A report said that voluntary groups contributed to the historic environment directly by: looking after the assets and increasing their sustainability; contributing to urban and rural regeneration; and exploiting the potential for tourism and education.
Source: How We Do It: The scale and scope of voluntary organisations in the heritage sector, Heritage Link (020 7820 7796)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Dec
The government published two reports designed to strengthen the partnership between government and the third sector. An action plan aimed to remove barriers to third sector organizations wishing to become involved in delivering and designing public services. The interim report of a review of the future role of the third sector gave a commitment that three-year funding to third sector organizations would be the norm rather than the exception.
Source: Partnership in Public Services: An action plan for third sector involvement, Cabinet Office (020 7261 8527) | The Future Role of the Third Sector in Social and Economic Regeneration: Interim Report, Cabinet Office and HM Treasury
Links: Action plan | Interim report | Cabinet Office press release | HMT press release | Hansard | PCS press release | Acevo press release | NCVO press release | LGA press release | Guardian report | Regeneration & Renewal report
Date: 2006-Dec
A report examined the impact of Northern Ireland s religious divisions on voluntary and community organizations. The ability to build cross-community coalitions appeared to be one of the strengths of the sector in Northern Ireland.
Source: Nicholas Acheson, Ed Cairns, Arthur Williamson and Maurice Stringer, Voluntary Action and Community Relations in Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (028 9087 7777)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Nov
Two linked reports called on the health sector to improve the dignity of isolated older people by expanding volunteer involvement, and to better train medical staff on the benefits brought by volunteers in supporting health treatment.
Source: Margaret Hughes, Healthy Options: Enhancing health services for older people, Community Service Volunteers (020 7278 6601) | Margaret Hughes, Pillars of Support: The impact of older volunteering, Community Service Volunteers
Links: Report (1) | Report (2) | CSV press release
Date: 2006-Nov
A report examined what needed to be done to ensure that local government and the voluntary/community sector could work together more effectively to achieve the best outcomes for local people.
Source: Dhara Vyas, How Voluntary and Community Organisations Can Help Transform the Local Relationship, National Council for Voluntary Organisations (0800 279 8798)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Oct
A think-tank report examined the role of community groups that attended to the needs of particular faith or minority ethnic groups. These groups played an essential part in building bridges between minority communities and wider opportunities within their area, as well as helping to break down the barriers caused by prejudice and discrimination. Rather than being viewed with scepticism or doubt, they should be made part of the wider framework of public services and government, without losing the independence in which much of their credibility rested.
Source: Hannah Lownsbrough, Change Within: The role of black and minority ethnic community organisations, Demos, available from Central Books (020 8986 5488)
Date: 2006-Oct
A paper examined voluntary sector values. A well-established theoretical values framework was outlined, and a relationship was then established between this framework and values commonly associated with the voluntary sector - such as benevolence, tradition, achievement, and self-direction.
Source: Peter Elson, Ties that Bind? An empirical exploration of values in the voluntary sector: value importance, hierarchy and consensus in independent hospices in the UK, Voluntary Sector Working Paper 2, Centre for Civil Society/London School of Economics (020 7955 7205)
Links: Paper
Date: 2006-Sep
A think-tank report examined ways in which the voluntary sector might be able to play a role in the probation service.
Source: Natalie Tarry (ed.), Returning to its Roots? A new role for the third sector in probation, Social Market Foundation (020 7222 7060)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Sep
A study examined a five-year programme to increase the capacity of black and minority ethnic voluntary organizations in London. It concluded that capacity-building schemes might be more sustainable if they offered greater flexibility, and stronger links with other initiatives and local infrastructure organizations.
Source: Jean Ellis and Shehnaaz Latif, Capacity Building Black and Minority Ethnic Voluntary and Community Organisations: An evaluation of CEMVO s London pilot programme, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from York Publishing Services Ltd (01904 430033)
Links: Report | JRF Findings | JRF press release
Date: 2006-Sep
A report evaluated a pilot programme designed to improve partnership working between voluntary/community organizations and local authorities.
Source: Ben Cairns with Sam Brier, Jane Harris, Margaret Harris and Helen Hughes, Making It Real, Improvement and Development Agency (020 7296 6693)
Date: 2006-Sep
An article examined efforts by Scotland's post-devolution government to engage with the third sector and to develop social capital and citizenship.
Source: Nicholas Fyfe, Helen Timbrell and Fiona Smith, 'The third sector in a devolved Scotland: from policy to evidence', Critical Social Policy, Volume 26 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Aug
A report examined the drivers of change in the voluntary sector, and how these drivers were likely to shape the sector in the future. It said that government plans to introduce double devolution giving people more say in their local areas would not succeed unless people were given the skills, confidence, and training needed to participate.
Source: Voluntary Sector Strategic Analysis 2006/07, National Council for Voluntary Organisations (0800 279 8798)
Links: Summary | NCVO press release
Date: 2006-Jul
A trade union report questioned whether there was sufficient capacity in the third sector to deliver key public services (such as employment services), and whether it could do so more efficiently. It also warned that the advocacy role and independence of voluntary organizations could be compromised as their reliance on government contracts increased: the government was creating a new generation of multi-millionaires, and turning charities into big businesses, by contracting out services provided by the state.
