Cabinet Office UK Resilience

Main navigation

Voluntary Sector Civil Protection Forum

The Voluntary Sector Civil Protection Forum is a grouping for voluntary organisations that have a civil protection role. The strategic aim of the Forum is to identify and maximise the voluntary sector contribution to UK civil protection arrangements. The Forum comprises representatives from the voluntary sector, central government, statutory authorities and professional associations. It is supported by a small Working Party.

Terms of Reference

Strategic Aim

To identify and maximise the voluntary sector contribution to UK civil protection arrangements.

Tasks

• To form a working party (membership/address/finance) of strategic representatives from key organisations involved in emergency planning and response in UK, including national/UK voluntary agencies.
• The forum, should be regarded as essential to provide links between the voluntary sector, central government and statutory authorities. The working party supports the forum.
• To agree method of working and mechanisms of communication across UK voluntary sector.
• To support the British Red Cross Society and the Civil Contingencies Secretariat convening and chairing of the working party. Until further notice MWH as chairperson to be the point of reference for the working party and the forum.
• To identify a spokesperson from voluntary agencies to speak to the Civil Contingencies Secretariat.
• To develop interim approach to influence the Civil Contingencies legislation, regulatory framework and guidance.
• To seek to inform and affect the policy direction of the Capabilities Programme.
• To conduct a scoping/mapping exercise to see what voluntary sector can offer and how the voluntary sector can feed into overall arrangements. (Questionnaire).
• To develop a policy paper/doctrine.
• To discuss representation in regional forums.
• To organise UK/national meetings

Key Documents

• Engaging the Voluntary Sector
• Emergency Planning Concordat

Meeting Notes

• Meeting Note 26th January 2006
• Meeting Note of 18th January 2007

Articles that may be of interest

• Blueprint Issue 45 article