The Role of the Voluntary Sector in Public Service Delivery in the UK

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The Role of the Voluntary Sector in Public
Service Delivery in the UK

• Voluntary Sector Excellence Project, Finland
• Wednesday, 10 November 2004

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Home Secretarys Civil Renewal Agenda

• We must aim to build strong, empowered and
  active communities, in which people increasingly
  do things for themselves and the state acts to
  facilitate, support and enable citizens to lead
  self-determined, fulfilled lives.
• Rt. Hon. David Blunkett, Home Secretary, Civil
  Renewal A New Agenda, the Edith Kahn Memorial
  Lecture, June 2003

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Public Sector Reform

• We are proposing to put an entirely different
  dynamic in place to drive our public services
  one where the service will be driven not by the
  managers but by the user the patient, the
  parent, the pupil, and law abiding citizen.
• The Rt. Hon. Tony Blair MP, July 2004

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4 Principles

• 4 Principles
• Standards
• Devolution and Delegation
• Flexibility
• Expanding Choice

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The UK Voluntary and Community Sector

• 150, 000 Charities in the UK
• 20 increase in number of Charities over last ten
  years
• 32 increase in income since 1991
• Charities contribute 7.2bn to UK economy

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Added Value of the VCS

• Focus on users
• Independence
• Knowledge, expertise, experience - reach
• Flexibility/innovation

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The Compact

• The Compact on Relations between Government and
  the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS), 1998
• Five Codes of Good Practice
• Funding
• Volunteering
• Consultation
• BME
• Community Groups

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The Cross Cutting Review 2002

• To explore how central and local government can
  work more effectively with the Sector to deliver
  high quality services.
• Published Sept 2002
• Review of the role of the VCS in service delivery
• Part of the 2002 Spending Review (SR2002)

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Barriers to VCS service delivery

• Capacity issues
• Funding and procurement practice
• Partnerships/promoting the Compact

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What are we doing?

• ChangeUP
• Futurebuilders
• Guidance to Funders
• Think SmartThink Voluntary Sector
• Funding code

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The FutureNAO Funding Review

• The National Audit Office review of
• departmental progress in implementing the funding
• recommendations in the CCR .
• Commissioned by the Home Office as part of PSA 8
• Fieldwork 85 complete
• Report to Public Accounts Committee Spring 2005

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The FutureSpending Review 2004

• The SR 2004 sets out the Governments policy
  priorities
• for the VCS
• Continued futurebuilders investment
• Continued capacity building investment
• Increased awareness amongst local funders
• 90 million Invest-to-Save budget
• New PSA Target
• To increase voluntary and community engagement,
  especially amongst those at risk of social
  exclusion.

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The FutureNew VCS Review

• The new HMT VCS Review has four main strands
• Improving understanding
• Building stronger local partnerships
• Targeting public services and,
• Co-ordinating national funding.
• Hoping to publish in November 2004.

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Thank you