Big society for kids

Voluntary sector organisations have a vital role to play in achieving the best possible outcomes for children and young people says Lorraine O'Reilly who gives advice to children's services directors about how to deal with them The voluntary and community sector represents a great resource of commitment and expertise which we have only begun to tap. If the reality of the Big Society is making sure that we break down the barriers between the public and voluntary sectors and between the people who design services and those who actually use them, then bring it on. At the same time, let's be honest. Most of us are still not entirely sure what to make of the Government's Big Society. Some old heads are asking if it is just a positive sheen to the centrally driven programme of cuts? If this cynicism is understandable among local authority employees who are tired of the game of ‘push-me-pull-me' with central government we still should not ignore that there is an opportunity here. We all know that our public services could be better – easier to access, more joined up with each other, more effective at meeting real (not just supposed) need and, of course, more cost effective. Even once we have bought into the vision for the Big Society then we should acknowledge that there is a long way to go from where we are now to make a truly sustainable reality from that vision. In fact, at a recent event – organised by the Commissioning Support Programme (CSP)and Local Government Improvement and Development (LGID) – I was talking to a Conservative lead member for children and young people who was saying that he felt that there needed to be one and half to two years of intensive support before voluntary and community sector organisations would be ready to play their full role. Certainly, ever since the CSP was launched in November 2008 we have been very clear that the voluntary and community sector organisations (VCS) have an absolutely vital role to play in achieving the best possible outcomes for children and young people. Commissioning, after all, should be agnostic about who actually delivers services, so long as they are delivered in the most efficient, effective, equitable and sustainable way possible. How do we make this happen? It is true that voluntary and community sector organisations can take steps to make themselves more ‘commissioning ready', more informed about what is involved when working in partnership with the local authorities and other areas of the statutory sector but it is commissioners themselves who have the biggest role to play. So, how can commissioners encourage an environment where voluntary sector organisations are able to work in such a way that we make the most of their skills and resources for the benefit of children, young people and their families? The first thing to say is that all commissioning has to begin with consulting the service users themselves– in the case of the CSP's work with local authorities and their partners – children, young people and their families – about their needs and what local organisations make the most difference to them. It is also really important that commissioners take the time to learn about the full range of VCS organisations that are active locally and engage in a dialogue with them about the needs and priorities of children and young people. This is also an opportunity to engage with VCS organisations about the commissioning process itself, clearly explaining the stages of any commissioning cycles that are in use and listening to their feedback about how things could be done in a way that encourages their involvement. There are also a number of practical steps commissioners can take to overcome the hurdles that many voluntary organisations, particularly smaller scale community organisations, see in the way of working in partnership with the statutory sector. This includes taking steps to encourage VCS organisations to work in consortia or other partnership arrangement with each other and making sure that contracting arrangements (for example around managing risk) do not discriminate against them. However, beyond these important practical considerations that can remove barriers to VCS involvement, commissioners also need to recognise the uniqueness of the sector and the particular role that they can play in an effective and sustainable Big Society. In particular, voluntary organisations can play a central role in localising services and bridging the gap between service delivery and consumption – both key strands in Big Society thinking. Sometimes in the past people have been bamboozled by the complexities of commissioning theory or the apparent contradictions between commissioning cycles used by local authorities on one hand and the NHS on the other. The simple truth is that commissioning is a set of very easily understood principles and should be built around four basic stages – understand, plan, do and review – which move through understanding the needs of communities to delivering services that meet those needs. Understood in this way, and providing commissioners give due consideration on making sure that they actively encourage the involvement of VCS organisations, it is clear that an effective, sustainable Big Society is a commissioned Big Society. Many of us are also looking to the forthcoming Government green paper on modernising commissioning to help add impetus to this vision. Lorraine O'Reilly is programme director of the Commissioning Support Programme which works with Children's Trusts

Title

Big society for kids

SUBSCRIBE TO CONTINUE READING