Vivienne Denton
Christine
Mark
Vivienne says...
I am learning more and more about organisational development.
Has regionalisation faded into the background since the recession came along and with the 2010 election on its way? Are regions an easy target for spending cuts?
Relating to inequality of local infrastructure provision between areas, under the heading "Stronger infrastructure", NAVCA's publication "Strong Independent Roots", states:
Evidence shows that the third sector's capacity to engage with local public bodies is directly related to the quality and level of resources available for local infrastructure. It is no coincidence that local authority areas that have the most thriving third sector also have strong LIOs. This demonstrates the clear link between investment in local infrastructure and strong support for a healthy local third sector. It also shows why local authorities, PCTs and other public bodies should provide sustainable funding in return for quality infrastructure.
We call upon the Government to focus resources on areas where voluntary sector infrastructure is weakest or non existent and use their resources to lever in local match funding.
NAVCA commits to helping members rationalise infrastructure services so that local voluntary action gets the best possible support. We will provide practical assistance to help local infrastructure organisations demonstrate effectiveness and value for money.
Thank you for posting this article. It really resonates with some of the discussions that we have been having internally in NAVCA recently, and I'm aware that other local and regional infrastructure organisations are also reflecting on their own relationships with their members.
Quality Assurance and Consortia
In Sheffield, a number of VCS consortia have formed for the purpose of winning public sector contracts. Members of a consortium will have an opportunity to subcontract with the consortium body to deliver a portion of the overall services.
The consortia have decided that one of the ways to ensure that their members are efficient and provide value for money is for members to hold an externally accredited quality assurance system.
The consortia are themselves charitable companies, and these consortium bodies feel that ISO9001 is the quality assurance system that will provide them with the greatest chances of success in bidding for contracts. Although quality assurance requirements vary depending on the contract, the statutory service and the locality, it seems that ISO9001 will always score the maximum points for the bidding organisation.
However, the consortia are happy to allow their member organisations to hold any externally accredited QAS, so members are considering which system best suits the range of their organisational needs. Many seem to be choosing PQASSO as the best fit, however some are going for Customer First or Investors in People.
The consortia are also looking into developing an consortium-wide approach to internal monitoring and reporting on outcomes for the work that they hope to take on.
