1.Welcomes and Introductions

2. Paper 2/ARC/2000 - Action Plan for Implementing the Compact in 2000/01

3 Paper 1/ARC/2000 - Progress Report on the Development of the Compact and Code of Good Practice

-Code of Good Practice on Consultation and Policy Appraisal
-Code of Good Practice on Funding
-Code of Good Practice on Black and Minority Ethnic voluntary and community organisations
-Code of Good Practice on Volunteering
-Code of Good Practice on Community Groups
-Local Compacts

4. Paper 3/ARC/2000 Partnership – a Sector Perspective: discussion paper by the Voluntary and Community Sector’s Working Group on Government Relations

5. Conclusions and Close

1. Welcome and Introductions

1.1 Paul Boateng began by welcoming everyone to the meeting and said that it was an important milestone in the development of the Compact and the relationship between Government and the Sector. He noted in particular that the Codes of Good Practice on Funding and Consultation and Policy Appraisal were being published the same day. This was a significant achievement. Sir Kenneth Stowe endorsed Paul Boateng’s remarks and agreed that it was important that the meeting should not only reflect on what had been achieved so far, but should also look forward to what must be done to secure further the implementation of the Compact in the year ahead. At Paul Boateng’s suggestion, the meeting agreed to consider Paper 2/ARC/2000 Action Plan for Implementing the Compact in 2000/01 before Paper 1/ARC/2000 Progress Report on the Development of the Compact and Codes of Good Practice.

2. Paper 2/ARC/2000 - Action Plan for Implementing the Compact in 2000/01

2.1 Paul Boateng explained that the Action Plan at Annex A to Paper 2 had been informed by the results of separate surveys of central Government and the voluntary and community sector. The findings of the questionnaire sent to central Government departments, Government Offices for the Regions and a sample of Executive Agencies were at Annex B of Paper 2. Paul Boateng mentioned some key points from the paper:

• 74% of respondents had taken some action to disseminate the Compact and 95% had identified further scope for dissemination;

• 89% of Government respondents were due to carry out a consultation with the sector in the next 12 months and 47% would be developing new funding programmes that will affect the sector. This highlighted the importance of the two Codes that were being launched at the meeting; and

• 59% said it was too early to say if the Compact had been useful in guiding their relationship with the sector. The Action Plan would be a useful way of reinforcing the framework set down by the Compact.

2.2 Paul Boateng invited Neil Bradley to summarise for the meeting the main points from the Action Plan. These included:

• target dates for finalising the remaining three Codes of Good Practice, which would provide the level of detail necessary to implement the Compact;

• measures, including joint Government-Sector initiatives, aimed at raising awareness of the Compact and its application; and

• the development of Compacts at a regional and local level.

2.3 Sir Kenneth Stowe noted that six of the Action Plan points were joint initiatives, which was a significant step.

2.4 Paul Boateng noted that the last point of the Action Plan addressed the issue of mediation and commented on the need to agree a way forward on this issue. He hoped that, by the next annual review meeting, there would be a clearer steer on how Government and the Sector could utilise mediation in respect of the Compact and its supporting Codes. Sir Kenneth Stowe agreed and added that it would be important to avoid a bureaucratic approach to any process of mediation.

2.5 The meeting approved the Action Plan (at Annex A of Paper 2/ARC/2000) as a basis for taking forward the implementation of the Compact in 2000/01.

3. Paper 1/ARC/2000 - Progress Report on the Development of the Compact and Code of Good Practice

3.1 Paul Boateng introduced Paper 1/ARC/2000 which set out the progress that had been made to date in developing the Compact and its associated Codes of Good Practice. He commented on the good progress that had been made in agreeing the Codes on Consultation and Policy Appraisal and Funding, which had been published on 9 May.

3.2 Sir Kenneth Stowe commented that the principles of the Compact had been widely welcomed. He underlined the importance of the partnership approach that had been taken to developing the Codes of Good Practice that would underpin the Compact itself. Of equal importance was the investment that had been made in consultation, both across Government and the Sector. This would help to ensure that the Codes had ‘legitimacy’.

