How to refresh or renew a Compact or partnership agreement

Compact VoiceJuly 2015

What is the Compact?• A voluntary agreement aiming to

foster strong, effective partnerships between public bodies and the voluntary and community sector (VCS)

• Every government department is signed up to the Compact

• Has cross party support

• Applies to England

About local Compacts• Reinterpret the principles of the

national Compact to reflect local circumstances

• There are around 165 local Compacts across England

• Can be established at borough, district or county level

What is included in local Compacts?Issues covered by local Compacts include:

• Funding arrangements

• Policy and service development

• Advancing equality

• VCS independence

• Volunteering practice

• Improving cross-sector relationships Photo courtesy of Kevin Dooley via www.flickr.com

When to refresh or renewYou know it's time to refresh or renew your local Compact when...

• Awareness of it is low

• It is rarely used

• It is used by one sector but not another

• New local structures or new policies have come into existence

• The wording is out of date

Starting the review process• Send out a survey to your partners to

find out what they think of the current Compact

• Hold an event to find out what your partners think a refreshed or renewed Compact should look like

• Find out how the Compact is being used in other parts of the country

Photo courtesy of Pete via www.flickr.com

Renew or refresh?Renew - the process of giving it a complete overhaul – revisiting each section, deciding if the whole document is fit for purpose, consulting on its contents, and possibly rewriting it

Refresh - A more light touch approach can be useful when the actual text of a local Compact is technically up to date, but awareness is poor and local partners are no longer engaged

Photo courtesy of Kamal Zharif Kamaludin via www.flickr.com

Refreshing or renewing: what to consider• Engage your local partners

• Read the national Compact

• Include practical examples

• Style is important, but not as important as substance

• Create supporting documents

Drafting your local Compact• One person should take the lead on

writing the draft

• Get your introduction attributed to a senior local figure

• Use a tag-line to help you promote your Compact

• Include a summary and a glossary of terms

Photo courtesy of Stan Wiechers via www.flickr.com

Consulting on the draft• Consult as widely as possible

• Hold events to gain feedback

• Recruit “Compact Champions” to raise awareness in their own organisations

• Show how you have taken on board responses

Photo courtesy of Highways England via www.flickr.com

Who to involve• The local authority and the local VCS

are the two key partners, but other local partners could include:

• Police authority• Police and Crime Commissioner• Fire authority• Housing association• Job Centre Plus• Clinical Commissioning Group• Chamber of Commerce• Healthwatch• Health and Wellbeing board• Local Enterprise Partnerships

Local Compact signatories• In some areas signatories are

limited to representatives signing on behalf of a wider group, while in others areas, individual organisations sign up

• Signing up to a local Compact often involves including the names of the signatories in the local Compact, but some areas have an online list of signatories that can be easily amended

Establishing a steering group• Should include representatives

from both sectors

• Guide the process of creating a local Compact

• Help embed the Compact in local partnerships

• Can mediate in local dispute resolution

Photo courtesy of Mark Morgan via www.flickr.com

Case study: the Thurrock local Compact• Refreshed in 2012 after falling off

the agenda

• Helped prevent significant cuts and £430k Voluntary Sector Development Fund was not affected

• 80% of grant funding to the VCS awarded on a three year cycle

• Community Hubs established

• Compact made a standing agenda item at Joint Strategic Forum meetings

Case study: the Sutton local Compact• Additions made to steering group,

including representatives of all the main commissioning directorates in the borough

• New project to develop framework for measuring social value in commissioning processes

• Transformation fund for the VCS established

About Compact Voice• Represent the VCS on the Compact

• Co-signatories of the national Compact

• Work to support partnerships across sectors both locally and nationally

• Support use of the Compact through influencing, sharing positive examples of partnership working in practice, and providing expertise

Further InformationThe national Compact: www.compactvoice.org.uk/sites/default/files/the_compact.pdf

Find your local Compact: www.compactvoice.org.uk/compacts-map

Partnership working toolkit: www.compactvoice.org.uk/resources/briefings-and-guidance/partnership-working-toolkit-voluntary-sector

Email Compact Voice for advice and support: compact@compactvoice.org.uk or visit the website: www.compactvoice.org.uk

Photo courtesy of Mark Morgan via www.flickr.com