Community Action Network Jobs

About us

Who we are

Community Action Network (CAN) was formed in 2019 from the merger of Poole Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) and Bournemouth CVS, these charities had a rich history going back over 50 years, and form the foundations of our work today.

We want to see communities that are strong, healthy, diverse, vibrant and flourishing. We work in partnership to make that happen through:

EMPOWERING the voluntary sector to survive and thrive, by providing expertise, support, development opportunities and training

ENABLING volunteering through our Volunteering Hub, helping everyone to play an active role in their community

CONNECTING communities by helping to create conditions where everyone’s voice is valued and heard by facilitating great local networking and communication

Our culture and values

You will see us being collaborative, compassionate and inspirational, and acting with integrity and respect.

They are all important – so we share them alphabetically:

Collaborative

We are clear about our vision and mission as an organisation;
Proactively involving members and stakeholders in our work, enabling their views and experiences to be listened to and taken into account;
Developing our policies with our members in mind;
Being committed to collaboration and partnership working.

Compassionate

You will see us being kind and compassionate to each other and everyone we meet;
Creating an inclusive culture, where people’s wellbeing and mental health are valued and promoted;
Standing against abuse of trust and power, including bullying, intimidation, harassment, discrimination or victimisation;
Being an open organisation, where everyone can see how we work, deal with problems and spend funds.

Inspirational

You will see us being outward-looking, bold and proactive;
Empowering our sector and being passionate about their worth;
Challenging the status quo to make a positive difference in our local community;
Being relentless in our mission to achieve our vision;
Remaining independent and professional;
Being a role model for best practice.

Integrity

You will see us behaving ethically and upholding the highest levels of institutional integrity and personal conduct at all times;
Being honest and accountable to our members and stakeholders;
Having good governance and systems in place to ensure all decisions are robust, defensible and free from conflicts of interest;
Considering the effects of activities conducted in private life on the reputation of the charity and of our sector in general;
Ensuring our resources are managed responsibly.

Respect

You will see us being sensitive to the impact of our activities on both the natural and human environment;
Celebrating diversity – valuing people from all different cultures, backgrounds and races for the uniqueness that makes everyone an important part of the community;
Promoting equality of opportunity – understanding that some groups may face additional barriers, and take steps to remove them;
Supporting our staff and volunteers to reach their full potential.