Code of Good Practice on Consultation and Policy Appraisal

3.3 Paul Boateng said that the Government was committed to making consultation and policy development more effective. William Plowden, Chair of the Sector’s sub group on Consultation and Policy Appraisal, said that the Code of Good Practice on Consultation and Policy Appraisal had been informed by feedback from grass roots organisations as well as existing best practice within Government. Implementation of the Code provided both the Government and the Sector with an excellent opportunity to improve their performance. It was particularly pleasing to note that the Code recognised that wherever possible 12 weeks should be allowed for replies to written consultations. This recognised the need to accommodate the work cycles of organisations working with voluntary management committees and to reach the local level or member organisations. The Code also provided for reasons to be specified in instances where less than 12 weeks was allowed. These were positive developments that would be welcomed by the Sector.

Code of Good Practice on Funding

3.4 Paul Boateng raised the issue of the government's funding relationship with the Sector and commented on the need for a more joined-up approach across Government.

3.5 Margaret Hodge said the Department for Education and Employment recognised that tensions sometimes arose between Government and the Sector about the way in which Government provided core and project funding to the voluntary and community organisations. She agreed with Paul Boateng that a more consistent, cross-departmental approach to funding would be helpful. She expressed her hope that the Code of Good Practice on Funding would have significant benefits for both Government and the Sector. In terms of staff resources, she added that two-way secondments between Government departments and voluntary and community organisations helped to share expertise and enhance mutual understanding. Paul Boateng agreed that such secondments were very much in the spirit of the Compact and were to be encouraged. It was noted that work was underway between NCVO and the Cabinet Office on the development of secondments between Government and the Sector.

3.6 John Hutton said that the Department of Health had a well-developed relationship with the Sector. The Department valued that relationship and recognised that the Sector was a key player in the Government's plans for improving the National Health Service and Social Services. In respect of the Departments of Health’s funding relationship with the Sector, John Hutton apologised for the difficulties that had arisen this year in respect of the payment of ‘Section 64’ grants. Steps had been taken to ensure that such difficulties would not be repeated next year.

3.7 Margaret Bolton, Chair of the Sector’s sub group on Funding, underlined the importance attached to the fact that the development of the Code of Good Practice on Funding had been a joint endeavour. She welcomed the constructive approach that had been taken by the Active Community Unit, other Government departments and members of the subgroup on Funding. This had helped to ensure that the Code embodied the key considerations that emerged from a consultation exercise carried out by the Sector’s Working Group on Government Relations as well as existing best practice within Government. She also welcomed the three areas for further work on funding issues set out in the Action Plan (Annex A to Paper 2/ARC/2000).

Code of Good Practice on Black and Minority Ethnic voluntary and community organisations

3.8 Mark Blake, chair of the sub-group developing the Code of Good Practice on Black and Minority Ethnic voluntary and community organisations, provided an update on the sub group’s work. He said that the sub group had published its proposals in April 2000. These had been circulated to 5,000 organisations. The consultation, which would include seminars, would end in July 2000. It was planned to finalise the Code in October 2000. Mark Blake proceeded to identify some of the key messages that had emerged to date:

• Government needed to involve BME organisations in policy development. The work of the Social Exclusion Unit in this respect was cited as a good example. On the other hand, some BME organisations had felt that there was scope for them to have been more involved with certain Health Action Zones;

• policies aimed at tackling social exclusion needed to be effectively targeted at BME communities;

• the share of Government funding to BME organisations should be monitored, and the potential of BME organisations to become mainstream service providers should be recognised; and

• statutory agencies needed to engage with BME organisations at the local level, where most Government programmes were delivered.

3.9 John Hutton expressed concern that some Health Action Zones might not be fully engaged with BME organisations and communities. He invited Mark Blake to discuss the issue further with him after the meeting.

