Report urges end to 'Them and Us' contracts with the voluntary sector'

Launched at a seminar attended by Alun Michael MP, the Deputy Home Secretary, the report draws together messages from more than 20 research projects observing change in the relations between statutory, voluntary and community organisations. It identifies a wide range of policy options that would help the Government to meet its declared objective of moving from 'a contract culture to a partnership culture'.

Estimates suggest that the voluntary sector is a significant force in the national economy. Its combined income has been put at almost £30 billion and it is the provider of one in 25 full-time jobs. The unpaid contribution of volunteers in the UK has been valued at another £25 billion.

Contracts to provide welfare and other services for local government have become an increasingly important source of income for the larger organisations. Yet the typical voluntary organisation remains small and locally based.

Marilyn Taylor, the report's author and a Reader in Social Policy at the University of Brighton, suggests that partnerships between local government and voluntary groups are most effective where there is a tradition of supporting local organisation and community involvement. Organisations and groups with the right skills, experience, confidence and knowledge, find it easier to bid for contracts and work with local authorities on their own terms.

To release more of this 'social capital', the report calls for renewed investment in community and voluntary sector development, including financial incentives and other support for small organisations. It argues that public money invested in this way can represent excellent value in generating new activity among organisations and their volunteers. Modest 'pre-bid' support would help local groups to bid for public sector contracts, National Lottery money and charitable funds and to play a full part in regeneration partnerships.

Public and charitable funders could also reconsider their emphasis on short-term funding for voluntary sector projects and on only directing support to 'new' initiatives. Willingness to agree longer-term funding and contracts would make it easier for innovative projects to survive and reduce an excessive amount of time devoted to fund-raising.

Among its many recommendations for building a more equal and collaborative relationship between local councils and voluntary groups, the report proposes that:

• Councils and other public bodies should earmark resources to ensure that partnership decisions are implemented throughout their organisations. Commitment at the top to partnership working should be reinforced by 'fast track' decision-making and training arrangements for managers and front-line staff.
• Voluntary or community organisations should be clear about their particular mission and the distinctive contribution they can make. They should ensure accountability to people in the community who use their services and lay down clear recruitment and training strategies for volunteers - including socially excluded groups.
• Central government should ensure closer inter-departmental working. The aim of creating a 'partnership culture' should not be frustrated by conflicting policies - such as social security regulations that inhibit volunteering.

Marilyn Taylor said: "Genuine partnership between the voluntary and statutory sectors is not easy, but it has the potential to build on the strengths of each. It can ensure that a wide range of resources and energies are released to tackle the demands of welfare and social inclusion in the twenty-first century.

"If partnerships are to move from 'us' and 'them' to a real, shared sense of 'us' then it means turning existing systems inside-out. There needs to be joint planning and joint working across existing boundaries accompanied by respect and understanding for the different contributions that each partner can make."