VOLUNTEERING INFRASTRUCTURE

the Office for Civil Society does not extend to all aspects of volunteering. The Department forCommunities and Local Government leads on civic participation and elements of the Big Societyagenda relating to local government.The CompactRelations between the voluntary sector and government in England are governed by theCompact. The development of a national agreement setting out clear mutual expectations andresponsibilities between sector and state was recommended by the Independent Commission onthe Future of the Voluntary Sector in England, chaired by Professor Nicholas Deakin. This ledto the creation of what became known as the Compact, which was launched in 1998 by DeputyHome Secretary Alun Michael MP.The Compact is overseen by the “Compact Partnership” of two organisations – the Office forCivil Society, representing the government and Compact Voice, representing the voluntary sector.The Commission for the Compact, a body involved in Compact implementation was recentlyabolished as part of the review of government agencies.A single national Compact is underpinned by Local Compacts, agreed by local authorities andrepresentatives of the voluntary sector in particular areas of England. The Compact is notintended to be merely a document, but a basis for building strong partnership working betweengovernment departments, agencies, local authorities and the voluntary sector.As well as encouraging more constructive relationships, the Compact can also be used by thevoluntary sector to seek redress when organisations believe that government has not treatedthem fairly. For example, the Compact requires government to provide at least twelve weeks forconsultations and to give fair warning to organisations of cuts in funding. A Compact advocacyservice, operated by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), providesassistance to voluntary sector bodies that believe the government has breached the Compact’srequirements in its dealings with them.The Compactcan be used bythe voluntarysector to seekredress whenorganisationsbelieve thatgovernmenthas not treatedthem fairly.For example,the Compactrequires governmentto provideat least twelveweeks forconsultationsand to give fairwarning toorganisations ofcuts in funding.4. Structure of the non-profit sectorinvolved in volunteeringNational infrastructureVolunteering England is the national infrastructure body dedicated to volunteering issues.A wider group of infrastructure bodies represent volunteer-involving organisations, suchas Community Matters which represents local community organisations and the NationalAssociation for Community and Voluntary Action (NAVCA) which represents local Councils forVoluntary Service and other local support bodies. NCVO is the lead infrastructure body for thevoluntary sector as a whole.Local infrastructureAt a local level, the national network of Volunteer Centres provides the mainstay of volunteeringsupport and development. There are around 300 Volunteer Centres across England. As well asadvertising local volunteering opportunities, the centres provide support to local volunteerinvolvingorganisations. The network is a mixture of independent organisations and VolunteerCentres being run as part of a larger organisation, such as a Council for Voluntary Service.407 Volunteering infrastructure in Europe 29 UK - England