3.10 Alan Howarth said that the Department of Culture Media and Sport was keen to ensure that appointments to its Non-Departmental Public Bodies took account of diversity issues. He said that he would be interested, at some stage, to have the sub group’s views about how potential candidates from BME communities could be encouraged to put themselves forward for such appointments.

Code of Good Practice on Volunteering

3.11 Christopher Spence, chair of the sub group on volunteering, informed the meeting that the sub group had been established in October 1999 and that its proposals for the Code of Good Practice on Volunteering were published for consultation in May 2000. The aim of the Code would be to encourage good practice and greater consistency on volunteering issues. It was planned to finalise the Code in November 2000

Code of Good Practice on Community Groups

3.12 Elizabeth Collingridge, chair of the sub-group on Community Groups, informed the meeting that a survey to identify key issues for inclusion in the Code of Good Practice on Community Groups had been circulated to the Sector and they had received an encouraging response. She drew attention to the fact that the Community Groups Code was different from the two that had been launched at the meeting because it was addressing a 'constituency' rather than a particular topic. They would, however, be building on the material included in the topic-based codes. She expressed her thanks to the Active Community Unit for agreeing to pay the travelling expenses of the sub group, which would help to facilitate the involvement of members from 'grass-roots' organisations. It was planned to finalise the Code in December 2000.

Local Compacts

3.13 Mr Boateng invited the meeting to note the progress that had been made in developing good practice guidelines on local Compacts for publication in June 2000. He said that there was still some way to go to develop an awareness of the Compact at a local level, and added that the publication of the guidelines should be supported by a strategy to encourage local authorities to participate in the formation of local Compacts. Cllr. Steve Lancashire agreed and commented that the consultation exercise, as a first step, had helped to generate an enormous amount of interest amongst both local authorities and voluntary and community groups. He also emphasised the importance of ensuring that the Local Compacts Steering Group included representation from not only local Government and voluntary and community organisations, but also central Government departments that had an interest in the development of local Compacts.

3.14 The meeting noted the progress that had been made in agreeing the Codes of Good Practice on Funding and Consultation and Policy Appraisal and approved the timetable for finalising the remaining Codes, namely: Black and Minority Ethnic voluntary and community organisations (October 2000); Volunteering (November 2000); and Community Groups (December 2000). The meeting also agreed that the good practice guidelines on developing local Compacts should be supported by a strategy for encouraging local public spending bodies to participate in the formation of local Compacts.

4. Paper 3/ARC/2000 Partnership – a Sector Perspective: discussion paper by the Voluntary and Community Sector’s Working Group on Government Relations

4.1 Sir Kenneth Stowe introduced this paper, which had been prepared by the Working Group on Government Relations. Sir Kenneth said that the aim of the paper was to give an overview, from the Sector’s perspective, of the development of partnership with Government. Adam Gaines commented that the paper helped to illustrate the breadth of engagement between the Government and the Sector, and highlighted issues relevant to the ongoing development of policy and involvement of the Sector. He mentioned examples of good practice including the Policy Action Team reports prepared under the auspices of the Social Exclusion Unit, which were a positive example of how the Sector’s expertise could be brought to bear on the development of policy. He also said that it would be useful to consider the learning derived from the development of partnerships at future annual meetings to review the operation and development of the Compact.

5. Conclusions and Close.

5.1 Sir Kenneth Stowe remarked that the Compact was a unique development in the relationship between Government and the Sector, and added that it was a phenomenon that was being remarked upon worldwide. He welcomed the progress that had been made to date, and looked forward to the implementing the Action Plan over the next 12 months.

5.2 Paul Boateng expressed his thanks and those of his Ministerial colleagues for the constructive way in which Working Group on Government Relations and the Active Community Unit had worked together in developing the Codes of Good Practice and identifying the priorities for the next 12 months.

Active Community Unit & Working Group on Government Relations

May 2000

Compact on Relations between Government and the voluntary and community sector in England. Cm 4100 pdf document

May 2000 Action Plan for Implementing the Compact