Voluntary Action Within Kent facilitates a number of local networks.  These are a useful way to bring organisations together to identify common interests and goals, jointly tackle shared concerns and to keep abreast of new policy and legislative changes.  Click on the links below to find out more about the network that interests you, or scroll down the page to read a little about all the networks we support.

Children & Families Provider Network

Community Groups Network

Children & Families Provider Network

Enabling the sector to be involved in the planning and delivery of services for children and families in West Kent.

Community Groups Network

Promoting the role of community groups in delivering local services and developing social cohesion, and working together to ensure that the needs of local people are addressed.

Community Therapy Group

A network of health-related voluntary and statutory organisations working together to share information, and to identify and tackle gaps in services feed back the ideas and concerns of voluntary and community groups to local commissioners. 

To join or find out more please contact Fiona Watkins:  fiona.watkins@vawk.org.uk or 01892 530330.

Disabled and Sensory Impaired Group (DSI)

The members are representatives from organisations working with people with varying physical disabilities and learning difficulties.  The group meets three times a year, and an online Google group enables members to share information, ask questions, promote events, activities etc.

Members include: Police, Councils, Leisure, Employment, Highways and Health as well as organisations working with people with disabilities across Kent. The meetings take place in Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks and Tonbridge. The DSI offers a chance to update others on recent events, changes to the organisations and to network, raise issues with other members and share ideas.

To join or find out more please contact Fiona Watkins:  fiona.watkins@vawk.org.uk or 01892 530330.

West Kent Older People’s Service Provider Network

A virtual network of organisations, statutory and voluntary that provide services to older people; members range from leisure providers to emergency services.  The members can post event information, updates, inform other members of their services and send messages to the other members requesting information.

To join or find out more please contact Fiona Watkins:  fiona.watkins@vawk.org.uk or 01892 530330.

West Kent Volunteer Coordinators Forum

This forum provides to meet to share information and good practice, approach problem solving collaboratively, keep up to date with legislative changes and address training and develop ideas.  The group meets three times a year, sharing information via email and the Google group between meetings.

Older People's Forums

VAWK supported the start up, launch and continues to support the running of older people’s forums in Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks.

Both forums have open meetings for both members and non-members to attend and find out what is happening locally that will have an impact on their lives.

The forums both have newsletters sent to members detailing local organisations, consultations to take part in, forthcoming events and activities. Membership is free.

The Tunbridge Wells Over Fifties Forum

Launched in 2009. It is for people aged 50 plus living anywhere in the Borough. You can support TWOFF when shopping online via http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/twoff

To join the TWOFF please contact:

Phone: 07783 554 635  E-mail: twoffs@hotmail.co.uk

Post: C/o VAWK, 17-19 Monson Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1 1LS

Other networks and forums

A number of networks and partnerships exist in West Kent that bring together a wide range of voluntary and community organisations and public sector partners in joint forums.  Many of these work around specific areas and/or have a strategic remit.  Voluntary Action Within Kent participates in many of these as a representative of the local sector.