Social Justice. Equality. Enterprise.

Outreach Cumbria: Future

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The Future for OutREACH Cumbria

 

The economic climate of 2010 has generated a great deal of concern for the third sector and much of this concern has still to be realised. 2011 holds a lot of uncertainty about funding and the future sustainability of small voluntary and community groups, including OutREACH Cumbria.

OutREACH Cumbria receives its funding through an Equality Agreement (Service Level Agreement) with a consortium of Public Bodies in Cumbria for which we provide a variety of equality work with each of the consortium members.

OutREACH Cumbria has secured a reduced level of funding for a new SLA 2011/2012 with equality consortium members, the reduced funding reflecting the difficult financial position of our members. Future financial commitment through this agreement beyond March 2012 is far from certain.

A provision of the equality agreement allows OutREACH Cumbria to use a percentage of the funds it receives, to work with the wider LGB and T community.  In 2011 ORC sees itself developing closer links with the LGBT communities and the Public Sector.

The general equality duties placed on Public Bodies under the Equality Act 2010 (Section 149) and the specific duties (imposed by secondary legislation), have removed the process heavy bureaucracy around how an organisation approaches its equality duties. Public Bodies can be more flexible in how they carry out their equality objectives.

OutREACH Cumbria sees the equality work we carry out with our consortium partners moving more towards specific engagement with the LGB and T communities, this change of focus ties in neatly with the current work developing a network of LGB and T groups across the county.

In October 2010, ORC and the Cumbria LGBT Consortium hosted the first LGBT Forum the forum was open to people identifying as LGB and T. ORC plans to host a number of these forums during 2011.

The forum provides a space for LGBT people to come together and discuss topics and issues which they feel are important to them. They also enable the opportunity for networking between LGB and T groups from across the county and to offer support to one another, and to share advice and skills.

Having a voice is important for the LGBT communities, without this we are not in a position to influence services and affect change. A collective voice is more effective than a single one.

Using the new impetus created through the forum, ORC is moving forward and will be hosting several more LGBT forums as part of the work with Public Bodies and the development of the LGBT Network in Cumbria. In partnership with other LGB and T projects ORC hopes to develop services to the LGBT community, with a telephone help/advice and information service being the first.

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