What Forum Central does

Forum Central is a non-profit partnership network serving as the collective voice for the health and care third sector in Leeds, UK. Established in 2016 and delivered jointly by Leeds Older People's Forum (est. 1994) and Volition (est. 1987), the organisation coordinates a free membership network of over 320 third sector organisations and places more than 45 representatives on health and care boards across Leeds and West Yorkshire. Its core service is network coordination — connecting voluntary, community, faith-based and social enterprise organisations with statutory decision-makers in the NHS, Leeds City Council, and the West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, and influencing strategic commissioning, policy, and service design.

The portfolio is structured around specialist networks (Learning Disability, Mental Health, Physical and Sensory Impairment, Older People, Communities of Interest, Men's Health Unlocked, Leeds Sexual Health VCSE Network, Trauma Informed Communities), transformation programmes (Power of Communities, Local Care Partnerships across 15–19 neighbourhoods), and grant programmes (Healthy Working Life, Enhance, Community Champions). Forum Central also manages the MindWell mental health information website on behalf of Leeds City Council and the ICB. The organisation is forming a wider Doing Good Leeds Partnership with Voluntary Action Leeds and Leeds Older People's Forum for a new infrastructure contract starting in 2026.

Forum Central's business model is commissioned infrastructure, not commercial revenue. It is funded through NHS and local authority contracts for third sector representation and infrastructure, supplemented by grant funding from sources including the Department for Work and Pensions (via West Yorkshire Combined Authority), the National Lottery Community Fund, and others. Membership is free; revenue derives from public sector commissioning rather than member fees or commercial pricing. The organisation itself is not a separate legal entity — it is a partnership between two registered charities (Volition, charity no. 1092126; Leeds Older People's Forum, charity no. 1191030) with no external investors or parent corporation.

Name

Forum Central

Legal name

Forum Central

Website

https://forumcentral.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Forum Central is a non-profit partnership network in Leeds, UK that coordinates 320+ health and care third sector organisations and represents them on statutory boards, funded primarily through NHS and local authority commissioning contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Leeds

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Third Sector Infrastructure Contract: Forum Central is funded through NHS and local authority commissioning contracts to provide third sector infrastructure and representation services in health and care. The organisation connects the third sector with strategic decision-makers and delivers partnership working across the health and care system in Leeds.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Forum Central is a free membership network and coordination infrastructure for health and care third sector organisations in Leeds, operated as a partnership between Volition and Leeds Older People's Forum. It connects 320+ member organisations with strategic decision-makers in the NHS, local authority, and Integrated Care Board; coordinates specialist networks covering mental health, learning disability, physical and sensory impairment, older people, men's health, communities of interest, and sexual health; and places over 45 third sector representatives on health and care boards to influence strategy and policy.

Product overview

Forum Central is a network infrastructure and collective voice organisation for the health and care third sector in Leeds, delivered in partnership by Leeds Older People's Forum and Volition. Rather than a single software product, it operates as a coordination platform offering multiple specialist networks (Communities of Interest, Learning Disability, Mental Health, Physical and Sensory Impairment, Men's Health Unlocked, Sexual Health), advocacy and representation services, grant programmes (Healthy Working Life, Enhance), and membership coordination. The portfolio connects 300+ member organisations with health and social care decision makers through representation on strategic boards, network coordination, and collaborative programmes like Power of Communities and Local Care Partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Doing Good Leeds Partnership: A joint infrastructure and representation contract for the Third Sector in Leeds, delivered in partnership by Forum Central, Voluntary Action Leeds, and Leeds Older People's Forum.
• MindWell

