Volunteering England’s recent policy responses
Watching brief
Current consultations
Other news and developments
Volunteering England’s recent policy responses
Department for Children, Schools & Families and the Department for Culture, Media & Sport ‘Fair Play: A consultation on the Play Strategy’
The Executive Summary of ‘Fair Play’ outlines eight aims for the play strategy and the consultation document highlights several areas where volunteers could have a role in fulfilling these aims.
In Volunteering England’s response, we have highlighted particular areas of the strategy where we believe volunteers could play a bigger role in meeting some of the aims than has been identified.
Conservatives' Green Paper: ‘A Stronger Society - Voluntary Action in the 21st Century’
The document outlines a broad policy agenda to expand the role and influence of voluntary organisations, including measures to:
• Increase volunteering
• Encourage more charitable giving
• Improve government contracting with the voluntary sector
• Encourage social enterprise
Volunteering England welcomes the positive contribution which this Green Paper makes to the policy debate about the future of volunteering and the development of policy and practice. We highlighted the need for how the next stage of policy development should focus on how the local volunteering infrastructure can be strengthened so as to provide an environment in which volunteering by individual citizens and the work of voluntary groups can be sustained and encouraged.
Watching brief
Current Consultations
Department for Communities & Local Government ‘Communities in Control: Real People, Real Power’
This White Paper includes recommendations on promoting active citizenship and volunteering, as part of a range of measures to give people more power, influence and control over their communities. The White Paper contains an annex at the end which gives an indication of plans for implementation; some elements of the White Paper will be subject to formal consultation during the summer months, and DCLG will be publishing a full Implementation Plan shortly.
Department for Communities & Local Government: ‘Empowerment Fund: Consultation on proposals for funding third sector organisations to empower communities across England’
- Read the DLCG's consultation
DCLG have announced that they are going to set up an Empowerment Fund of at least £7.5m to support national third sector organisations turn key empowerment proposals into practical action. The proposed fund will allocate £7.5m to provide support over three years – 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 - for existing third sector organisations operating across England which are helping local communities turn key proposals into practical action on the ground in areas such as community leadership.
The consultation period runs until 30 September 2008 and applies to England only. Successful applicants will be selected by the end of December.
Department for Communities & Local Government: Third Sector Advisory Board
This consultation paper is on proposals to enhance the Communities & Local Government Third Sector Partnership Board, covering its future role and remit, membership and way of working.
Department for Work & Pensions ‘No One Written Off – Reforming Welfare to Reward Responsibility’
This is a wide ranging consultation on the future of welfare. The Green Paper highlights the importance of volunteering; ‘voluntary activity can have many advantages for unemployed people as well as the community. It can help keep them in touch with the labour market. It can offer opportunities to obtain the skills and experience that can make moving into work easier’. The Green Paper advises that the Department wants to ‘ensure benefit conditions do not prevent people taking part in voluntary activity that might help them back into paid work’.
The consultation period runs until 22 October 2008.
Draft Immigration and Citizenship Bill
The Government has published the draft of a new Immigration and Citizenship Bill which will introduce a series of reforms to Britain’s immigration system. As part of these reforms, the application process for British citizenship will be changed. One significant change would be the option for applicants to speed up their application for full citizenship by submitting evidence of “active citizenship” activities that they have undertaken, such as volunteering or community participation.
This new draft bill follows the Path to Citizenship consultation held earlier in 2008 which asked the public for its views on linking citizenship to “active citizenship” and for suggestions on what types of activities should qualify. The Government has published the results of this consultation in conjunction with the draft bill.
The Government is inviting comments on the new draft bill. They can be submitted using the public scrutiny questionnaire displayed on the UK Borders Agency website.
UK Intellectual Property Office – Proposed Changes to Copyright Exemptions in respect of Music Licensing
The UK Intellectual Property Office has launched a consultation to examine certain copyright exemptions which apply to paying royalties when playing recorded music in public. The consultation covers charitable and not-for-profit groups and organisations which play recorded music for a range of reasons. Some examples include fayres and public events but also occasions when music is played as background music at a children’s play scheme, a youth club or in a faith group.
The consultation presents three options which would have different implications for charitable and not-for-profit groups. We would encourage any organisations or groups which play recorded music in their premises or as part of their work to read the consultation document and respond with their views.
The consultation period runs until 31 October 2008.
Other news and developments
Independent Safeguarding Authority
The Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) will now refer to the decision-making body only. The Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) will now refer to the actual scheme that applicants will need to join in order to be considered for paid work / volunteering roles with children and vulnerable adults.
European Parliament adopts declaration calling on 2011 to be declared European Year of Volunteering
Thanks to everyone who wrote to their Members of the European Parliament who wrote to your MEPs encouraging them to sign up to the declaration calling for 2011 to be declared as the European Year of Volunteering. Signatures of 454 MEPs and the endorsement of 17 major volunteering networks, including Volunteering England, have made this declaration one of the most popular in recent years. Only two other declarations of the European Parliament have received a higher score over the past four years. This is a clear sign of the importance the representatives of the European institution give to the contribution of more than 100 million European volunteers to our society.
- Read more on the European Volunteer Centre website
House of Commons; Public Administration Select Committee ‘Public Services and the Third Sector – Rhetoric and Reality’ (Eleventh Report of Session 2007-08)
The Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) has issued its report relating to its scrutiny of the Government’s policy position which encourages the commissioning of public services from the Third Sector – charities, not-for-profit organisations and social enterprises.
The report states that the Committee were unable to corroborate the claim that the delivery of services by third sector organisations leads to improved outcomes for service users. Instead the report calls for a ‘vigorous mixed economy of provision with all prospective service providers judged on their merits’ and that the way forward should be based on ‘intelligent commissioning’ which should be ‘based on a knowledge of potential providers and of desired outcomes, based on user needs’. The Committee’s report does state that ‘the general direction of government policy appears to us to be positive’ although ‘further steps along this path should be accompanied by the collection of much firmer evidence on the impact that third sector delivery is having’.
Ministry of Justice – Governance of Britain Green Paper: one year on
Last year the Government set out its proposals for further constitutional reform in a Green Paper on the Governance of Britain, which included the following aims; to better strengthen the relationship between government, Parliament and the citizen; and to take steps towards a new constitutional settlement. The Secretary of State for Justice, Jack Straw, made a statement to Parliament this month to provide an update on how the proposals are being implemented one year later, which include measures to reinvigorate democracy and the relationship between the citizen and the state.
Your feedback
If you have any ideas or thoughts about the issues covered in this update please email your comments to policy@volunteeringengland.org
Many thanks
Policy and Information Team
Volunteering England
