Brentwood VCSE Place Partnership
A coordinated partnership approach through Your Essex Community
Active Essex has supported the development of a new, coordinated approach to partnership working in Brentwood, bringing together key organisations including Trust Links, Brentwood CVS, Everyone Active and Brentwood Borough Council. Through the Your Essex Community programme, this work has shifted practice away from individual, siloed support models towards a collective approach that strengthens organisational infrastructure and long term sustainability for VCSE organisations in place.
By creating the conditions for collaboration, shared learning and co‑ownership, Active Essex has helped establish the foundations of a new VCSE working group in Brentwood. This collective model recognises the unique strengths of each partner and focuses on building self‑sufficient, connected support systems that better respond to local need.
Through the Active Essex partnership role within Your Essex Community, a period of reflection and consolidation enabled partners to review existing ways of working, identify duplication, and explore opportunities for greater alignment. This process highlighted the value of deeper relationships, clearer communication, and shared responsibility for supporting VCSE organisations locally.
Rather than providing isolated organisational support, this new approach centres on connection, coordination and collaboration. Active Essex has created the space for partners to come together with purpose, allowing the collective to explore challenges openly, test new ways of working and build momentum around a shared vision for Brentwood.
Active Essex's Role
Active Essex has played a central enabling role in the development and success of the Your Essex Community programme in Brentwood. Taking a transformational rather than transactional approach, Active Essex has championed the value of the programme, helping partners see how it enhances existing work and delivers meaningful community outcomes. Acting as a connector, catalyst and mediator, Active Essex has bridged gaps between organisations, shared insight and facilitated open, honest dialogue, strengthening relationships and building a more cohesive local network. By consistently reinforcing the shared vision of connecting, supporting and empowering local organisations, Active Essex has helped partners stay focused and confident as new ways of working emerged. Alongside this, by interpreting Your Essex Community survey data in conversation with lived experience on the ground, Active Essex ensured decisions were grounded in both evidence and authentic community voice, allowing responses to reflect Brentwood’s real priorities.
Key learnings
It's important to take time to reflect and understand the learnings from work undertaken, to focus on ways to improve in the future
Partnership Strengths
Recognising each partner’s strengths helped clarify how Active Essex best adds value in place.
Co‑creation
Moving to true co‑creation required openness, shared decisions and a shared vision.
Trust & Change
Trust developed over time through honesty, face‑to‑face conversations and vulnerability.
The work highlighted that existing support systems are often difficult to navigate and lack visibility. While the Your Essex Community e‑portal and Active Essex place pages have helped, there is a clear need for more centralised and accessible information routes. This insight has strengthened the case for simplifying access to networks, distribution lists and communications, improving connectivity both locally and Essex‑wide.