Products and services

• Forum Central Network Coordination A coordination service connecting 320+ third sector organisations in Leeds with health and social care decision makers, managing specialist networks and providing representation across strategic health and care boards.
• Forum Central Membership Free membership for non-profit, voluntary, community, faith-based and social enterprise organisations supporting health and wellbeing in Leeds, offering networking, information sharing, and representation.
• Third Sector Representation Service Supports over 45 third sector representatives to sit on health and care boards and strategic groups in Leeds and West Yorkshire, ensuring the sector's voice in strategic decision making.
• Communities of Interest Network (COIN) A network highlighting and addressing health needs and challenges faced by communities experiencing inequalities, including care leavers, LGBTQ+ people, homeless people, refugees, and other underserved groups.
• Learning Disability Network A network of over 100 third sector organisations supporting people with learning disabilities in Leeds, facilitating relationships and connecting with decision makers.
• Mental Health Network A network promoting third sector organisations supporting mental health and wellbeing in Leeds through information, representation, and opportunities across health and care sectors.
• Physical and Sensory Impairment Network A network promoting third sector organisations that work to improve the lives of disabled people in Leeds through information, representation, and opportunities across health and care sectors.
• Older People Network (Leeds Older People's Forum) Specialist work focused on older people coordinated through Leeds Older People's Forum, including Neighbourhood Networks, dementia-friendly initiatives, and the Enhance programme.
• Men's Health Unlocked A city-wide network connecting, supporting, developing and celebrating work happening in Leeds to improve men's health and wellbeing, coordinated in partnership with Barca-Leeds, Orion Partnership, and Touchstone.
• Leeds Sexual Health VCSE Network A network bringing VCSE third sector organisations and community groups together around sexual health topics, delivered as a contract with Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, and Leeds GP Confederation.
• Healthy Working Life Programme A Get Britain Working Trailblazer initiative supporting Leeds residents with health conditions and disabilities to build confidence and move closer to employment through VCSE organisations.
• Enhance Programme A programme supporting safe and sustainable discharge from hospital and neighbourhood teams into a secure home environment, coordinated by Leeds Older People's Forum in partnership with Leeds NHS Community Healthcare Trust.
• Local Care Partnerships Support Support for the development of Local Care Partnerships across Leeds neighbourhoods, focusing on establishing strong Third Sector voices within joined-up health and care delivery.
• Power of Communities Programme A transformation programme embedding the third sector in health and care through inclusion and investment within West Yorkshire and Harrogate, establishing new relationships built around co-production of services.
• Inclusion Working Group An inclusive leadership forum for members to consider, influence and embed inclusion best practice in decision making, underpinned by Black Lives Matter principles addressing structural inequalities.
• Community Champions A programme working with Voluntary Action Leeds and Leeds City Council partners to build community capacity for health communication and vaccination champion networks.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 45 third sector representatives positioned on health and care boards across Leeds
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Doing Good Leeds PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Forum Central is joining forces with Voluntary Action Leeds and Leeds Older People's Forum to deliver the new infrastructure and representation contract for the Third Sector in Leeds. Working on a new joint Doing Good Leeds website which will be the home of all partnership work.
• VolitioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Volition is a registered charity and the lead provider of the Forum Central contract, delivered in partnership with Leeds Older People's Forum. Volition coordinates networks focused on learning disabilities, physical and sensory impairments, communities of interest, and workforce support. Established in 1987 as 'Leeds Voluntary Sector Mental Health Forum', it merged with PSI Network in 2017 and Tenfold (Learning Disability Forum) in 2020. Registered charity no. 1092126.
• Leeds Older People's Forum (LOPF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Leeds Older People's Forum (LOPF) is a key partner in delivering Forum Central, promoting the wellbeing of all older people in Leeds since March 1994. LOPF has a membership of over 80 voluntary sector organisations working with older people. Charity no. 1191030. LOPF coordinates several projects including Neighbourhood Networks (37 networks), Enhance (hospital discharge support), and Dementia Friendly Leeds.
• NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Leeds Office of the NHS West Yorkshire ICS is the ICB in Leeds. Forum Central works closely with NHS partners including the ICB to ensure third sector representation in health and care strategic planning and commissioning.
• Leeds City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerForum Central works closely with Leeds City Council including Adult Social Care and public health colleagues. Leeds City Council is a key statutory partner in health and care delivery in the city.
• Leeds Community Healthcare NHS TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeeds Community Healthcare Trust is a key partner in delivering health services. Forum Central works with LCH on third sector strategy, Local Care Partnerships, and specific programmes like Enhance for hospital discharge support.
• Leeds and York NHS Partnership Foundation Trust (LYPFT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLYPFT provides specialist mental health and learning disability services in Leeds. Forum Central has representation on LYPFT Council of Governors and works with the trust on mental health strategy and learning disability services.
• MindWellcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMindWell is the mental health website for adults in Leeds. Volition (on behalf of Forum Central) works in partnership with Leeds City Council and the ICB to manage MindWell, providing a digital hub for mental health information and services.
• Men's Health Unlocked PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMen's Health Unlocked (MHU) is coordinated by Forum Central in partnership with Barca-Leeds, Orion Partnership (Space 2, Zest) and Touchstone. Funded by National Lottery Community Fund. The network aims to improve men's health and wellbeing across Leeds.
• Alzheimer's SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeeds Older People's Forum works in partnership with Alzheimer's Society and Leeds City Council on the Dementia Friendly Leeds initiative, aiming to make Leeds an age and dementia friendly city.
• West Yorkshire & Harrogate Health and Care PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerForum Central works with this Integrated Care System to embed the third sector in health and care through the Power of Communities programme. The partnership aims to ensure third sector is a sustainable, central part of the health and care system.
• Leeds Neighbourhood NetworkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThere are 37 Neighbourhood Networks in Leeds - community based, locally led third sector organisations coordinated by Leeds Older People's Forum. They enable older people to live independently and provide gateway services to health and wellbeing support.
• People's Voices Partnership (PVP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerForum Central is an active member of the People's Voices Partnership, a network of people and organisations with shared aim to put people's voices at the centre of health and care decision making in Leeds, particularly those living with greatest health inequalities.
• Healthwatch LeedscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthwatch Leeds helps people get the best out of local health and care services. Forum Central partners with Healthwatch on insight gathering and the People's Voices Partnership to ensure community voices influence health and care decisions.
• Leeds Sexual Health PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolition (on behalf of Forum Central) coordinates the Leeds Sexual Health VCSE Network as part of a new contract commissioned by Leeds City Council. The contract is a partnership between Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds GP Confederation, and Volition-Forum Central.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights12 records

