Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire VCSE
Brokerage Framework

How it works

The Framework is hosted by the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire VCSE Alliance and co-developed in partnership with NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB) and ICS partners. It is funded by Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB and is being piloted in 2024, with an anticipated full launch in 2025.

The VCSE Brokerage Framework is being co-designed and tested by a partnership of Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire VCSE Alliance, NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB) and ICS partners, including Sirona care & health, the local authorities and VCSE sector.

The Framework will help integrate thousands of VCSE organisations with public sector bodies in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. It offers a fair and simple way for public sector managers to engage diverse VCSE groups, including smaller organisations.

Public sector requests of VCSE organisations on the Framework might include:

• Proposals to provide community preventive activities.
• Data, insights and/or intelligence on a particular issue.
• Co-production of new services.

To develop proposals for the pilot programmes, VCSE organisations need to join the Framework.

Benefits of joining

The benefits of joining the Framework include:

• Easier funding applications.
• Fewer entry barriers to the public sector – process is proportionate to the size of your organisation.
• Networking and relationship building with VCSE peers.
• Skill and practice sharing.
• Greater community voice in public sector decisions.
• Collaborative system reform and service design.

Who can apply to join

Any VCSE organisation operating for over 12 months can apply to join the Framework if they meet the following criteria:

• A registered charity, unincorporated association, Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), Community business (company limited by shares with a clear community purpose and benefits), Community Interest Company limited by guarantee (CIC, the common form of social enterprises), Community Interest Company limited by share (Schedule 2 with 100% asset lock), Community Benefit or Industrial Provident Society, or company limited by guarantee.
• Have robust governance and sound financial management proportional to organisation size, as set out in the Brokerage Framework Quality Assurance requirements.
• Based in and/or already delivering services and conducting activities within Bristol, North Somerset or South Gloucestershire.
• Focused on at least one of the many aspects that affect health and wellbeing – including things like inclusion, work, housing, education, money, air quality, safety, transport, social and community connections alongside health and care advice, support and services.
• Be willing to collaborate with other organisations on the Framework.
• It is recognised that a community business, which has clear community purpose and benefits, may be a company limited by shares.

We encourage all VCSE organisations, even the very smallest, to apply. The joining process has been intentionally designed to be proportional to size.

How to join

Applications to join the Framework can be made by completing the VCSE Brokerage Framework application forms.

VCSE Brokerage Framework Application Form - part 1 VCSE Brokerage Framework Application Form - part 2

Once you have completed the application form, it will be reviewed by the Brokerage team and the assurance panel. We will aim to tell you the outcome of your application as soon as possible.

Please be aware there is no save and return option when filling out the forms. To help you gather relevant information to complete the application, these summary documents show all of the questions included in the application form before beginning your application.

• Brokerage Framework Application part 1 – summary of questions (PDF)
• Brokerage Framework Application part 2 – summary of questions (PDF)

Questions and feedback

The VCSE Brokerage Framework is in a test-and-learn pilot year during 2024 and 2025. The learnings and feedback gathered during the pilot will be used to further refine the Framework, with the intention of a wide-scale launch in 2025. Please share your experience of participating in or using the Framework by completing our feedback form.

We have developed some frequently asked questions and responses, which we hope will help provide further information about the VCSE Brokerage Framework.

• Download the frequently asked questions and responses (DOC)

Investments

The VCSE Brokerage Framework will be tested via four investment programmes. Learnings will be gathered through this process and used to inform the further development of the Framework.

The information about the four investment programmes is presented in the table below. These investments will be launched through the VCSE Brokerage Framework in November.

VCSE Brokerage Framework – market engagement and go-live dates

We are really excited to announce that investment opportunities for VCSE organisations to submit applications for, through the VCSE Brokerage Framework, will go live on 6 November for the Children & Young People and Communities Against Cancer programmes.

Children & Young People in North Somerset

Market engagement dates are both online: 5 November at 10:30am and 11 November at 10:30am.

Please sign up for one of the market engagement dates to find out more about this exciting opportunity and to ask any questions about the programme or the process for making proposals.

• Sign up for 5 November Market Engagement
• Sign up for 11 November Market Engagement

Communities Against Cancer

Market engagement dates are both online: 14 November at 12 noon and 26 November at 11am.

Please sign up for one of the market engagement dates to find out more about this exciting opportunity and to ask any questions about the programme or the process for making proposals.

• Sign up for 14 November Market Engagement
• Sign up for 26 November Market Engagement

WorkWell West and Falls programmes

Market engagement and go live dates for the WorkWell West and Falls programmes are being finalised and will be announced in the next few weeks.

Assurance panel and application dates

The purpose of the VCSE Brokerage Framework Assurance Panel is to ensure that organisations on the Framework meet the quality assurance requirements and criteria for joining.

The VCSE Brokerage Framework Assurance Panel has oversight of the assessment of applications to the Framework and plays the lead role in the quality assurance decision-making process. The membership of the Panel and the process it follows are set out in the Terms of Reference.

The Assurance Panel members use the VCSE Brokerage Framework policy checklist when reviewing and confirming the suitability and quality of core requirement policies (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Safeguarding and Complaints policies)

VCSE Brokerage Framework policy checklist

Assurance Panel Terms of Reference (ToR)

Assurance panel and application dates

To ensure applications to join the Framework are assessed in time to allow participation in the pilot programmes, VCSE organisations are advised to submit applications by 27 September 2024. Applications will remain open after this date, but the Brokerage Team cannot guarantee that applications will be assessed in time for participation in the pilot programmes.

Overview of the Brokerage Framework Quality Assurance requirements