Sandwell Council of Voluntary Organisations - SCVO. Supporting the Growth of Community Action in Sandwell.

Sandwell Council of Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is an umbrella organisation which works to support and represent third sector organisations working in Sandwell. SCVO is itself a voluntary body with more than 530 member organisations, and is led and overseen by a board of volunteers.

SCVO provides a range of well-established support services to third sector groups including:

• information, advice and training* on legal structures and governance arrangements business planning*
• funding advice and support
• support with policies and procedures
• financial planning and management, including full cost recovery support*
• service improvement and quality standards

During 2006-07 SCVO directly supported over 330 third sector organisations in Sandwell.

In addition to its direct support for organisations, SCVO also works to strengthen the profile and representation of the Sandwell’s third sector, and its engagement with statutory partners.

SCVO.info, our popular bi-monthly newsletter, reaches over 1000 readers across Sandwell, in both the third and statutory sectors. SCVO also hosts and contributes to a range of events throughout the year to bring the sectors together to work towards shared solutions.

During 2006-07 SCVO has developed its role in supporting the engagement of third sector interests in Sandwell Partnership’s Thematic Partnerships, by developing and supporting a model of engagement for the Sandwell Children and Young Peoples’ Trust Partnership.

* denotes chargeable services