Have you ever been part of a voluntary group and felt you were being unfairly treated by a larger organisation? Do you work for a statutory body and feel frustrated that voluntary organisations are unpredictable and don't always deliver what they promise?

 

Respecting each other and fair treatment are foundations to real partnerships between the Voluntary Sector (clubs, community associations, charitable groups) and the Statutory Sector (Councils, Health Trusts, The Police). Setting standards for this is what the Compact is all about.

 

 

A compact is an agreement, mutually designed by community and voluntary groups and statutory organisations in partnership.

 

The Compact details the relationship between the two sectors, and sets out how they should behave towards each other.  A Compact contains general principles, aims and standards. These standards are agreed by all of the groups involved and those parties sign up to the commitments in the document (for example, treating each other with respect, giving each other a certain amount of notice of major decisions). The Compact is then broken down into codes, which go into more specific detail about what is expected from each organisation.

 

Because the document is designed and agreed by all members of the group, the theory is that groups will adhere to its standards, because they have ownership of it and will want "to hold up their end of the bargain".

 

 

The Compact is not a contract and relates to organisations, not individuals.

 

 

In 1997 Government instigated the process of negotiating a "Compact".  By 1998, the National Compact was launched and ministers directed that all local authorities and statutory organisations were to develop a compact at borough and district level with a deadline of April 2004.

 

The Compact was put into place to standardise the way statutory agencies and community groups work together, so that procedures are clear, agencies are accountable and relationships work well. The statutory sector relies on the community sector to deliver services that it cant, perhaps because they have no expertise in that area. The Community / voluntary sector often relies on the Statutory Sector (especially Councils) for funding and support. Therefore it makes sense to have a set of principles and commitments which all sides agree to, which will only improve the way the two sectors work together, which will, as a result provide a better service for our communities.

 

For more information about the Havant Borough Compact, please contact The Community Development Team on 023 9244 6495.    Further information on the Compact, from a Community and Voluntary Sector perspective is available on the NCVO website at http://www.thecompact.org.uk/  (this is an external website)

 

 

Volunteers can do almost anything and they provide a vital service to many people.  Volunteers can undertake a range of tasks, from helping an elderly neighbour with their shopping, to providing legal advice for a local charity.  Volunteers make a vital contribution to all aspects of community life.  For more information on volunteering in the Borough visit www.volunteercentre.net/havant (this is an external website)