Parson Cross Development Forum

Introduction

In June 2001, the Southey and Owlerton Neighbourhood Strategies were launched. The Overall Framework Plan sets out the aim of promoting the general prosperity and well-being of the north Sheffield Neighbourhoods as a whole, working together to achieve a fairer society.

The Plans outline the following priorities through which progress towards Social Wellbeing will be led.

The Priorities are

Each priority is linked to strategic partnerships that oversee the Implementation of the actions specified in the Plan over a 5-year period.

Against that background, the Parson Cross Neighbourhood Strategy Committee decided in October 2002 to set up a Working Group to produce a Community Plan specifically for the Parson Cross Area but complementing the aims and objectives of the Southey and Owlerton Strategic Plans.

The Working Group has had a very tight timetable to consult with various partners in the community and to develop proposals for the Plan. Despite these constraints, the Working Group encountered tremendous enthusiasm and commitment from a number of individuals and agencies who generated a range of positive ideas to benefit Parson Cross.

Inevitably, it has not been possible to incorporate all of the suggestions that have been put forward but this does not in any way diminish their value. This is the start of a process which will continue to encourage individuals and organisations to contribute to the priorities of both the Southey & Owlerton Strategic Plan and this Community Action Plan.

Goals

1. Provide accurate and timely information that the community can use in addressing community issues in a language and format that is accessible to all.
2. Develop and prioritize strategies in each issue area and actively share them with the entire community.
3. Increase awareness of the Parson Cross Community Development Forum in order to involve the community and secure resources to accomplish its mission and goals.
4. Encourage Parson Cross Community Development Forum Partners and the broader community to use their resources to address local strategic priorities.

Values

The Parson Cross Community Development Forum values the following:

Partnership in practice

If we are to make a genuine difference through this Community Action Plan the emphasis must be on partnership working. The proposals in this Plan have been developed through discussions with a wide range of people and organisations, and their implementation is reliant upon the commitment and co-operation of a number of partners.

Working in partnership also helps to harness resources from the public, private and voluntary sectors. In this Plan there are examples of how an initiative will only happen if partners pool available funding.

This Action plan attempts to calculate the financial costs of implementing the changes identified. In many cases this is not about new money, but about doing things differently and targeting existing funding.

However, resources are not simply about money. It is through people that we will achieve the objectives of the Plan, and during our consultations we have been heartened by the level of interest and commitment from so many individuals.

Who are our partners ? This is not simply a question of who we want to work with, or who has agreed to carry out certain parts of the plan. Partnerships are mutually beneficial relationships between people and or organisations, each working towards a common goal. In this case the common goal is community well being

Public, private, community and voluntary sector organisations all have a part to play in improving quality of life. The more they can work together and agree a common aim, the more they can achieve. If partnerships work well it is likely that:-

Tackling key issues for local people such as crime, jobs, education, health and housing requires a range of local organisations working together. There are already many successful partnerships involving local government, local providers of other public services (such as health, the police, the Employment Service and the Benefits Agency), and local businesses and voluntary organisations.

The Partnership will manage the actions described in this plan and work cooperatively towards

The Partnership is made up from organisations across the whole spectrum of Public, Private, Voluntary, community and faith sectors. Each have a part to play, some a very big part, others will contribute what they can and when they can. The partnership is agreed between the members on the basis of service agreements.

The Voluntary, Community and Faith sector members are:

The Public Sector

TO BE WRITTEN