Embargo: 21 February 2011
INDEPENDENCE OF CHARITIES
QUESTIONED, ACCORDING TO REPORT
Dublin, 21 February – Action is required to secure the independence of Ireland’s charities, according to a new report published today.
The report published by The Wheel, a national umbrella body representing 870 charities, identifies a number of factors that that have the potential to undermine the ability of Ireland’s 19,000 community and voluntary organisations to advocate effectively on behalf of the people they serve.
According to the report, one of the key factor’s undermining the independence of charities is their vulnerability to cuts in the statutory funding they use to deliver essential social and public services.
More recently, new statutory service level agreements and grant agreements have been put in place that require that public funds cannot be used to support activity designed to “obtain changes in the law or related government policies or to persuade people to adopt a particular view on a question of public policy” - to prevent advocacy activity in other words.
“Public and social services are increasingly delivered by community and voluntary organisations. But charities are more than service providers, they also provide a ‘public’ space where private citizens can participate in shaping public policy, and this advocacy role played by community and voluntary organisations is particularly important in underpinning participative democracy,” said Ivan Cooper, Director of Advocacy at The Wheel.
Mr Cooper added that there is a need for a clear policy from the State regarding its view of the role of the sector and its role in sustaining the sector: “The election of a new government provides the ideal opportunity to implement such an agreement,” he said.
The report was funded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, an international charitable foundation with cultural, educational, social and scientific interests. Based in Lisbon with offices in London and Paris, the Foundation is in a privileged position to support national and transnational work tackling contemporary issues.
Andrew Barnett, director of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, UK and Ireland, said: “Across the Western world, public services are increasingly delivered by a diverse range of providers, and not just by the public sector. This is a positive trend but has created many new challenges and all the more so as organisations, previously reliant on government support, have been threatened – perhaps to the point of their very existence – by significant reductions in government investment. This is an international phenomenon and one that cannot be ignored in the context of looking at the future of civil society in Ireland and elsewhere.”
The report titled Independent and Interdependent: Sustaining a Strong and Vital Community and Voluntary Sector in Ireland is based on structured conversations with 25 leaders in the community and voluntary sector. It is available for download at www.wheel.ie.
Note to Editors:
Ivan Cooper, Director of Advocacy at The Wheel is available for interview. Please contact Gert Ackermann on 086 176 9287 or email gert@wheel.ie.
Photos will be released to you picture desk by Maxwell.
The Wheel is a national support and representative body for community, voluntary and charitable organisations. We provide a wide range of information and support services, advice and training to individuals and organisations involved in community and voluntary activity. We are also a representative organisation promoting both our members’ and the wider sector’s interests. www.wheel.ie
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation is an international charitable foundation with cultural, educational, social and scientific interests. Based in Lisbon with offi ces in London and Paris, the Foundation is in a privileged position to support national and transnational work tackling contemporary issues. The purpose of the UK Branch in London is to connect and enrich the experiences of individuals, families and communities, with a special interest in supporting those who are most disadvantaged. One of our current aims is to help the organisations we work with across the sector to enhance their effectiveness in maximising social and cultural value. www.gulbenkian.org.uk
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