ALLIANCE responds to Civil Society Covenant Framework consultation
- Area of Work: Policy and Research
- Type: News Item
- Published: 11th December 2024
Whilst the draft Covenant is a positive start, it is unclear how it's aims will be realised in practice.
As the third sector intermediary and membership organisation for health and social care in Scotland, the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE) welcomes the opportunity to respond to the consultation on the Civil Society Covenant Framework.
The Covenant is a new agreement to improve and reset the relationship between the third sector and governments across the UK. The ALLIANCE is a strategic partner and critical friend of the Scottish Government and has positive working relationships with other public bodies in Scotland, including territorial and national Health Boards, Integration Authorities, local government and the Confederation of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA). We have also engaged – albeit less frequently – with the UK Government.
While there have been some positive examples of collaboration, relationships between third sector organisations and government has been transactional for too long. The government is very keen to work with the third sector to develop a more collaborative approach, so we can tackle society’s challenges together.
The Covenant Framework sets out the ambition, scope and key principles that should underpin the new relationship. It includes 4 high level principles – transparency, recognition, partnership and participation – that we envisage will form the basis of the future relationship.
While the draft principles included in the Covenant are a positive starting point, it is currently unclear how these will, in practice, overcome barriers or make any meaningful difference without dedicated time, resources, and significant practical, cultural and systemic changes.
The ALLIANCE and our members have experienced barriers to engaging with public bodies. There can be a lack of value of third sector contributions. For example, in the ALLIANCE’s Stretched to the Limit report, we investigated the impact of the cost of living crisis on our third sector organisational members and found that the majority who responded were facing growing financial pressures.
The ALLIANCE believes that, with changes, the Civil Society Covenant Framework principles would support an effective relationship between the third sector and public bodies and provide the initial building blocks to improving the relationship. However, we do not want this to become mere rhetoric. To ensure that a difference is made, the framework must be adequately resourced and implemented in practice with accompanying actions to record improvement milestones and progress.
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