Volunteering England’s initial response to Third Sector Review

Volunteering England welcomes Gordon Brown’s continued support for volunteering in the Third Sector Review. We acknowledge his commitment to improving the quality and quantity of volunteering in the public sector, to extending the reach of employee volunteering, and to investing in the training and skills' development of volunteers and volunteer managers. We look forward to working with Julia Neuberger, Chair of the Commission on the Future of Volunteering and recently appointed Volunteering Champion, to help move these initiatives forward.

We also appreciate the value of a new centre dedicated to ‘the important third sector research agenda’, and would urge those involved to work closely with the Institute for Volunteering Research (IVR), a recognised leader in its field which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.

The pledge of £117 million to v and other youth volunteering agencies is very welcome proof of the Government’s commitment to encouraging the spirit of voluntarism from an early age. However, we were disappointed that no mention was made in the report of the need to support the modernisation and sustainability of the local volunteering infrastructure. Initiatives such as v rely heavily on a healthy and vibrant local infrastructure and without significant investment at core levels their success will be undermined.

Dr Justin Davis Smith
Acting Chief Executive