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| New
report shows success of Compact Advocacy Programme |
17/05/06 |
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The Compact Advocacy Programme has already released £17.9 million
for charities and voluntary organisations through lobbying of the Department
of Health, a six-month report on the achievements of the campaign has shown.
The work of the programme, which campaigns on behalf of the voluntary sector
to uphold the Compact’s principles of relations between government
and the voluntary sector, has also forced the Home Office’s National
Offender Management Service (NOMS) to overhaul its working practices. Essex
County Council has been persuaded to drop its use of service level agreements
for partnerships with voluntary organisations.
Compact Advocacy manager Saskia Daggett said: “What this shows is
that the Compact works, and is a practical tool that can be used by voluntary
organisations to change the way they work with government, local and national.”
She said it was vital that both voluntary and community organisations became
familiar with the Compact and knew how to use it. The programme lobbied
the Department of Health after it was contacted by more than 30 organisations
providing healthcare services, such as hospices, facing service cuts or
closure following the delays to section 64 funding. The DoH has since released
interim payments and honoured the commitments it made to grant recipients.
“Organisations were facing having to suspend their service,”
said Compact Advocacy officer Sultana Begum, who lead the campaign. “Now
they have the peace of mind that they will be funded for the length of their
three-year contract.”
Begum said the programme would follow up the campaign to ensure all parties
stuck to their commitments.
After pressure from the programme, NOMS (which also includes the Prison
and Probation Services) has promised to offer longer-term contracts to voluntary
and community sector organisations.
It will also produce new guidelines on contracting and procurement to ensure
that all its procedures comply with the Compact.
Charitable trust Tomorrow’s People is set to benefit from the changes.
National sales and development manager Steve Swan said: “Our relationship
with government bodies has greatly improved by using the Compact and the
Compact Advocacy Programme.”
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