Blogs

I have been in my post now for twelve months. The time has gone very quickly as I have been extremely busy.

Our research suggested that regional Compact networks add real value to local Compacts. Now we are putting that idea to the test by establishing the East of England Compact Network

I certainly think so - but as a previous winner of the Compact Champion of the year award, some may say that I am biased…

For those who aren’t familiar with the term, Compact Champions are simply people who are charged with raising awareness of their local Compact, spreading the word about its uses and helping to ensure it is understood and used locally.

When money is tight and sources of funding are falling into the ‘slim-to-none’ category, any new grant programme or opportunity is likely to be welcomed with open arms. But with an unrelenting drive to make efficiency savings, the amount of funding available for publicly funded projects and programmes can be squeezed to such an extent that some charities end up subsiding the true costs of services themselves. This blog looks at why that's a problem and what can be done about it.
 

A week on from NCVO’s annual conference and I’ve finally tackled my inbox (I think) and fulfilled my promise to post a blog.  My colleague Adam Pickering and I were lucky enough to be invited to take part in one of the best attended sessions of the day in discussing ‘hot issues in policy and politics’ with over 100 delegates.

Yesterday, Compact Voice's London-based team attended NCVO's Annual Conference. It isn't unusual at conferences to have to explain what the Compact is to delegates who aren't aware of it. They are usually familiar with its principles, though less so their origin. However, yesterday's conference was slightly different: most people I met were aware of the Compact, but many challenged me to convince them why it was still relevant.

Let me play devil’s advocate: dedicated local Compact workers can be invaluable in getting local Compacts up and running, but can their influence also prevent the Compact from being self-sufficient?

By Simon Blake, Chair of Compact Voice

This week I was pleased to be invited to be on the panel of All Party Parliamentary Group on Civil Society and Volunteering to discuss the National Audit Office's recent report on central government's implementation of the Compact.  Also on the panel were David Clarke from the NAO, and the Minister for Civil Society, Nick Hurd. 

Recently, the National Audit Office published their long awaited report on how central government is implementing the Compact. It’s certainly interesting reading - containing some things we had expected, as well as some surprises - and it sends a clear message both to the government and the sector that more needs to be done to ensure stronger implementation of the Compact.

We live in turbulent times. Many of the structures for partnership working are changing, evolving and in some cases disappearing. I’ve been pondering the impact of this and reflecting on what the essence of good partnership working really is.