The introduction in November 2007 of the Concordat between Scottish Government and local authorities has brought a new impetus to joint working between local voluntary infrastructure organisations. The Concordat and the associated development of Single Outcome Agreements (SOAs), places responsibility for decisions on local delivery clearly at the local level.

The effective contribution of the voluntary sector to the delivery and design of local services will require a local infrastructure to support connection and communication with Community Planning and Council infrastructure. By March 2011 it is expected that there will be a coherent, fit for purpose, local infrastructure that meets the needs of Local Authorities, Community Planning Partnerships (CPP) and the Voluntary Sector, which has been developed in partnership.).

Following consultation with the voluntary sector and other stakeholders between Summer 2008 & June 2009, the Boards of Moray Voluntary Service Organisation (MVSO) and The Volunteer Centre Moray (VCM), agreed on a VSPM model which gained Moray CPP approval in May 2009.

The purpose of the infrastructure is to enable the SOA to be informed by the knowledge and experience of the voluntary sector and for the voluntary sector to demonstrate how it could deliver SOA outcomes. (For more information about Moray’s SOA and CPP please go to the Your Moray website

This means that the VSPM is intended to be the interface for Moray.