The return of the Assembly

We wanted to talk to the elected representatives about issues around funding, the impact of efficiency savings and the relationship between government and the sector.

We had previously raised these issues in our presentation to the Department for Social Development Committee, where we called for DFP to carry out an efficiency scrutiny of the voluntary and community sector. We believe that the requirement for departments to make 3% efficiency savings is simply being passed on to the voluntary and community sector as cuts and this is particularly unfair as most voluntary and community organisations already deliver their services in an extremely efficient way.

It is unusual for a sector to call for an efficiency review of itself but we don’t believe the sector has anything to fear from a review. In fact we think it will provide strong evidence of the vital role voluntary and community organisations play in service delivery. The DSD Committee supported our call for such a review and wrote to the Department of Finance and Personnel Committee to ask them to do the same. Since then we have learned that DFP Minister Nigel Dodds is exploring the idea of a review.

More than service delivery

Of course, voluntary and community organisations do much more than deliver services and we also wanted to talk to the parties about the sector’s advocacy and representative role.

As a sector we are committed to the idea of social partnership and participation. We don’t present a threat to democratically elected representatives, but we believe that people and communities should have a say in the development, as well as the implementation, of the policies and services that impact on them.

The sector was optimistic about the return of the Assembly as it offered the opportunity for real engagement with local representatives. Yet only 10% of the 173 people who voted on a recent poll on the Community NI website felt that elected representatives have a good understanding of the issues faced by their organisation.

At the same time, during meetings with officials from each of the political parties, we heard how most of the parties felt that many voluntary and community organisations do not appreciate the pressures and realities of working in a political environment. Nor was it felt the organisations had a good grasp of how the particular parties work and which issues are likely to be of interest to them.

It is clear that there is a gap in information and understanding between the world of politics and the voluntary and community sector. As a sector, we need to have a serious conversation about how we plug this gap and progress social partnership while still retaining our independence and not simply becoming an agent of government.

White Paper on the sector

In order to start this debate NICVA has called for the Executive to develop a White Paper on the voluntary and community sector. The paper would set out how the Executive and Assembly view the sector and its role in shaping society in Northern Ireland. The Social Development Committee supported this idea, as did the majority of the elected representatives we talked to.

NICVA is also developing a project aimed at providing structured training on the role of the voluntary and community sector for political parties, civil servants and local council officials. The training would cover all aspects of the realities of running a voluntary/community organisation, as well as the key issues the sector is active on.

Part of the training would include a placement in a voluntary and community organisation – something that 89% of organisations said would be an effective way of increasing understanding of their organisation. An ambitious project like this has resource implications and so we are currently seeking the necessary funding for it. However in the mean time there are a number of things voluntary and community organisations can do to help them improve their engagement with elected representatives:

Assembly Monitor

This weekly email bulletin summarises the work of the Assembly in the previous week and looks ahead to upcoming issues for the week ahead. The service is free to all NICVA members and highlights issues that are important to the sector rather than simply reporting everything that is discussed. The Last Week in the Assembly section of the bulletin includes responses to written questions from Minsters and reports of Ministerial question time. It tracks the progress of legislation as well as debates and motions passed in the Assembly.

Policy and Lobbying Forum

The Policy and Lobbying Forum aims to bring together activists and lobbyists in the voluntary and community sector who have an interest in the work of the NI Assembly. It is a place to share good practice, tips and inside information and to learn from each other. The Forum also aims to increase the knowledge and capacity of its members through a series of guest speakers. Previously, these have included: Mervyn Storey MLA, who spoke about influencing the DUP party group; Dr Brian Crowe, Head of Policy at UUP, who spoke on influencing UUP party policy and; Michael McKernan, Special Advisor to DSD Minister Margaret Ritchie.

The next meeting will be on Thursday 2 October 2008 from 10.30am – 12.30pm in NICVA. Dr Gareth McGrath, the new director of engagement of the Northern Ireland Assembly, will be the guest speaker. To book a place please contact jonny.currie@nicva.org.

Get to know the NI Assembly

This is a half day information session which explains the procedures of the Northern Ireland Assembly and the rules that govern them. Participants will learn about a typical week in the life of the Assembly and how legislation is passed and be introduced to the various tools voluntary and communality organisations can use to influence MLAs and Ministers.

The next sessions will be held on Friday 26 September 2008 from 10.00am – 12.30. To book a place contact cathy.breslin@nicva.org.