Immediate release: 8 July 2016, 12.15pm
Issued by The Wheel
THE WHEEL CALLS ON GOVERNMENT TO EXPEDITE
NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR CHARITY SECTOR
Controversies highlight urgent need for coherent policy framework
The Wheel, the national representative body for charities, today called on Government to help underpin trust in charities by expediting a national strategy for the charity sector.
Commenting on the need for a national strategy for the charity sector, Ivan Cooper Director of Advocacy at The Wheel said: “The charity sector cannot continue to lurch from controversy to controversy – the work of the sector is much too important for that. It is the people and communities supported by charities that suffer every time a controversy occurs. We must end this cycle.
“Charities embody an immensely positive social value in Ireland. They result from a culture where people take initiatives to address social issues in their communities, and this approach is supported by the public and State entities. This vital work must be placed a firm footing, one that provides the necessary transparency and accountability for the public while supporting the trustees, staff and volunteers of charities to do their work. In short, we need a coherent policy framework for charities to operate in – a framework that recognises and values the role of charities in Ireland today; that resources their work adequately and regulates the sector sensitively. We call it delivering the ‘Three Rs for Charities’ and it needs to find form in a national strategy for the community, voluntary and charitable sector,” said Mr Cooper.
Mr Cooper added that Ireland’s charities are at work in every community in the country and that they support people at all stages of the lifecycle: “These organisations are in many instances the sole providers of personal and community supports in our health, social and community services. Our charities form the very social fabric that holds our communities together – and it’s all led by volunteer trustees. Yet, a handful of controversies in a small number of organisations are putting all of this great work at risk.
“We must urgently move to prevent further erosion of the public’s trust in the community, voluntary and charitable sector. We need effective and proportionate reporting for charities, and we must avoid reactive regulation and monitoring that squeezes the sector out, in favour of bureaucratisation or commercialisation,” said Mr Cooper.
Mr Cooper said the way charities are funded and monitored should also be examined: “Given that 50% of the funding for Ireland’s charities comes from the State, we need to assess the effectiveness of funding allocation and control mechanisms, such as the Service Level Agreements operated by the HSE and other state agencies to enable both best possible outcomes for communities served by charities and to safeguard public trust and confidence in this work. We also need to understand the implications of the current vogue for certain commissioning approaches to delivering public services and what these approaches may mean for the work of charities and the communities they are rooted in. We need to recognise that half of the funds for these vital services are raised or earned by charitable organisations themselves – and we need to support, recognise and value that immense financial contribution. We also need to recognise the social value that charities embedded in communities bring to society, over and above the actual service-delivery and financial contribution. Taken together, we need to clearly identify what needs to be done to recognise and value the role played by charities in Ireland today, and to resource and regulate that work effectively.
“We believe urgent action is required if irreparable damage is to be avoided to the reputation of the great asset that is Ireland’s charity sector, damage which will have incalculable consequences for the people and communities supported by charities and in which these charities are rooted. We are calling for Government to work with the community, voluntary and charitable sector to address these pressing issues, identify what needs to be done, and to develop a strategy for the sector that will deliver the coherent policy framework required,” said Mr Cooper.
The new Programme for Government includes a commitments to “produce a coherent policy framework and develop a strategy to support the community and voluntary sector and encourage a cooperative approach between public bodies and the community and voluntary sector”.
//ENDS
Ivan Cooper, Director of Advocacy at The Wheel is available for interview. Contact Gert Ackermann on Tel: 086 176 9287 or email gert@wheel.ie
NOTE TO EDITORS
- Page 131:“We will produce a coherent policy framework and develop a strategy to support the community and voluntary sector and encourage a cooperative approach between public bodies and the community and voluntary sector.”
- Page 131: ‘…ensure that all commissioning for human, social and community services takes place in a societal value framework (targeted at maximizing the value for society).”
ABOUT THE WHEEL
The Wheel is a national organisation that represents and supports community, voluntary and charitable organisations in Ireland. Founded in 1999, we currently represent over 1,200 organisations, reflecting the enormous scope and scale of this vibrant and diverse sector.
###
