National Conference on Societal Resilience
Images: University of Manchester
Back in March, the National Consortium for Societal Resilience hosted their second national conference in Manchester. Bringing together partners from policy and practice and across sectors, the two-day event provided space for over 170 participants to share insight, identify opportunities to collaborate and work in partnership, and explore how together we can enhance societal resilience.
We know that the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) can play a key role in supporting communities to increase their preparedness and resilience to emergencies, so were keen to see strong representation for the sector at the National Conference on Societal Resilience and joined the conference planning committee to help shape the form and feel of the event, as well as delivering sessions on the day.
The UK Government Resilience Framework highlights the impact the VCS can have, stating that the sector “plays a vital role in the UK’s resilience.” The Framework also says that it aims for the capabilities of the VCS to be “better understood and integrated, as appropriate, strengthening resilience at local and national level in England.” Therefore, it is important that VCS representatives are present and have a role in resilience conversations.
Members of the Emergencies Partnership team attended the conference, alongside almost 40 other VCS colleagues, including 13 that were supported by our DCMS funding.
5 key themes from the conference:
Importance of VCS Involvement
The first session of the conference was hosted by former EP Co-Chair, Mike Adamson, who was joined by St4nd Stockport, Blackwood and Kirkmuirhill Resilience Group and Lancashire BME Network. This positioned community at the top of the agenda, setting the tone for the two days that followed. VCS representation continued throughout, with approximately double the number of representatives present in 2024 than the previous year.
It was acknowledged that communities are the main “bearers of risk” during an emergency, therefore including VCS representatives who can share the views and perspectives of their local communities is vital to enhancing societal resilience. Organisations recommended that Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) and those involved in resilience planning, go into and engage with communities to better understand needs and capabilities and build shared understanding.
There was discussion around VCS representation in training and exercising and how this ensures that partnership working is not only during times of emergency. Early engagement in developing exercise scenarios can provide opportunities for cross-sector learning and strengthening of relationships.
Cross-Sector Collaboration
The seating plans at the conference were devised to ensure a cross sector of organisations at every table, reflecting the ethos of the event. This allowed for diverse and nuanced conversations to take place and opportunities to share perspectives of how things work in our respective worlds.
A point of discussion was lack of resources, especially financial. Many organisations have been impacted by the Cost-of-Living Crisis causing an increase in demand for their services, and with statutory agencies also experiencing constraints, collaborating across sectors is proving increasingly vital.
Uncomfortable Conversations
Whilst there were many constructive conversations that formed and strengthened connections, there was an acknowledgement of the need to be ‘comfortable being uncomfortable’ and being open to learning from others. A discussion around the government’s proposed Resilience Academy and Volunteering Index was met with questions and concerns around not learning lessons from volunteering in Covid-19. However, Mandy McKenzie from the Cabinet Office’s Resilience Directorate gave assurances that, on the Index in particular, they are working with partners, including the EP, to develop a means of improving access to information rather than replicating what already exists.
Capability Mapping
The mapping of capabilities has been a reoccurring topic of discussion, and it seems people are looking at different ways in which this could be done. There was a consensus that these approaches should be aligned to ensure consistency and allow datasets to be easily shared and that there should be consideration of assets beyond material things to include relationships.
Building Trust and Long-term Thinking
Trust and understanding, assuming good intent, and selfless leadership are fundamental for the greater whole of society. This was demonstrated in practice at the conference with some LRFs having funded the places of their VCS counterparts to attend.
Building trust before an emergency happens was a key theme discussed throughout, with it invaluable in creating strong relationships that can enable community preparedness. VCS organisations emphasised the importance of not parachuting people in and to firstly establish trust with communities.
It was clear throughout the conference that much of the work to build whole society resilience, like building trust, does not happen overnight and so longer-term, more strategic thinking is needed to support this. However, to further develop the skills and capabilities required to deliver societal resilience initiatives, VCS organisations - who the government believes play “a vital role” in the UK’s resilience - need long-term investment from central government.
What did VCS partners take away from the conference?
Within the VCS, there are many different types of organisations, each with differing relationships to Local Resilience Forums, statutory bodies, and other VCS partners. For example, emergency response organisations such as RE:ACT, work regularly with LRFs, with the conference allowing these connections to be strengthened in person.
“I found it exceptionally useful in terms of developing my understanding of the resilience community. REACT already has many working relationships with other attendees and their respective organisations at the tactical level, but from a strategic perspective, it was of great benefit to meet some of our partners face to face and have more in-depth, exploratory conversations that are only possible in person,” explained Adam Styler from RE:ACT Disaster Response.
“The varied resilience topics discussed around the table gave me a much better understanding of the challenges that our partners face and, in some ways, it was a relief to know that those challenges were similar to ours, if from a different perspective. For example, accurately mapping and understanding the organisations and their specific skills that are available to each VCS/LRF.”
On the other hand, local infrastructure organisations, such as Community Futures, have varying relationships with other bodies and agencies, but have an in-depth knowledge of their communities and how emergencies may impact them.
Ruth Abram from Community Futures said: “I found the conference to be insightful into the world of resilience strategies and planning for emergencies with different sectors. As a VCS based in Lancashire, I felt that I had an opportunity to raise the challenges we face and be heard by statutory agencies. I gained a lot of knowledge I wasn’t aware of before attending the conference and it was great to network with a variety of people from all over the UK.”
Organisations working with underrepresented groups, such as Friends, Families and Travellers, can provide key insights into how their communities are disproportionately impacted by crises as well as decisions made during the response phase. However, connecting with LRFs can be challenging, and so events such as this provide an opportunity for these organisations to meet LRFs face-to-face.
“It was a helpful introduction to the tone and thinking around LRFs. I have made connections with Kent and Sussex LRFs [and] my thinking about how we can support has evolved. I have a better understanding of constraints and timescales and how approaches to including small and marginalised groups in LRF planning requires a different approach to ‘mainstream’ VCS engagement and will likely need some focussed work to develop and support,” Sarah Mann from Friends, Families and Travellers explained.
Overall, in the space of a year, conversations have matured and developed with communication and collaboration having been fundamental in this. Whilst the development of whole society resilience is not a destination - rather a journey and a culture with key milestones for all - there is a need to think outside of risk planning and consider needs, alongside a person-centred approach, to deliver system change and make cross-sector working the new normal. The value the Voluntary and Community Sector can add to resilience discussions and the development of greater local and national resilience is immeasurable, however, it is important that they have the tools and opportunities to do so, as we collaboratively work towards the culture of whole society resilience.
Plans for the third NCSR Conference are underway and we hope to see the continued development of this shared journey of VCS and resilience partnerships.