About

HAVCO is the council for voluntary service for the London borough of Haringey. We are an independent registered charity that was set up in 2003 to support, promote and develop voluntary and community organisations in Haringey.

Background

HAVCO was set up to provide support for Haringey’s diverse voluntary and community organisations. The project to establish HAVCO, (called SHARE), was facilitated by an independent organisation called OPM (Office for Public Management) and was managed by representatives from the voluntary and community sector.

This project reviewed the type of support that the sector needs, and looked at ways to re-shape the relationships between Haringey Council, other stakeholders and the voluntary sector. Part of the project also established new ways of consulting with voluntary and community groups.

HAVCO is an independent organisation and is run by and for the Haringey voluntary and community sector. We have our own governance arrangements, which provide a clear and transparent set of rules and procedures against which the organisation is run.

What HAVCO does

Identifies unmet needs in Haringey, and works with voluntary and community organisations to build their capacity to meet those needs.
Provides accessible services and resources to meet the needs of voluntary and community organisations in Haringey.
Helps to bring about effective communication that reflects the diversity of voluntary and community activities in Haringey.
Makes sure that consultative mechanisms and processes are representative of the whole voluntary and community sector in Haringey.
Ensures that the voluntary and community sector in Haringey plays an active part in the development of strategic partnerships.
Promotes volunteering, through Haringey Volunteer Centre, to increase the number of people involved in voluntary and community activity and to widen the range of services provided to Haringey residents.

For a list of what services we provide, visit the services page.

Management

HAVCO is run by a Management Board of up to 15 trustees. These representatives may be elected either from one of HAVCO’s networks – which cover areas of particular interest to some organisations, such as the Wellbeing Theme Group, Children and Young People Theme Group and Advice Providers' Network – or from the general membership.

Funding

HAVCO receives core funding from Haringey Council. We have also obtained further funding from statutory bodies such as the Haringey Teaching Primary Care Trust, regeneration programmes and charitable trusts, in line with the established pattern of other Councils for Voluntary Service. For a list of funders, visit the funders page.