Compact Voice have released a brief report into their key activities during 2009, in what is set to be an annual series.The report details some of the key Compact-related areas of concern to the voluntary sector, which are currently being addressed by Compact Voice.  It also maps the growth of the nationwide network of Compact champions, discusses reactions to the Compact refresh, and details other initiatives undertaken by Compact Voice during the year.

Download a copy or contact Lesley Jackson, 024 7637 1831, lesley@wcava.org.uk for hard copies.

The Commission for the Compact have published the latest edition of the Insight Newsletter, the quarterly newsletter with the latest views and news about Compact.  Download a copy here or contact Lesley for hard copies.  lesley@wcava.org.uk

The 10th Annual Compact Meeting recently took place on 1st February 2010 at London Zoo.  To read reviews of the day, please go to the Commission for the Compact website and the Compact Voice website.

A new chapter in partnership working between government and the third sector opened today with the publication of a refreshed national Compact.

The Compact is the longstanding agreement that sets out shared commitments and guidelines for effective partnership working between government and the third sector in England.  The original Compact was agreed in November 1998 and this new version has developed following extensive debate and consultation.

This Compact highlights the shared principles which Compact partners should follow when engaging in partnership working, and records all the Compact commitments. These commitments cover three key areas:

• Involvement in policy development

• Allocating resources

• Advancing equality

The Compact has been agreed by representatives of government and the third sector with Compact Voice and the Office of the Third Sector confirming the policy and the ‘commitments’ content.  It was signed by Simon Blake, Chair of Compact Voice, on behalf of the third sector and the Rt. Hon Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, on behalf of government. 

The agreement is accompanied by a smaller publication entitled ‘An introduction to the Compact’. This contains general information about the Compact, explaining who it applies to, how to implement the Compact and resolve differences.  To read the full document, click here.  Compact Voice have produced a Questions and Answers document about the refresh.  To read the short document, please click here.

Local public sector funders and third sector organisations in Warwickshire recently participated in a Monitoring and Risk Workshop facilitated by the Commission for the Compact.  The workshops were designed to look at how monitoring and risk Compact commitments are applied by local public sector funders and local third sector organisations. The workshops are part of the Commissions annual business plan and designed to further develop the Commissions thinking around monitoring and risk along with building its evidence base.

The Commission will produce an overall report highlighting best practice and areas where practice could be improved.  A number of quick wins will be agreed that feed into the overall refresh process of the Warwickshire Compact.

Richard Williams, Policy Adviser at the Commission said “intelligent monitoring and risk management are key Compact commitments and essential to healthy financial relationships. We are keen to see how these principles are applied locally.  The workshops highlighted some excellent practice which the Commission is keen to promote nationally.  The process also identified some key areas where practice could be improved and we are keen to see how Warwickshire addresses them, so we can influence and shape Compact implementation across the country.  I would like to thank all of those who took part.

Accessing European funding can be a challenge for many third sector organisations and new research from the Commission for the Compact has found that, in a small number of cases, European regulations can cause difficulties in implementing Compact principles.  This can result in tight timetables and short-term funding contracts.

Entitled Compact Application and the Administration of European Structural Funding, this research looks specifically at cases where there have been issues in Compact implementation.  It suggests that European structural funding should follow the Compact, the long-standing agreement that sets out shared commitments and guidelines for working between government and the third sector.

The issue of European funding and Compact application features in the refreshed national Compact, recently published in December 2009.

To read a copy of the report, please click here.  To order a hard copy of the report, please telephone the Commission for the Compact on 0121 237 5905.

Angela Smith MP, Minister for the Third Sector, has today apologised for the breach of the Compact caused by the transfer of funds designated for the Campaigning Research Programme to the Hardship Fund.

During Cabinet Office questions, Angela Smith stated that she “regrets and apologises” for the breach and reinforced her commitment to the Compact.

The Office of the Third Sector has suddenly abandoned a scheme to give £750,000 to small campaigning charities.

The decision was announced mid November without consultation, three weeks after successful applicants to the Campaign Research Programme had been told they would receive funds.  Applicants have now been told that the programme, which was intended to help small charities advocate for change, no longer exists.

The funding has instead been diverted to the Hardship Fund, a £16.7m fund announced in this year's budget to support third sector organisations providing services for disadvantaged people.

