Delivering Change in a Shifting Landscape Future challenges

Delivering Change in a Shifting Landscape: Future challenges and opportunities for the VCSE and its partners Update on Events and Emerging Themes June 2017

The BCT VSCE Futures Programme 2016 -2018 • Engagement with the sector, funders and policy makers to identify issues and actions • Commission and publication of though provoking opinion pieces on relevant and topical issues • 5 small projects through each of the original Trust partners supported

Process • Phase 1 – Initial Engagement and Design Sept- Dec 2016 • Phase 2 – Engagement and Opinion Pieces Jan – June 2017 • Phase 3 – Reflection on findings – July to October • Phase 4 – Focused engagement on developing proposals Oct 17 - March 18 • Phase 5 – Setting the Agenda April - June 2018

Overall Framing of the Futures Project To create the enabling environment that delivers the best outcomes for the people and places the VCSE sector works with: What specific actions can: • the sector take? • policy makers take? • funders take?

The conversation so far…. • Initial Sector wide Workshop • Ballymoney Community Resource Centre • Community Arts Partnership • CO 3 Conference • Fermanagh Trust • NWCN and Hollywell Trust • Rural Community Network • BCT Grantee event • NI Trusts Group Today! • Development Trusts NI • Early Years • NICVA • WRDA • Public Sector Group • ACF Conference

October Workshop Opportunities and concerns for the sector locally Key Questions: Participants asked to generate their key questions about the future – these were categorised into 4 themes.

October Workshop: Theme 1: Resources, finances and structures • How can we encourage groups to share – there is so much focus on our own targets and objectives? • How to become less competitive - more collaborative? • Is the sector too dependent on government funding?

October Workshop: Theme 2: Contextual challenges • How can the sector retain independence? • Is the third sector a social movement or a service provider? • If the future of voluntary action requires more volunteers, is this a challenge?

October Workshop: Theme 3: The sector’s perceptions of itself and other sectors • How do we get the NI Executive to value the sector in a meaningful way? • How can the 3 rd sector work better with the private sector to deliver social good? • Does this society believe that an independent sector is a good and necessary thing? • How can the third sector hold the state to account when there is such a dependent relationship / funding. How can state decisions be challenged (without fear)?

October Workshop: Theme 4: Impact and services • What future for those organisations without capacity to compete for large government contracts? • Future - Is further “professionalisation” necessary for sustainability? • How can we encourage boards to be pro-active about change when it has been risk averse behavior that has enabled organisations to survive?

C 03 Pre-Conference Survey – Key Challenges Feb 2017 ØFurther cuts in funding ØIncreased demand of services with less income ØPolitical uncertainty locally

CO 3 Conference Premise and questions for participants: To create the enabling environment that delivers the best outcomes for the people and places the VCSE sector works with: What specific actions can: • the sector take? • policy makers take? • funders take?

CO 3 Conference Sector actions: • Information and Communication – Promote what the sector does and the impact it makes • Collaboration and co-operation – less competition • Finance and efficiency – more collaboration and be more selffinancing

CO 3 Conference: Policy maker actions: • Work in partnership with the sector to co-design policies and programmes • Adopt new funding / contracting models • A different approach to bureaucracy • Have contingency plans for uncertainty

Co 3 Conference Funder actions • Encourage collaboration and co-operation • Work together with the sector • Work with other funders • Focus on the right outcomes • Adopt different funding models • Reduce bureaucracy

BCT Grantees Workshop March 2017 Sector actions: • Create and harness new energy and action – not more process • Make the Concordat work • Promote its value – use social enterprise as a means to widen awareness of the sector • Demonstrate • Advocate jointly • Strengthen its reputation.

BCT Grantees Workshop March 2017 Policy maker actions: • Create new mechanisms for participation in policy shaping– e. g. Civic Forum and/or constitutional convention • Link outcomes to need, programmes and policy • Be responsive to public needs and co-design programmes with VCSE sector • Create a sector champion.

BCT Grantees Workshop March 2017: Funder actions • Government funders – more focus on outcomes not outputs • Government – understand what the sector does and how it works • Longer term funding • Grant loan hybrids – to transition from grant dependency • More collaboration between funders • Government – have realistic levels of bureaucracy.

Fermanagh Trust Issues: • Statutorisation of community development • Charity registration • Collaboration • Need to be engaged in community planning • The need to sustain impact – statutories to learn from good projects

Fermanagh Trust Sector actions: • Organisations to challenges selves re aims • Regain independence • Ask for threshold for charity registration • Challenge short term models • Challenge lack of flexibility in funding • Lobby re tendering rules

Fermanagh Trust Policy maker actions: • Make space for direct liaison btw small groups and policy makers • Change mindset of one size fits all • Work in a multi-collaborative way • Be less risk- and innovation-averse

Fermanagh Trust Funder actions: • Learn from good practice on ground • Reduce bureaucracy, take risks • Understand difference between urban and rural • Link between funding and community to identify needs • Remove funding bias towards statutory partners • Invest in independent measurement of outcomes • Remove possibility of conflict between commissioning and delivering

Flavour of themes emerging to date • Need a shared understanding of how the sector is defined: • What is the sector? • Why does it matter? • How to promote it?

Emergent Themes How can the VCSE sector achieve the best outcomes? • Through co-design and co-production; through advocacy and challenge Collaboration is required at different levels • inter-sectoral and intra-sectoral

Other emergent themes • Recognition of the independence and interdependence of the VCSE sector and other players – and the potential tensions between these – is required • More participative structures for influencing policy required • Need for more sustainable funding models • Desire for reduced bureaucracy associated with funding.