TAKING THE LONG VIEW OF VOLUNTARY SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE ORGANISATIONS Colin Rochester

Intermediary Bodies The Wolfenden Report (1978) differentiated between generalist and specialist intermediary bodies found at the national and local levels which co-ordinated, supported and promoted the development of the organisations which comprised their membership.

Pre-Wolfenden – Local (1) The Prototype – Hampstead Council of Social Welfare was set up to co-ordinate the work of individual charities by establishing a broadly-based body that would combine the resources of ‘all the churches, all the municipal bodies and all the voluntary associations in a given local government area’.

Pre-Wolfenden – Local (2) Councils of Social Service – The Ideal The ‘task is to survey the social needs of the area as a whole, and, where it perceives a gap, to initiate action. Only if no other body can suitably meet the new need should the Council itself take direct action, and where it does so it will be on the understanding that the new activity is to be floated off as an independent organization, or passed over to some other body at the earliest possible moment’. Bourdillon, 1945

Pre-Wolfenden – Local (3) Councils of Social Service – The Reality The reach of many local CSS and CVS continued to exceed their grasp. Bourdillon made it clear that this vision was not always reflected in CSS practice – not least because of the lack of resources but also because ‘the essential functions of a Council of Social Service … are extraordinarily difficult of attainment’.

Pre-Wolfenden – National (1) The National Council of Social Service – 1919 ‘The idea was a simple one: the belief that the rich and varied pattern of voluntary societies is worth preserving; that it could best be preserved if the diverse agencies were to come together into some form of overall federation or council to eliminate confusion and overlapping; and to work together as partner with the newly developing statutory services.

Pre-Wolfenden – National (2) The National Council of Social Service – early activities campaigning against cuts to health and education in 1921;   providing expert advice and evidence on issues of social policy e.g. evidence to the Committee on Free Legal Aid developing new organisations such as the National Association of Boys Clubs in 1925 concerning itself with a range of issues: work in rural areas 1929-34; work on New Housing Estates 1928; promoting local history and drama groups; and – controversially – work with the unemployed in the 1930s establishing a number of organisations within NCSS

Pre-Wolfenden - Volunteers Creation of the Volunteer Centre UK in 1973 was the outcome of a recommendation from the Aves Committee for an independent publicly funded national focus for volunteering. The Aves Committee also promoted the development of a network of volunteer bureaux at local level.

Wolfenden and the ‘Sector’ (1) Generalist intermediary bodies: Membership is seen as other voluntary organisations rather than also including representatives of the statutory sector. Their functions have been extended beyond identifying social needs and ways of responding to them to include activities of benefit to the voluntary organisations that make up their membership. The focus for their activities has begun to shift away from a comparatively narrow concern with social welfare to a more comprehensive interest in activities in which voluntary organisations were engaged.

Wolfenden and the ‘Sector’ (2) CSS/CVS – Five Key Functions Development Services to other organisations Liaison Representation Services to individuals

After Wolfenden – Local (1) Modest LDA programme in the 1980s Patchy and uneven provision during 1980s and much of 1990s Major investment after New Labour in 1997 - key players in partnership with government -Major investment in ChangeUp Infrastructure Programme

After Wolfenden – Local (2) But New Labour flattered only to deceive As the contract culture tightened its grip, partnership became increasingly unequal. ChangeUp funded ambitious plans for CVS network but did not follow through with the resources to implement them. Increasingly CVS placed their emphasis on providing services to other organisations and tended to neglect their other roles. And in line with the market values of a wider society their members became essentially customers  New Labour lost its interest in the specific value of voluntarism

After Wolfenden – National (1) Post Wolfenden it is possible to discern two major trends in the work of NCVO.   It progressively divested itself of the specific segments of voluntary action that had been contained under its umbrella: the national focus for the work of local CVS became NACVS (and then NAVCA) and the National Federation of Community Associations was transformed into Community Matters. The focus of its work shifted: under the leadership of Nicholas Hinton (1977-84) it had campaigned for the unemployed no matter how unwelcome that was for the then government. Later, however, the organisation had lost its voice in public policy and focussed on the narrower concerns of voluntary organisations – such as charity law and VAT reform.

After Wolfenden – National (2) These shifts in the focus of the work of NCVO contributed to the proliferation of national specialist intermediary bodies. No fewer than 42 of them became ‘strategic partners’ funded by the Labour Government until culled by the incoming Coalition in 2010.

Reflections (1) At local level there is a gap between the model of the CVS and the reality of its performance because: ‘the essential functions of a Council of Social Service … are extraordinarily difficult of attainment’ They lack resources And even where CVS do have resources, they are often inadequate in relation to the scale and breadth of the needs that could be addressed They are burdened with high expectations and heavy demands. As generalist bodies with an all-encompassing brief they can quickly become ‘overloaded.’

Reflections (2) The NCSS might be seen to have some advantages over today’s NCVO: Focus on social policy rather than organisation of voluntary agencies Loss of its component parts No longer can be seen as a single leading body for the sector

Reflections (3) Can they be brought together? If so, why and how? The heterogeneity of the sector seems to demand a diversity of intermediary bodies. Can they be brought together? If so, why and how?

TAKING THE LONG VIEW OF VOLUNTARY SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE ORGANISATIONS Colin Rochester