The Joint Forum

The Joint Government Voluntary and Community Sector Forum, known as the Joint Forum, was established in October 1998 to give the voluntary and community sector the opportunity to meet regularly with government departments.

The Forum is responsible for continuously reviewing and improving the communication channels between government and the sector. It aims to facilitate open discussion on key issues which impact the relationship between the sector and Northern Ireland departments and their agencies.
Membership

The Forum consists of government representatives and a cross section of representatives from the voluntary and community sector, known as the Joint Forum Panel.

Membership is by nomination, a process which is managed by the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA). Panel members are appointed for a three year term and can serve for two terms. They also nominate alternates to attend meetings in their absence.
Meetings

The Joint Forum meets three times a year but there is flexibility to hold additional full meetings on issues of immediate concern. Every effort is made to hold at least one meeting outside of Belfast each year.

The Joint Forum has also developed sub-groups to work on the review of public administration, coordinate training events, and work on strategic issues relating to the work of the Forum. The RPA sub-group produces a bulletin to keep the public up to date with the implementation and structures, appointments, recent publications, and other useful links related to the RPA.
More information

For more information on the work of the joint forum contact:

Frances McCandless
NICVA
Joint Forum Secretariat

frances.mccandless@nicva.org
Telephone: 028 9087 7777