• Strong third sector organisations to provide services
• Healthy voluntary and community organisations to build social capital and strong, cohesive communities

We need a healthy third sector, particularly local community and voluntary organisations (VCS) to provide:

• Local community based services – many VCS organisations are community based and may therefore be better able to work with parts of the community that are outside the reach of statutory services This complements the Council’s town and neighbourhood based approach to service delivery
• Choice – by funding VCS organisations the Council hopes to provide a greater choice for local people in terms of the services they are able to access
• Independence – VCS organisations are independent bodies and are often well placed to take on a campaigning or advocacy role on behalf of local people, providing an important challenge role to the Council.
• Opportunities for people to participate – as volunteers as well as service users
• Specialist services – many VCS organisations develop areas of specific expertise around the particular needs of a client group

Role of the Council:

The Council recognises the important role played by the 3rd sector in Sandwell, not only in the area of service delivery, but also as an indicator of civic engagement and the health of the social fabric of the borough.

In order to help voluntary and community organisations to thrive, the Council provides a wide range of support including: funding, discretionary rate relief, access to meeting space, information, training . As a commissioner of services the Council has an important role in helping to shape the services provided by vcs organisations.