Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC) has welcomed the publication of the new Civil Society Covenant, which sets out a “new model of partnership between civil society and government”. 

Launched on Thursday 17th July by the Rt Hon Lisa Nandy MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, the Covenant outlines a series of principles designed to foster understanding of the vital role played by civil society in the UK. The principles are recognition and value; partnership and collaboration; participation and inclusion; and transparency and data. Each principle is supported by a set of recommendations for government and civil society organisations and leaders.

Ms. Nandy said, “I am proud to launch the Civil Society Covenant – a new chapter in the relationship between this government and the remarkable civil society organisations that form the backbone of our communities.”

Speaking at the launch event, Sarah Elliot, outgoing chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations said that the Covenant was about “really understanding and respecting the distinct roles of civil society and government…(and) working together to prevent problems upstream and design funding models that will support long-term solutions.”

Brian Carr, chief executive of BVSC, noted that the launch of the Covenant was “a valuable recognition of the vital role played by community and voluntary organisations in working with government to build a healthy society”, but noted that “we can’t simply rely on warm words – we need to accompany those with clear, concerted actions to forge and strengthen strong links between public sector agencies, voluntary groups, and local citizens.”

He further commented, “there is much to build on in Birmingham, which in many ways has been ahead of the curve in this area. During and since the pandemic, we’ve seen tremendous progress in public bodies more formally engaging the city’s community and voluntary sector in initiatives to support local communities. There has been closer working with Birmingham City Council, Birmingham Children’s Trust, and other partners in developing stronger early help models for families, as well as prevention and early intervention models for vulnerable adults. The voluntary sector has also been at the forefront of the City Strategic Partnership's work to develop the City Vision and Birmingham Promise, and has worked closely with the Integrated Care System to form the Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise Alliance which gives communities a stronger voice in the development of health and social care services in the region. These are only a few examples of many, and it’s great to see growing recognition that the voluntary sector isn't a 'nice to have' but a 'need to have' – but we can’t ignore the fact that financial and social pressures are continuing to mount for all of us, and there isn't yet full consistency of approach across the system. It’s going to be ever more important to ensure these strong relationships are firmed up. BVSC looks forward to supporting colleagues in the sector, and local public sector partners, to implement the recommendations of the Covenant.”

You can find more details on the Covenant, along with a set of tools to support the embedding of its principles, here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-society-covenant/civil-society-covenant