The Government first published a national Compact with the voluntary and community sector (VCS) in 1998 and followed this up with guidelines for the drawing up of local Compacts with the expectation that every part of the country would be covered. Dudley borough’s first Local Compact was published in 2002 and has been revised and updated periodically since then to reflect wider partner involvement and progress with implementation.
Dudley’s Compact, now called Charter, has been reviewed and updated over the past few months based upon our experiences over the past few years and to reflect the changing organisational landscape.
While much has changed since we first worked on drawing up a compact agreement, many of the values and principles that were set out are still relevant. Indeed, it is even more important that we stick with them now given the challenges that both sectors are currently facing.
The voluntary and community sector knows that it cannot expect the levels of public sector funding it has received in the past. There is no doubt that we need to look at new ways of working and to generate opportunities for the sector to flourish within the borough. It is much easier to do this if we work together both within the voluntary and community sector and with our public sector partners.
The values and principles in the previous Compact have been tested in the past and, at times, not always complied with. It is vital therefore that we restate our commitment to this revised Charter and use it to govern the way we work together into the future.
The Dudley Health and Care Partnership has committed in its Joint Forward Plan, to support the sustainability of the voluntary and community sector. Designed to underpin the principle of “Community First” is the suggestion that when opportunities arise for the deployment of resources by public sector bodies to deliver services, establish posts, carry out individual projects etc., commissioners consider how our voluntary, community, and social enterprise sector may be considered as the first option.
The Dudley Borough Local Charter
We would welcome your feedback on the updated draft Dudley Charter. We would like to know:
– Your general thoughts about the Charter and its contents
– How you would like to be kept informed and updated in relation to work and progress on the Dudley Charter
If you would like to provide feedback, please send this to info@dudleycvs.org.uk by midday Friday 26th April 2024.