Across the country, voluntary organisations are making a difference in every community. From tackling loneliness and poverty to promoting inclusion and wellbeing, the VCSE sector plays a vital role. But how do we ensure our work is recognised, and how can we better collaborate with decision-makers to create lasting positive change?
To help answer these questions, NCVO launched a national conversation last year. They spoke with charities and community groups of all shapes and sizes to understand what a stronger relationship between civil society and government could look like. The result is a new report: A New Partnership: Building a Covenant for Civil Society and Government.
Based on the feedback, NCVO and ACEVO have set out six recommendations for how government can make the Covenant a success:
- Direction: Include practical commitments, such as protecting the right to campaign and simplifying funding processes.
- Responsibility: Appoint civil society leads in each department, and introduce oversight by the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee.
- Conditions: Reform legislation that limits advocacy and offer fair, flexible funding.
- Support: Invest in secondments and communities of practice, and train civil servants on civil society.
- Mechanisms: Create a Partnership Hub, set up a Treasury civil society unit, and develop formal advisory groups.
- Review: Introduce annual reviews and issue reporting to maintain accountability.
Source: NCVO
At the heart of the proposal is the idea of a Civil Society Covenant — a shared commitment between government and voluntary organisations to work together in a more equal and respectful way.
The full report is available to read on the NCVO website: A New Partnership: Building a Covenant for Civil Society and Government