The Compact is the agreement between the government and the voluntary and community sector which outlines a way of working that improves their relationship for mutual advantage and community gain.

The Compact offers improved funding processes, clear consultation standards, enforceable rights, and an overall improvement in working relationships.

The purpose of the Compact is to:  

• Provide a recognised framework for effective working relationships and engagement between both sectors
• Ensure good practice in all key processes
• “Compact proof” all policies, initiatives and developments from the public sector
• Resolve issues where there is a Compact breach  

The link to the national Compact document is www.compactvoice.org.uk/sites/default/files/the_compact.pdf   

All areas have Local Compacts that provide the agreement between organisations in both the public sector and voluntary sector in that area. The Compact in Norfolk is your Local Compact and has been in existence since February 2001.

The revised Compact in Norfolk was launched on 30 September 2011 at the offices of Voluntary Norfolk in Pottergate. The event was well attended with representatives from both the public sector and voluntary and community sector. From feedback received delegates found the event both informative and interesting, welcoming the opportunity to take the Compact forwards in the form of personal pledges. 

The key messages from the event are: 

• The increased importance of the Compact in these challenging times
•  It is Your Compact so own it and drive it forwards
• Collectively we need to make it a Living Compact 

Brian Horner, Chief Executive Voluntary Norfolk, highlighted the continuing importance of the Compact at a time of significant change within our working environment. Dennis Mawson, Norfolk Compact Officer, then explained the Action Plan to embed national Compact commitments in working partnerships between public sector and voluntary and community organisations in Norfolk. Dennis also explained the “Team Compact” approach required to achieve a Living Compact in Norfolk. 

The presentation is available as a PDF.

Paul Cheeseman, Employment and Skills Coordinator, Great Yarmouth Borough Council and Andrew Forrest, Chief Executive, Great Yarmouth Community Trust then demonstrated the on-going impact that positive partnership working has in a local community.  

An interactive session then gave delegates the opportunity to complete a Personal Action Plan showing what they will do personally to make the Compact in Norfolk a dynamic, living Compact. 

The Compact in Norfolk Action Plan 

In the past there has been a separate Norfolk Compact with its own Codes of Practice. Following the lead of the current national Compact, which is a much simplified document, there will no longer be a separate Norfolk Compact but that national Compact commitments will be those that apply in Norfolk. 

However, not all these national commitments are embedded within working practices in Norfolk and issues still remain as to ownership and awareness of the Compact. For these reasons there is a requirement for an Action Plan to achieve full implementation of Compact commitments. The document “Your Compact in Norfolk” explains the approach taken by the Compact in Norfolk Steering Group to achieve this full implementation, including the Action Plan. 

“Your Compact in Norfolk” is available on this website. Also available is a Pledge Form. The purpose of this form is for individuals to pledge specific actions they will undertake to help achieve a Living Compact in Norfolk. 

Requests for more information or advice on how to become involved in driving forward the Compact in Norfolk should be addressed to Dennis Mawson, Norfolk Compact Officer at: dennis.mawson@voluntarynorfolk.org.uk or 01603 883828

Publication of the National Audit Office (NAO) Report into Central Government’s implementation of the National Compact

In December 2010 the Government renewed and re-launched the national Compact. As part of that renewal the Cabinet Office published The Compact Accountability and Transparency Guide. It sets out measures to strengthen the Compact’s implementation and to hold government departments to account for their implementation of the Compact.

The Guide stated that the NAO would carry out a one-off inquiry into the operation of the Compact across government and its agencies. On 5 January 2012 the NAO published its findings, highlighting some key issues and making a number of recommendations to improve departmental activities.

The major points are:

• The Compact is supported by government departments and there are good examples of it being applied
• There is little evidence that the implementation of the Compact in central government is fundamentally flawed
• Leadership is not always visible in government departments, with recommendations that more needs to be done to increase “visible promotion and oversight … by senior department officials”.
• 40% of consultations issued since the renewed Compact was launched had shorter than 12 week time periods.
• There are concerns with the lack of clarity about the Office for Civil Society’s role regarding the Compact, with the lack of a full time staff member dedicated to it.

Simon Blake OBE, chair of Compact Voice, said:
 
“We are delighted that the Compact is supported by government departments and that the NAO have found good examples of it being applied. However the report also identifies gaps that must be addressed.  We expect the Government to implement the recommendations in full and we will be pressing the Minister on this.
 
In particular the report highlights that there needs to be more visible leadership on the Compact both in OCS and across Whitehall.  This echoes the findings of our 2011 annual survey and remains the most important issue.
 
We will also expect government departments to undertake work to identify the degree of their Compact compliance, as it is important that government departments know whether they are successfully implementing the Compact.”

Relevance to the Compact in Norfolk

Although this inquiry relates to the operation of the Compact at national level, the findings will help us in the work to re-energise our Compact in Norfolk. A visibly strong and successful Compact at national level provides a sound basis on which we can continue to champion the importance of the Compact at local level to meet the present and future needs of people and communities in Norfolk.

As Simon Blake says it is important that Government implements the recommendations in full and Compact Voice will be monitoring this closely. There has always been a lack of clarity regarding the role of the Office for Civil Society for the Compact, including a lack of visible support for the Compact. It will be interesting to see how this particular recommendation is implemented.

Requests for further information should be addressed to the Norfolk Compact Officer at:

dennis.mawson@voluntarynorfolk.org.uk or 01603 883828