Others

• Mind: National mental health charity operating local Mind associations providing services and advocacy. Comparable in operating specialist networks and representation for a defined health population, but as a service provider rather than an infrastructure convener.
• NHS Charities Together: Membership network for NHS-affiliated charities. Comparable membership-and-representation infrastructure in the health sector, though anchored to NHS-trust charities rather than third sector advocacy organisations.

Emerging players

• Clinks: Infrastructure body supporting voluntary sector organisations in criminal justice. Same operating model — membership network, representation, and strategic influencing — applied to a different specialist sector, useful for benchmarking Forum Central's approach.
• Homeless Link: National membership and infrastructure body for organisations working with people experiencing homelessness. Closely comparable single-sector model: specialist network coordination, representation, and policy influence for a defined third sector community.

Regional players

• Leeds Community Foundation: Leeds-based charitable foundation distributing grants and supporting community organisations. Adjacent infrastructure role in the same city, with a focus on grant-making rather than the representation and convening Forum Central delivers.

Broad incumbents

• Healthwatch England: National statutory champion for patient and public voice in health and care. Comparable mission of ensuring community/patient voices influence health and care decision-making, though operating at national scale rather than single-city depth.
• NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations): UK-wide umbrella body for the voluntary sector. Provides membership services, advocacy, policy, and research at a national level — the national analogue of what Forum Central does for Leeds's health and care third sector specifically.
• NAVCA (National Association for Voluntary and Community Action): Membership body for local voluntary sector infrastructure organisations (CVS/CVA-style bodies) across England. Directly comparable network-coordination role scaled to the national infrastructure sector Forum Central operates within.
• Locality: National membership network for community-led organisations and local community anchor bodies. Operates the kind of convening, advocacy, and infrastructure support role Forum Central delivers in a single city.

Direct peers

• Voluntary Action Leeds: Local third sector infrastructure body for Leeds. Direct peer in the same city and now partnering with Forum Central under Doing Good Leeds, providing overlapping membership, representation, and capacity-building services for voluntary and community organisations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/myforumcentral
• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/290283295541355
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forum-central

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Forum Central