TAS Network Centre

The focus of developing the building will be around bringing life back to the area and raising the civic pride, the development will act as catalyst for this.

The building is B1 listed and so we will use the current structure and layout of the building to develop the Network Centre. The model and benefits of a Networking Centre were identified by the Department of Social Development (DSD) in their Pathways for Change report (2005):

• Collaboration - The Networking Centre Model enhances co-ordination between organisations and joint working and sharing of resources by community and voluntary organisations.
  
  
• Support Services - Community and voluntary groups located in a networking centre can share skills and information and co-operation in needs analysis and the provision of services to local communities.
  
  
• Resourcing Support Services - Generate income from a diverse range of sources which facilitates more effective sharing of resources by groups within a network centre.
  
  
• Social Investment - A networking centre can develop the social, human, physical and financial capital within the sector. Centres generate improved understanding and better working relationships between groups and thus create opportunities for joint working for common goals and outcomes.
  
  
• Partnership Working - Partnership structures are likely to be more effective where the social partners have prior experience of collaboration within their own sectors. Networking centres provide this and also provide a focal point for statutory agencies seeking to develop working relationships with the sector.
  
  
• Sustainability - The central premise of a Network Centre is the sustainability of voluntary and community activity in that the sector can increase its access to physical, financial, human and social capital through a network centre. Access to these capitals allows the sector to manage better the risks associated with the challenges of community activity. The mix of the four capitals provides for organisational development, coordination between and within sectors, and more sustainable strategies and outcomes. This underpins the financial sustainability of the sector by drawing income from other sectors, improving efficiencies and reducing dependency on grant aid.