23/10/2014 - Permalink

Are you aware of the Shropshire Compact?

Related topics: Community / Partner organisations

Compact Week 2014 is running from Monday 3 November to Friday 7 November 2014. Compact Week is an annual celebration which takes place across England to promote and recognise the Compact – the longstanding agreement that sets out shared commitments and guidelines for partnership working between the voluntary and public sectors.

The week engages voluntary organisations, both locally and nationally, Government departments, councils and other public sector partners working with the Compact.

Gwilym Butler, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for leisure, libraries and culture, and Chair of the Shropshire Compact Group, said:

“The theme for this year’s Compact Week is ‘Facing the future: commissioning together’.  We are fortunate in Shropshire in that we have strong commitment across the public sector to work together and to understand how we can best commission and work in partnership with local voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations.”

The theme is aimed at promoting strong, lasting partnerships between voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations, and commissioning bodies such as Local Enterprise Partnerships and Police and Crime Commissioners, to name just two.

The Shropshire Compact was refreshed in 2013 to work more closely with the range of public sector commissioners working across Shropshire.  The document sets out good practice in relationships between commissioners and VCSE organisations, and highlights agreed ways of working.  The aim is to embed good practice in partnership working.

Key themes include:

  • Stronger and effective partnerships
  • Effective engagement
  • Sharing information
  • Allocating resources
  • Enabling change
  • Delivering outcomes and social value
  • Quality in delivery.

Well-known commitments include provision of adequate time periods for engagement and consultation, and six months notice of changes in financial agreements.  A copy of the Shropshire Compact can be accessed here:  http://vcsvoice.org/the-compact/

A Shropshire Compact Group meets regularly, with members including Shropshire Council, Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group, Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service, and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.  More recently, the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership pledged its commitment to support the Compact.

To find out more about the Shropshire Compact contact Sarah Dodds, VCS Assembly Coordinator, sarah.dodds@shrosphire.gov.uk or VCSAssembly@shropshire.gov.uk, ring: 01743 252740.