A new Pivotal report, Voluntary and community sector-led approaches to economic inactivity, commissioned by NICVA (the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action) has been launched at Stormont.

The full-report can be found on the NICVA website here.

The foundation of the report are focus groups held with 34 senior leaders and workers within the sector. Pivotal wish to thank all of those who participated in the research.

Commissioned by NICVA, the report offers Pivotal's independent analysis of the immediate challenges and the long-term future of voluntary and community sector-led (VCS) programmes that engage with people defined as economically inactive. The prolonged uncertainty regarding the move from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to the Local Growth Fund, still scheduled for March 2026, is yet another cliff-edge for the sector. The report calls for an immediate extension of the move to the Local Growth Fund - to enable bespoke arrangements for NI to be co-designed and implemented.

Building on Pivotal's previous research into Economic Inactivity in Northern Ireland, the report also examines issues such as how to measure success when addressing economic inactivity, the unique character and reach of the VCS, and the strategic importance of the sector to many of the NI Executive's Programme for Government objectives.

The report was launched at a meeting of the All-Party Group on Voluntary and Community Sector. Pivotal wishes to thank the Chair, Diane Forsythe MLA, and the group for this invitation.