Third sector review final report
The Government's final report of its review of the third sector sets
out a strategy to work with third sector organisations over the next ten
years to promote social and economic regeneration.
The review was carried out by the Office of the Third Sector and HM Treasury's Charity and Third
Sector Finance Unit. It followed the Government's largest ever
consultation with the third sector and built on previous investments in
third sector organisations.
The report sets out plans to promote the partnership between the Government
and the third sector. Most of the measures will be led by the Office of the
Third Sector, which will invest more than £515 million in third sector
programmes to support thousands of community organisations across the
country.
The main aims outlined in the report are to help give third sector
organisations a greater voice and to work with the sector to strengthen
communities, transform public services, encourage social enterprise and
support the conditions for the sector to thrive.
Helping to give third sector organisations a voice
The Government will give third sector organisations more of a voice and
ensure that third sector organisations are able to speak out and represent
their communities.
The Government will develop innovative approaches to consultation, work to
protect the rights of organisations to campaign and mechanisms to ensure
ministers hear the views of third sector organisations on policy.
Strengthening communities
The Government will also work with third sector organisations to bring
people from different backgrounds together to improve life in their
communities.
The Government will invest £50 million in endowments for community
foundations to make sure they can provide grants in the future for
community groups, and at least £10 million of new investment in community
anchor organisations and community asset and enterprise development. In
addition, the Government will provide £117 million of new resources for
youth volunteering.
Transforming public services
The report recognises the vital role of some organisations in helping to
deliver public services, and contains a commitment to improve public
services by fully drawing on the understanding and experience of the sector
in designing, developing and delivering services.
The Government will build the capacity of third sector organisations to
improve public services, though the
Futurebuilders Fund, which provides loans and grants to organisations
looking to deliver public services, training for public sector
commissioners and work to build the evidence on opportunities for the third
sector.
Encouraging social enterprise
The Government will also encourage social
enterprises – businesses with social and environmental aims.
The Government will promote awareness of the social enterprise business
model, and support its departments to investigate areas for social
enterprise delivery, including getting social enterprise into the Key Stage
3 and 4 of the curriculum framework from 2008.
Supporting the conditions for a thriving third sector
Finally, the Government wants to improve the environment in which all third
sector organisations work.
The Government will improve funding arrangements for the third sector, and
make three-year funding the norm, rather than the exception; create a new
national research centre as part of a programme to build the third sector
evidence base; and implement a new third sector skills strategy.
It will also invest over £85 million of new resources in developing third
sector infrastructure through the Capacitybuilders agency, and continue to
focus on the Compact as a means to build the relationship between the
third sector and all levels of Government.
The full report gives details of all the proposals:
To order a free copy of the report, please call 0845 015 0010 and quote
URN 07/Z5 and the title of the publication. Please note
that stocks are limited.
A plain English leaflet summarising the report is also available:
To order a free copy of the leaflet, please call 0845 015 0010 and quote
URN 07/Z4 and the title of the publication.
Have your say
Submit your comments on the third sector review.