Source: Steve Davies, Third Sector Provision of Employment-Related Services, Public and Commercial Services Union (020 924 2727)
Links: Report | PCS press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Jul
A report set out the conclusions of a taskforce set up to promote a sound commercial relationship between commissioners of health/social care services and third sector providers, and help remove barriers to entry for all potential providers of health/social care. The barriers to third sector delivery were clear, and inaction on removing them could no longer be justified.
Source: No Excuses. Embrace Partnership Now. Step Towards Change! Report of the Third Sector Commissioning Task Force, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Report part 1 | Report part 2 | Community Care report
Date: 2006-Jul
A new book examined the interactions between voluntarism and a range of issues including governance, health, community action, faith, ethnicity, counselling, advocacy, and professionalization.
Source: Christine Milligan and David Conradson (eds.), Landscapes of Voluntarism: New spaces of health, welfare and governance, Policy Press, available from Marston Book Services (01235 465500)
Links: Summary
Date: 2006-Jun
The government set out its vision for a partnership approach between public, private, and 'third' (voluntary) sectors to deliver public services. The Prime Minister said that he wanted an enhanced role for the third sector in working with the government to deliver public services that were more focused around the needs of individuals and communities. A series of announcements was made by government departments designed to ensure that the work of the third sector was expanded and properly supported. A 'third sector public service delivery action plan' would be published in the autumn of 2006.
Source: Press release 22 June 2006, Cabinet Office (020 7261 8527) | Speech by Tony Blair MP (Prime Minister), 22 June 2006
Links: Cabinet Office press release | Text of PM speech | DH press release | DfES press release | DCLG press release | ACEVO press release | FT report | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Jun
Voluntary organizations in Scotland launched a manifesto setting out a vision of their social role, including: delivering excellent public services, often to the most marginalized people who would otherwise have no access to support; bringing communities together; and challenging and overcoming discrimination.
Source: Scotland s Voluntary Sector Manifesto: The voluntary sector s vision for Scotland, Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (0131 556 3882)
Links: Manifesto | SCVO press release
Date: 2006-Jun
A study found "systematic failings" in the government s approach to the delivery of public services by voluntary and community organizations. Over half of the voluntary and community groups surveyed did not know at the beginning of the financial year how much funding they were going to receive. Many others had not been paid on time for delivering public services.
Source: Press release 22 June 2006, National Council for Voluntary Organisations (0800 279 8798)
Links: NCVO press release
Date: 2006-Jun
A think-tank report said that community-based organizations risked being left behind in the race to enter the primary healthcare market unless the government did more to support them.
Source: Richard Lewis, Peter Hunt and David Carson, Social Enterprise and Community-based Care: Is there a future for mutually owned organisations in community and primary care?, King s Fund (020 7307 2591)
Links: Report | King's Fund press release
Date: 2006-Apr
A report by a committee of MPs said that there was a lack of expertise, experience and understanding of the voluntary and community sector across government departments, with the result that departments failed to capitalize on opportunities to enhance public service delivery through use of the sector.
Source: Working with the Voluntary Sector, Thirty-Second Report (Session 2005-06), HC 717, House of Commons Public Accounts Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | Home Office press release
Date: 2006-Mar
A report examined how Futurebuilders England (a government-backed investment scheme) could help voluntary and community organizations play a bigger part in public service delivery. It urged the public sector to talk to potential voluntary sector providers so they, and the public, could benefit from the services available.
Source: Stronger Organisations Deliver Better Public Services, Futurebuilders England Limited (020 7680 7880)
Links: Report | Futurebuilders press release
Date: 2006-Mar
The government announced (in the 2006 Budget) that it would carry out a review of the future role of the voluntary and community sector in social and economic regeneration.
Source: Budget 2006: A strong and strengthening economy - Investing in Britain s future, Cm 968, HM Treasury, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | HMT press release
Date: 2006-Mar
A survey found that the government s public service reform agenda was forcing large parts of the community sector to the brink of collapse. The move away from grants towards a contract culture had compromised the independence of organizations previously rooted in local neighbourhoods.
Source: Press release 5 February 2006, British Association of Settlements and Social Action Centres (0845 241 0375)
Links: BASSAC press release
Date: 2006-Feb
A report made the case for delivery of employment-related services by the voluntary and community sector.
Source: Oxford Economic Forecasting, Transforming Employment Related Services, Employment Related Services Association (020 7976 5555)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jan
An article examined the strengths and weaknesses of not-for-profit providers of schooling. Although they had the potential to harness sources of social capital to the benefit of school improvement, these benefits needed to be weighed against the risks inherent in increasing strong-ties social capital.
Source: Geoff Pugh, Peter Davies and Nick Adnett, 'Should we have faith in not-for-profit providers of schooling?', Journal of Education Policy, Volume 21 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Jan
A survey found that 95 per cent of local authorities thought the voluntary sector was a valuable partner and said they planned to commission more services from youth-based voluntary organizations: but almost half said they felt that they did not have a network which represented the interests of the voluntary sector.
Source: Leader Survey, Prince's Trust (020 7543 1234) and National Council for Voluntary Youth Services
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jan