Nobody in the voluntary and community sector needs to be told that things are difficult at the moment. When the public sector catches cold, the third sector sneezes and that is what seems to have been happening in Norfolk over recent months.

Budgetary constraints and new ways of allocating funds mean that, in many cases, grants to third sector organisations are being cut back and some are being terminated altogether. This has resulted in widespread concerns that services will suffer as a consequence and the Personalisation Agenda, and changes to Children’s Services, as well as NHS contracts, have been uppermost in people’s thoughts – not least those of senior managers here at Voluntary Norfolk.

Making our case

Since the first discussions on the Personalisation Agenda, Voluntary Norfolk has been working to ensure that the County Council is fully aware of the importance of voluntary and community organisations to the provision of services in Norfolk and of the potential impact on them, and on those who use the services, of fundamental changes in funding and commissioning. We have made similar representations in discussions about Children’s Services and with NHS Norfolk.

At every available opportunity, Voluntary Norfolk has emphasised that a robust and thriving voluntary sector is of vital importance to the health and wellbeing of people in Norfolk. We have made it clear to the County Council that reducing or terminating funding within the sector will not only have an adverse effect on organisations, we believe that it will have an adverse on individual citizens too. Many of the services hit will be those that provide support for individuals with ‘low’ or ‘moderate’ levels of need and which are ‘preventative’ in nature, rather than those dealing with people who are currently classed as having ‘critical’ or ‘substantial’ needs. However, the loss of access to this lower level support will mean that people’s quality of life and, in some cases, health, will deteriorate leading to their needs becoming more severe and the level of support required more intensive.

We have heard the concerns and uncertainties of providers of services within the sector and have taken their views into key strategic forums. We have maintained a relationship and a robust and open dialogue with commissioners and funders, avoiding newspaper headlines and sabre-rattling, neither of which is conducive to productive discussions. We know that change is inevitable, and that for many people, the chance to take control of their services through Personal Budgets will make a very positive difference. However, we also know that times will be extremely difficult for many providers within the sector.

Voluntary Norfolk wants to influence positive practice and ensure a fair process and level playing field for the sector and we will continue to hold discussions with commissioners of services from NHS Norfolk, Great Yarmouth & Waveney PCT, Adult Social Services and Children’s Services in order to put the sector’s case. Voluntary Norfolk instigated the setting up of a Joint Personalisation Forum with Adult Social Services and key voluntary sector bodies to help shape the agenda and changes towards personalisation and to ensure that the needs of providers in the sector and those who use their services remain the focus of the debate.

Using the Compact and Commissioning Guide

Using the Compact in Norfolk and our own understanding of the challenges facing voluntary sector providers, we have done our utmost to try to influence the processes so that they are both transparent and fair and to work with colleagues in Norfolk County Council to find an appropriate path through changes where there is no pain-free ‘magic solution’.

Voluntary Norfolk’s Third Sector Commissioning Guide has been jointly published (with NCVO) nationally and work is underway to look at Norfolk wide implementation of the Guide and its principles. This should make commissioning and procurement transparent and fair for all but is not intended to give unfair advantage to the Voluntary and Community Sector.

Third Sector Commissioning Guide (3Mb download)

We know that it is inevitable that some organisations will see a reduction in funding that could threaten their survival and that some services will not be re-commissioned by the County Council. Whilst we will continue to fight the corner for the maintenance of essential services, we will also seek to support those organisations that are adversely affected by these changes.

Practical Assistance

Voluntary Norfolk will continue to offer help to affected groups and will provide advice on planning sustainability/alternative funding. We can help providers to remodel their services to best meet the needs and wishes of service users and can advise on whether processes have been fair.

Voluntary Norfolk is committed to working on behalf of the sector and will pursue a threefold strategy:

1. In ongoing discussions with statutory sector bodies, we will vigorously put the case for a robust and thriving voluntary sector and to emphasise its vital importance to the health and wellbeing of people in Norfolk;
2. Via the Compact, the Commissioning Guide and by calling attention to the need for good practice, we will press for clear and transparent commissioning models for the future;
3. We will work with, and support, groups that have been affected by a cut in or termination of funding to mitigate any negative effect of these changes.