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Civil society groups have their say in Big Society film and report

Finance | Niki May Young | 28 Mar 2011

A diverse group of civil society organisations have outlined what they want from the Big Society in a film and report launched in Westminster today, and put to Big Society adviser Lord Wei and minister for civil society Nick Hurd.

The Big Society: a View from the Frontline, commissioned by charitable foundation the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, highlights the concerns and effects of the Big Society on five organisations from across the UK and calls for the government to involve the voluntary and community sector in policy making, not just delivery.

Sarah Ward, homelessness and substance misuse manager at Bournemouth Churches Housing Association, who took part in the film, advised: “We want to be round the table with the local authorities and other partners looking at what are the actual problems and what are we already doing and what can we offer in terms of finding solutions.”

The report and film outline a number of key points for the government to pay attention to in its delivery of the Big Society agenda.

Beth Johnston, head of women’s programmes at City Gateway outlined the financial concerns of her organisation: “One big concern is the transition,” she said, “we don’t want to lose good staff, we don’t want to lose momentum because of this lack of short-term support.”

A need for longer-term support through a period of “frequent reorganisations of publicly funded services” was also identified in the case study. The business-like approach necessary to be more robust and capable of service-delivery would depend, it concluded, on long-term financial support driven by the government.

Restrictions of volunteering

One volunteer featuring in the film illustrated that there are great miscommunications over restrictions to volunteers who are unemployed. In the film he advised that the number of hours he could volunteer were restricted because he is unemployed and unable to claim benefits if he works voluntarily for more than 16 hours. While it used to be the case that those on incapacity benefit could only volunteer for 16 hours, this is no longer the case. However, the volunteer, Nick Shaw, advised that he was handed a leaflet by his local council to this effect.

One very real restriction was pointed out by manager of the Banbury Centre for Age UK, Bee Myson. She added that the number of volunteers that charities can take on are restricted by stringent and lengthy CRB checking: “If we’re going to increase the number of volunteers then we’re going to have to ensure that the process of CRB checking is as smooth as possible.”

Myson also called for a wider recognition of the cost of volunteers: “If we were asked what we wanted from the Big Society, it would be very difficult to answer that question without referring to financial resources.

"When it boils down to it, volunteer services don't come for free, we have to resource them, if we want more volunteers we're going to need to resource them with more support staff, and in order to do that we are going to have to use the 'R' word."

Report put to government

The report was put both to Lord Wei and to Nick Hurd, who was then asked to produce a foreword for the report.

Hurd said he “fully recognises that the next few years will be challenging” but highlighted the government’s efforts, such as the National Citizens Service, the Big Society Bank and the Giving Green Paper as helping to “increase the opportunities for the sector” and provide volunteers for the future.

“During my visits around the UK I have witnessed a diverse range of organisations, and their activists, who truly illustrate that volunteers and professionals working together can deliver real benefits to communities,” he added.

“It is those working on the ground who are the most connected to their communities and understand how to make a difference to the lives of the people in them. So I welcome an initiative that enables those local activists to contribute to the debate about what the Big Society means,” said Hurd.

The Big Society - A View From The Frontline from Setla Productions on Vimeo.

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Directory: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
Who's Who: Nick Hurd