Greater Manchester State of the VCSE Sector report was published in July 2021. 

65 VCSE organisations in Trafford responded to the survey and the Trafford State of the VCSE Sector report summarises the findings. 

The objective of the Strong Communities Board

Partners and people work effectively together, improving outcomes for individuals, families, communities and neighbourhoods.

Priority Outcomes

• People are empowered to take positive action in their local community, enabled by a collaborative approach
• Individuals and families in vulnerable situations are supported to improve and sustain their quality of life
• Residents lead community engagement and service delivery in a place, connecting agencies to communities to achieve common aims
• Faith, community, public and private organisations work together to strengthen cohesion, inclusivity and tolerance and support those who feel excluded
• Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise support is coordinated and meets the need of all sectors
• Social Value contributions in the community are maximised
• Awareness of Armed Forces and Veterans within the community is high and public agencies are supported to provide appropriate levels of support
• Partnership action is driven by the effective collation and appropriate use of data and intelligence

The Strong Communities Board will facilitate this by:

• Building positive relationships that promote collaboration, to achieve things we cannot do alone
• Influencing delivery by thematic partnerships and individual organisations to improve effectiveness and efficiency, overcoming barriers and ‘silo-working’
• Sponsoring practical work and action that would be too risky for a single partner alone to undertake e.g. highly innovatory work or controversial work
• Strengthening and developing neighbourhood and communities’ identity and activity, including the development of local leadership and place-based working.
• Encouraging the sharing of resources, including community buildings and other assets, to enable citizens, neighbourhoods and communities to play their full part in delivering positive outcomes for Trafford.
• Acting as a strategic broker for the locality and community’s agenda with public sector agencies and other partners.
• Supporting meaningful and productive engagement between public services, residents, service users and communities
• Championing early-help and preventative services across the partnership
• Providing strategic support and action to ensure a thriving voluntary, community and faith sector to serve the people of Trafford.
• Maximising the opportunities presented by national government policy and funding to strengthen the participation and contribution of individuals, neighbourhoods, communities, and the third sector.

2019/20 Delivery

1. In Carrington and Partington services, projects and engagement are coordinated through a single ‘place plan’, enabling people to work collaboratively, share resources and maximise resident involvement to maximise new opportunities and tackle long-standing issues. Residents and staff will recognise a new way of working and case-studies of successful (and unsuccessful) collaboration will be reported (by July 2019)
2. A new resident-led steering group in a neighbourhood (Old Trafford?) is established, building relationships with key local people and developing their skills and capacity to engage residents. Public services will be brought together to support coordinated delivery and engagement, working towards a ‘place plan’ (by December 2019)
3. A Community Cohesion Forum is established, where faith, communities and agencies come together across the borough to foster positive relationships, monitor community tension and deliver collaborative action (by July 2019)
4. A Refugee Support Network is established in Trafford to understand and address the needs of refugees (by June 2019)
5. Social Value is embedded across the Trafford Partnership and within all sectors, and the impact of contributions is measured (by September 2019)
6. A Joint Strategic Needs Assessment is developed which is comprehensive and accessible for the borough (by December 2019)

Membership of the Strong Communities Board