1. Recipes for representation: neighbourhood working and strategic partnerships Carmel Cahill and Dan Paskins, Ealing CVS

2. Ealing facts and figures 7 towns – Ealing, Southall, Acton, Greenford, Northolt, Perivale, Hanwell Population of just over 300,000 Very diverse - just under 50% BME Amongst school age children 72% BME More than 800 voluntary and community groups

3. Ealing Community Network Thriving Community Empowerment Network Nearly 500 groups are members Reps elected to over 30 partnership boards Main consultative body used by local authority and Local Strategic Partnership All member meetings bi-monthly, attended by 30-50 people.

4. Neighbourhood/area working Workers in Neighbourhood Renewal Funded (NRF) areas with funding for local people Worker in non-NRF area Neighbourhood working has always linked in with other core activities

5. Area working Local community forums for parts of the borough Southall Community Alliance Acton Community Forum Greenford, Northolt and Perivale Community Federation Future plans – engage with regeneration programmes, Registered Social Landlords

6. CANBE Communities and Neighbourhoods Building Effectiveness Building on work that ECN does Gap analysis led to bid to BASIS 3 year project started in May 2008 Strategic aims: 1. To give VCS reps a stronger voice with statutory partners and decision makers 2. To give an equal voice to the least heard

7. Next developments Growing the Roots residential for next generation of community reps Policy briefings and training in representation, partnership working and community research skills Neighbourhood Action Plans New ways of communicating, consulting and engaging Voluntary Sector Information Bank Responding to local and national initatives and policies

8. Questions for discussion What does good neighbourhood working look like? What are the main links between neighbourhood working and strategic decision-making in your area? Does experience and learning at a neighbourhood level inform the decisions which are made strategically?