National Association for Voluntary and Community Action

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National Association for Voluntary and Community
Action


A renewed drive to make partnership work
Ben Jupp Director, Office of the Third Sector in
the Cabinet Office
local focus national voice
Supported by
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In 2005 we developed proposals to strengthen
Compact

• Strengthening Partnerships Next Steps for
  Compact contained proposals from government to
• To set up independent organisation to oversee and
  promote Compact
• Strengthen Compact through Compact Plus, by
• Distilling Compact principles into a set of
  succinct and clear commitments
• Associated accreditation scheme
• Intention
• greater clarity about responsibilities in
  individual dealings between VCS and government
  and
• Relationship overseen by impartial organisation

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These were considered at the Compact Annual
Review in November 2005

• Annual Review brings together Ministers, LGA,
  Compact Working Group and others
• Considered analysis of response to government
  proposals and
• Agreed to appointing independent Commissioner,
  and setting up associated office
• Commissioner would be asked to take forward
  proposals on Compact Plus and accreditation
  scheme in order to strengthen Compact, not
  supplant it

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Over 2006, we have commenced the process of
establishing the Commission

• Government and Compact Working Group jointly
  developed role of Commissioner and recruitment
  process
• John Stoker appointed as first Commissioner for
  the Compact - takes up appointment in October
  (2-3 days a week)
• Chief Executive interviews held - appointment to
  follow
• Commissioner and Chief Executive to start-up
  Commission for the Compact
• Interim staff already in place
• Offices in Birmingham
• Budget c1.5m pa
• Compact Working Group has become Compact Voice

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The role of the Commissioner is to oversee and
promote the relationship between VCS and
Government

• Promote effective ways using the Compact
• Exploring, with key stakeholders, ways of making
  Compact work better, including Compact Plus
  proposals
• Raise awareness and promote best practice
• Look at specific issues and concerns
• Thematic issues/reports
• Can consider individual cases
• Being new, the balance of roles and ways of
  working will be something the Commission
  develops, in consultation with stakeholders

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Our objective is for the Commissioner to be
operationally independent, and strategically
accountable to Government and the Sector

• The Commission being established as a company
  limited by guarantee
• The Commissioner to provide annual reports to a
  parliamentary select committee
• As important for the Commission to be valued and
  respected by both sides, the Office of the Third
  Sector (as sponsor) and Compact Voice will be
  working in partnership on the strategic oversight
  of the Commission, eg
• Commissioners remit and changes to it
• Corporate/Business Plan
• General framework (eg memorandum and articles of
  association, and the governance protocols)

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• The Compact is at a crucial stage where we can
  build on its successes, learn lessons, and take
  it to the next level. I'm very keen to hear what
  government and the VCS have to say on how best to
  make sure that the Compact is fully implemented.
  I expect to see a major difference to the way in
  which the rules of engagement operate between the
  VCS and government and will be listening very
  closely to all of the Compact's stakeholders to
  determine the best way to achieve this.
• John Stoker, first Commissioner for the Compact

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What are the issues to be considered as we seek
to improve partnership the state of the sector
panel gives some further insight

• Between 2002/03 and 2003/04 median govt. funding
  up from 80,000 to 89,000 and median employees
  from 7 to 8
• The number of volunteers engaged by the panel
  organisations increased by 1 million, but the
  median (typical) number decreased from 18 to 16
• Most cautiously optimistic 67 expected growth
  in activity over the next three years

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Funding, accommodation, volunteers and regulation
identified as the greatest barriers to work

• In reverse order. ie smallest to largest
• Networks/partnerships
• Members
• Beneficiaries/clients/tenants/users
• IT or technical systems
• Management
• Employees
• Government regulation
• Volunteers
• Accommodation
• Funding

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A mixed picture on funding processes itself

• Application processes
• - The European Union attracted most
  dissatisfaction, with only 39 satisfied and 46
  of respondents indicating dissatisfaction
• - Local authorities had greatest satisfaction
  (56 vs 25 dissatisfied)
• Process of payment
• 71 satisfied local authorities, 67 central
  govt, 55 LSCs, 42 EU
• Monitoring/evaluation
• Range 57 satisfied with central govt to 40 with
  EU

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Alongside the Compact Commissioner, Central
Government has been developing further mechanisms
to improve partnership working

• Department of Health Commissioning taskforce
  brought together government and third sector
  progress e.g. community equipment
• DfES Children and Young People's Third Sector
  Forum to promote the involvement of third sector
  agencies in the planning and delivery of children
  and young people's services
• DCLG s framework for strengthening the third
  sectors role in local public service delivery,
  including
• three year funding for the sector
• intelligent commissioning in local authorities
  and
• incentives for local authorities to deliver
  services in partnership with the sector
• Third Sector Engagement Board created to develop
  further

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Alongside the Compact Commissioner, Central
Government has been developing further mechanisms
to improve partnership working

• Home Office NOMS published Improving Prison
  and Probation Services Public Value
  Partnerships
• Intention is to harness as wide a range as
  possible of talents across the public, third and
  private sector to show that offender services are
  delivered by those best able to do so
• DWP commitments include
• a review into the state of the employment
  services market to ensure that it operate fairly
  and consistently across the public, private and
  third sectors and
• Considering a star accreditation scheme for
  service providers with appropriate links to the
  Compact commitments

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But as Ed Miliband highlighted, there is still a
long way to go..

• Office of the Third Sector focussing on working
  with other government departments on the areas
  where the third sector can work in partnership
  to
• Directly deliver services
• Inform service delivery through innovation
• Help design services
• Campaign for better services
• Much of this is about getting the basics right
• Commissioning frameworks accord with best
  principles for enabling the third sector to
  contribute to better public services
• Making multi-year funding the norm and
• Ensuring full cost recovery becomes the rule
• Developing standard contracts for some key
  service areas

That is the foundation task for the Commissioner
and the Office