The purpose of the Warwickshire Compact is to improve working relations by setting out the principles and standards that public agencies and voluntary and community organisations can expect of each other when working in partnership for the benefit of local people.

The original Warwickshire Compact was signed in January 2002 by 18 organisations, which  represented both the public agencies and the voluntary and community sectors.  It was reviewed and re-launched at the Champions Event in November 2005.  During 2010, there will be a further review.

The Compact now includes five Codes of Good Practice, which are based on the nationally approved codes of good practice, which are recognised, accepted and being implemented, by all Government departments.

The Compact and its Codes are not meant to be read from cover to cover at one sitting. The Compact document should be seen as a source of information to be referred to by practitioners in the voluntary and community sector and in the public agencies in Warwickshire as a 'dip in and out' tool, to help them implement good practice policies and procedures in respect of their dealings with their partner organisations.

Although the Compact is not legally binding and is built on trust and mutual goodwill, its authority is derived from its endorsement by government and by the voluntary and community sector itself through its consultation process.

The voluntary and community sector in Warwickshire can, with appropriate support and better partnership working, not only help the public agencies working in the County to achieve their strategic objectives, but also help to ensure that local people with specific needs get more help.  It is hoped that the newly formed organisations, when established, will see the relevance of the Warwickshire Compact to their work and that they will make the effort to become signatories and to implement the good practice guidance of the five codes.

Organisations are eligible to become signatories to the Compact when they have formally resolved to adopt and implement the Compact's principles and good practice guidance.

The first national Compact between the Government and the Voluntary and Community Sector was established in 1998.  A refreshed Compact was published in December 2009.

As well as retaining all the key points of the original, this agreement takes into account recent developments in law, policy and practice.  It is accompanied by a publication entitled 'An Introduction to the Compact', which contains general information about the Compact, explaining who it applies to, how to implement the Compact and resolve differences.

The Government expects there to be a Local Compact in every area and advises that all public agencies, such as Borough, District and County Councils, Primary Care Trusts, Learning and Skills Councils and the Police etc, as well as voluntary and community organisations should all be signatories.

With the Government’s greater emphasis in its modernisation agenda on public sector organisations being much more focused on seeking the views of their service users and the public at large when planning their services, there has never been a greater need for the Compact’s good practice guidance than there is now.