Umbrella body, the NCVO, said it was investigating the legality of the decision, which is said appeared to breach the Compact.  The Compact states that organisations should give 12 weeks notice of changes to funding agreements.

Chief Executive Stuart Etherington said he was appalled by the decision.

"Making this decision at such a late stage has resulted in a complete waste of public funds and time for all involved", he said.

Angela Smith, Minister for the Third Sector, said: "It is clear to me that our priority at this time has to be to support the third sector during the recession.  The decision does not alter the fact that the Government is committed to enabling campaigning in the third sector".

NAVCA's Chief Executive, Kevin Curley, has written to Angela Smith asking her to reconsider.  The letter can be viewed at: www.navca.org.uk/news/crpcancellation

So far, 160 organisations have been awarded grants worth £14.5m through the Hardship Fund.  The additional £750,000 will enable 15 extra organisations to receive funding.

Those organisations promised funding from the campaign research programme will be offered free campaign training and compensated for their application costs, which involved attending an interview.

Jenny Willot, charities spokeswoman for the Liberal Democrats, has tabled an Early Day Motion demanding the Government reinstates the £750,000 it diverted from the Campaigning Research Fund.

She said the decision was shameful and added: "What is so appalling is the manner in which this has been done, with no warning or consultation.  How does the Government expect to convince other public bodies to abide by the Compact when they treat charities in this way?"

The EDM calls on the Government to reinstate the funding for the programme "without delay".

EDM's are formal motions submitted for debate in the House of Commons, but rarely get debated and are regarded primarily as a way of raising awareness of an issue.

Tom Levitt MP tabled a question to ask Angela Smith whether her decision to divert funding from the Campaigning Research Programme to the Hardship Fund was made in accordance with Compact principles. 

On 1st December - Angela Smith's response:
"Although this difficult decision to divert funding away from the Campaigning Research Programme to the Hardship Fund is not in line with Compact principles, the Government reamins fully committed to championing the Compact.

Due to the feedback received from the third sector, the additional funding will provide grants to organisations suffering financial harship as a result of the extraordinary pressures caused by the recession.  This will mean that more third sector organisations will be able to deliver vital services to the most disadvantaged and vulnerable people in society at a time when they need help most."

Warwickshire Compact comment:

In such uncertain times, statutory partners need to be perfectly clear when engaging in commissioning processes that monies being committed are guaranteed and not at risk of being revoked or diverted elsewhere. - Paul Tolley, Chief Executive WCAVA

The winners of the national Compact Awards were announced on November 4th at a ceremony in London, hosted by Sir Bert Massie CBE, Commissioner for the Compact.

The Compact Awards recognise excellent partnership working taking place between local and national government and the third sector.

Organised by the Commission for the Compact in partnership with Compact Voice and the Office of the Third Sector, the award categories include Compact Champion of the Year, Local Compact of the Year, a Compact Award for Innovation, National Excellence Award and a Commissioner's Award, given in recognition of exceptional achievement.

To read more about the winners, please go to the Commission for the Compact's website.

Local Compact Voice Officer, Paul Barasi, has written an article, published on the Local Compact Voice Forum website, praising the work achieved by Charles Holmes, who retired from employment as Warwickshire Compact Officer in March. To read the article, click here.

The report highlights work undertaken on a local and national basis, championing and funding, amongst other important items.

Research was undertaken earlier this year, by the Institute for Voluntary Action Research (IVAR) and involved local authorities in Calderdale, Derby, Devon, Rotherham, Southend, Sunderland, Surrey, Warwickshire, Wirral and Wolverhampton. The research has been published by the Commission for the Compact and Compact Voice, the independent body which represents the voluntary and community sector on taking forward the Compact.

The research, entitled They are Champions, highlights the positive impact that Champions have on increasing the awareness, understanding and implementation of Compact principles at the local level. The research is also designed to be a practical guide for those organisations that currently have Champions but also act as a blue print for those organisations seeking to recruit them.

Local Compacts provide a framework for local authority areas and third sector organisations to develop and improve their working relationships. Effective championing is key to improving Compact performance and the findings of the research highlight why this is so important. It acts as a practical guide to help local authorities, primary care trusts and third sector organisations both to sign up new Champions, as well as develop the role of existing ones.

