supporting a stronger civil society briefing 10 2010

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On 14th October a consultation was launched by Cabinet Office Ministers, Francis Maude and Nick Hurd, on ways to strengthen the support available to frontline voluntary and community groups (VCS). The consultation suggests some ways that the government think improvements could be made that would support the delivery of the Big Society and seeks feedback to 10 questions that they ask. Responses to the consultation will be used to inform the government's priorities for supporting civil society groups and to develop an Equalities Impact Assessment.

Background
The government's Big Society programme aims to give civil society groups (charities, community groups and social enterprises - described in this briefing as ‘the sector') a greater role in tackling local problems. Their vision is based on three aims:
1. Promoting social action - encouraging people to do things in their communities
2. Empowering local communities - giving groups new rights to bid for public contracts and take over buildings and other community assets
3. Opening up public sector contracts - giving civil society groups a greater role in delivering public services

Big Society should create new opportunities for voluntary and community groups over the long term, but in the short the funding environment will be very challenging. At the launch of the consultation Nick Hurd said that the government are "committed to continuing to invest in capacity building for the sector, within the constraints of the Spending Review ".

Improving support for frontline groups
The Office for Civil Society (OCS) says it wants to establish a new programme to improve the effectiveness of infrastructure to support civil society groups. Infrastructure is described as ‘support and advice given to frontline groups'. This is in addition to previously stated commitments to; make it easier to set up and run a charity or social enterprise and to work with the state, get more resources into the sector, renew the Compact and to cut ‘red tape' and bureaucracy.

The government says that it views the current support for the sector as ‘too confusing and centrally driven'. The consultation therefore seeks views on how the government can improve the provision of support and what type of support is most needed.

Funding principles
Four principles are set out that will inform the government's approach to funding:
1. Supporting greater efficiency and reducing ‘dependency on the state'
2. Reform based on better meeting frontline needs
3. Strengthening local networks
4. Ensuring all voices are heard by making sure support is accessible to all groups and organisations

Priorities for action
Although the government stresses that these are only possible ideas, the consultation document does set out some specific ways to improve infrastructure:

1. Making online advice and support better
The government suggests there may be a role for OCS in ‘streamlining existing online directories' and ensuring resources are more effectively shared and made available locally.

2. Encouraging better connections between small organisations and skilled volunteers or mentors from businesses or larger charities
The government wants to encourage closer working between civil society and the public and private sector, particularly in ‘transferring skills to community groups'. They refer to employee-volunteering schemes and pro-bono (free) support as examples of ways the private sector can support civil society.

3. Support to frontline organisations to take advantage of future opportunities
The government want to help groups to ‘modernise' and to become ‘more entrepreneurial'. They suggest a bursary scheme, where frontline groups are funded to purchase support from the provider of their choice (as was done with the Modernisation Fund ).

4. Rationalisation and consolidation of infrastructure
The government says that there is ‘a strong case for rationalisation of support services at a local and national level' and that merger and collaboration are important to ‘maximise economies of scale'. To achieve this change ‘consolidation grants' to support mergers and rationalisation for a time-limited period are suggested.

5. Encouraging better public sector partnerships
According to the government, infrastructure organisations can play an important role linking civil society and the local public sector in decision-making. However, the document suggests that some areas, with weaker ‘social capital' (that is the links between individuals and groups within communities), relationships between civil society and local public sector bodies are worse. Therefore the government proposes targeting support at areas with lower levels of social capital.

6. Central government partnerships with national infrastructure
National umbrella bodies that support local groups have ‘a role to play in shaping government policy'. OCS intends to commission a new strategic partner programme to fund national organisations that represent the sector, or a part of the sector, to inform policy making and can help deliver the vision for the Big Society. This will replace and make smaller the current OCS strategic partners group set up under the last Government.

Further Information
The full version of Supporting A Stronger Civil Society can be downloaded from the Cabinet Office's website: http://www.strongercivilsociety.org.uk/