Conversations for Change
Conversations for Change is a learning & development programme that we are co-designing with partners and local VCSE organisations, to enable frontline staff/volunteers to be highly skilled and confident in their work with communities.
As well as developing a learning & development programme, we are also looking at:
- How training can be provided in a way that builds VCSE sector capacity around supporting and developing frontline staff/volunteers; and
- How to draw on and invest in the talent that already exists in the VCSE sector, including using VCSE trainers or scaling up delivery of the sectors' own training offerings.
Background Information
The programme began in late 2023 following a discussion with system leaders about the important role of voluntary sector staff and volunteers in supporting health and wellbeing within communities. It recognised that VCSE sector groups & organisations are trusted local sources of support, and those that work in the sector had a key role empowering people make positive changes in their lives. The discussion originated around tackling alcohol misuse but broadened to be about the VCSE sector's role in encouraging people to make any change that improved their life.
Why 'Conversations for Change'?
We know that people create momentum for change together and the quality of these frontline conversations really matters. The core learning & development programme will be about conversational tools and techniques to have really enabling interactions with people. These skills come from the world of coaching, positive psychology and behavioural science and builds on the existing person-centred approach to working with people.
The context of these conversation also matters – understanding how to talk positively about difficult subjects like addiction, homelessness or domestic abuse may need some additional specific training. The programme aims to work with the sector to identify these topics and useful training content. This includes working with VCSE sector groups & organisations within the county that have expertise in these areas of work.
Our Progress
Funding has been secured to deliver this programme and a small project team of public health, NHS and VCSE sector partners (including Gloucestershire VCS Alliance) has been set up to steer the work. The first phase of the programme is “discovery” and involves engaging with the VCSE sector to codesign the programme. This is to understand more about the sectors' priorities in regard to:
- Upskilling frontline teams;
- The wider work context;
- Making training accessible to all within the sector; and
- How the sector itself might be able to support this upskilling work.
The timeline of work so far is below:
- Focus Group Session - in December 2023, a focus group was held with VCSE sector representatives to begin to explore some of these issues. You can download the session report via the following link: Conversations for Change Focus Group Report - 2023.
- Sector survey - this informed a survey that we sent out in 2024. The survey aims to broaden the collection of views and identify individuals within the VCSE sector who are interested or skilled in training and development. The survey also aimed to identify any training that VCSE groups & organisations could deliver to colleagues in the sector.
- Connecting with training providers - the project team also connected with potential training providers about how local delivery might be enabled while the survey was open.
We are now working on the programme development and this will include connecting with those who express an interest in supporting delivery, to explore how their involvement can be enabled.
Join us
Our members work together to make lasting, positive change within local communities. Membership is free for VCSE and statutory organisations delivering services in Gloucestershire. By joining us, local organisations become part of a wider community and are able to access a range of enhanced benefits above and beyond our usual fully-funded support. You can find out more on our membership page.
Work with us
We're always looking for new ways to collaborate and work in partnership with colleagues from the VCSE and statutory sectors, as well as local business. If you're interested in working with us and would like to explore this in more detail, please