Dear [merge My Profile:Name]

As the year draws to a close, the disturbing news that the Office of the Third Sector had breached the Compact made headlines throughout the Sector, highlighting just how important Compact principles are.

However, there's so much more happening in the Compact world in the lead-up to the festive season; the long-awaited refreshed Compact is nearly upon us, your Compact Stories are flooding in, we're Twittering, and our dedicated band of regional leaders will be stepping up their support for you all in the coming months. Please read on!

Kind regards,

Dugald McNaughtan
Communications Officer,
Compact Voice

The keenly anticipated refreshed national Compact will be launched on 16 December. Be one of the first to view this document by registering with Compact Voice to receive a PDF copy by email.

Register now

Compact Voice has called for an independent investigation into the recent decision by the Office of the Third Sector to cancel the Campaign Research Programme, writing a letter to Angela Smith, Minister for the Third Sector.

Read the letter and background

Regional leader network launches

Compact Voice's regional leader network has been boosted by the recent appointment of Shamsher Chohan, and is gearing up for a busy 2010. The network covers all regions in England and offers support, advice and regional coordination for all Compact partnerships.

Find out more

Voice4Change launches new Compact site

Voice4Change England, a policy group representing the interests of the BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) Third Sector, has launched a new Compact website for its members.

Find out more

NCVO Annual Conference - book now

NCVO's annual conference is on again in 2010. Themed "The Good Society – a time for action", the event will be held in Central London on 23 February. It will feature workshops, networking and high-profile guest speakers.

Find out more and book your place

NI 7 Compact map and printable flyer

The NI7 Indicator calls for the creation of an environment for a thriving third sector. Our resource section has been updated continuously, and now features an interactive map and printable flyer.

Check out these resources

Can they cut my funding?

The Compact Advocacy Programme helps voluntary and community groups get a better outcome in their dealings with public bodies. In this article, they outline some typical concerns, and remedies.

Read the article

Meet Safder Mohammed from West Sussex CVS

Safder has been in post for 15 months as West Sussex's Compact/N.I.7 Development Worker. Prior to this he worked on development projects with both the statutory and voluntary and community sectors, promoting equality of opportunity in health services and user involvement in health planning.

Q. Do you think there’s more need for a Compact in its second decade than in its first?
Emphatically yes, particularly given the evolving environment that we are living in, the shift away from grant funding and towards contracts and commissioning means that the Compact will be part of the regulatory framework within which both the statutory sector and the VCS have to operate. That it is a voluntary agreement means that both sides have to work together to make sure that it works to mutual advantage.

Q. How well do you think Compact is representing the sector as a whole?
Local Compacts are critical, they need to try to reflect the breadth of a diverse sector, and to make themselves as applicable to the very small as well as the very large. Not any easy task, but there needs to be as much emphasis on the wider role of the sector as there is on the role of the sector as a direct service provider on behalf of the statutory sector, and this has to include the development of representative structures that allow all VCS organisations the opportunity to have their voices heard. The Compact offers this opportunity, but we, as the people who oversee the development of local Compacts have to try and ensure that the opportunity is made available.

Q. Can you give us the best example of Compact usage in your own organisation?
Our work on trying to build strong and open partnerships has been very important, particularly our attempts at trying to build representative structures that allow the sector to have an influence on the development of policy and practice within the statutory sector.

Q. What is the one key point you’ve made about the Compact recently, for example at a national address?
Sorry to keep harping on about representation, but this has been one of the critical issues for us in West Sussex. We have in the past felt as though no matter how loud we shout we are not being listened to or heard. Now however, we feel as though we are beginning to have this point recognised by our statutory sector partners. We hope this leads to the development of structures that allows the sector the opportunity to influence those that have such a strong part in our future as equal partners.