Click here to read a copy of the document.

Third sector organisations can play many different and important roles in society, but to do so they need to be independent in order to use their distinctive experience and expertise. In recognition of this, new implementation guidance on independence has been published by the Commission for the Compact.

Entitled Independence Matters, the guidance aims to increase understanding in both the public and third sectors about the importance and benefits of independence and how it can be threatened. The second in the series of Compact implementation guidance, it looks at five common dilemmas that both sectors face and shows how to address them by applying Compact principles.

Click here to download a copy of the guidance or to order a hard copy of the guidance, please telephone the Commission for the Compact on 0121 237 5905.

A new report , Mapping third sector quality sector standards and the Compact, has found the Compact to be complementary to third sector quality standards.

Quality standards tend to be assessment tools that help organisations look at what they do, identify areas where they are doing well and not so well, and decide where improvements need to be made. Many third sector organisations choose to adopt quality standards to help them run their organisations effectively and efficiently.

The research, which was carried out by Institute for Voluntary Action Research (IVAR) on behalf of the Commission for the Compact, looked at eight quality standards and how they relate to the Compact.

The eight quality standards which were selected to be mapped against the Compact included: ACRE Good Practice Quality Standard, Hallmarks of an Effective Charity, investing in Volunteers Standard, Investors in People Standard, NAVCA Quality Award, PQASSO, Quality First and VISIBLE.

The main findings from the report show:

A high level of similarity between Compact principles and quality standards.

A similarity between the Compact and the quality standards across partnerships, volunteering, fundraising and external funding, and strategic leadership and management.

That various factors were found to influence the relationship between the Compact and the quality standards including language and structure

Download a copy of the Summary Leaflet or the full report.

A discussion paper looking at the potential impact of the recession on the relationship between government and the third sector has been issued by the Commission for the Compact.

Structured around eight key areas, the Think Piece reviews various changes that are expected to take place during the economic downturn, and discusses the possible effects on the relationship between the two sectors and implementation of the Compact. It identifies possible pressure points in the relationship where ensuring effective implementation of the Compact could become all the more important.

To download a pdf of the Think Piece, click here.

This is the third review of Compact's in the West Midlands, sponsored by the West Midlands Compact Panel, Regional Action West Midlands, Government Office for the West Midlands and the Compact Commission. To read the final report click here.

Following on from the retirement of Charles Holmes, the Compact Officer, WCAVA will now provide support for the Compact through the four Locality Managers and Chief Executive, Paul Tolley. Their “Compact Champion” role will be to promote the implementation of the Compact’s principles and good practice guidance.

Each Locality Manager will be a member of the Stronger Communities Theme Groups of their Local Strategic Partnerships and using the very successful Rugby model the aim will be to establish a joint Annual Compact Action Plan in each District and Borough Council area and to ensure that each plan is tailored to reflect the different needs and priorities in each locality.

The Locality Managers’ contact details are:

North Warwickshire: Davina Key; davina@wcava.org.uk

Nuneaton and Bedworth: Alison Hedges, alison@wcava.org.uk

Rugby: Clare Montague, clare@wcava.org.uk

Warwick District: Pauline Urwin, purwin@wcava.org.uk

Voluntary Action Stratford on Avon's contact details: Julia Phillips, julia.phillips@vasa.org.uk

The County Council, District and Borough Councils and NHS Warwickshire are all represented on the Third Sector Strategy Group and its aim is to establish a county wide and co-ordinated public agency approach to partnership working with the Third Sector.

Paul Tolley will seek to ensure that this group incorporates Compact principles into the way it works with the Third Sector.

Paul’s contact details are: paul@wcava.org.uk

Lesley Jackson will remain in post as the Compact Administrator, based at the Nuneaton Office. Lesley will sign post queries to the appropriate person , update and maintain the Warwickshire Compact website and communicate with Compact Champions.

Lesley’s contact details are: compact@wcava.org.uk 024 7637 1831

Dispute Resolution

If you believe that your organisation has been dealt with in a way that breaches the Compact’s principles then please ask your Locality Manager for advice.

If the alleged breach has been caused by the County Council, NHS Warwickshire or another County-wide public agency, please contact Paul Tolley for advice.