Seeking out collaborations as a defence against the coming storm of cuts is perhaps not the best reason for collaborating but it might be an effective one.
Cuts? What cuts? This week the Independent Living Funds have sent out a letter warning clients that whilst current payments to individuals are secure "if you need more care or the cost of your care increases, we are not able to increase your award further".
A second example: Earlier this week the Digital Participation Fund was withdrawn: "As you will be aware, there is a major programme of reviewing public expenditure under way. As part of this, the Government has decided to rescope the digital participation programme.... It is with regret therefore that I have to tell you that it is not possible to proceed with considering applications for funding." Don't ask me what this has to do with conductive education, look at the way the cut comes: "review ... rescope ...not possible to proceed."
There was a sign-of-the-times NCVO "breakfast briefing" this week: "Corporate Community Involvement" I learned about it from a post "Hand in Hand into the Sunset" - a reflection on the briefing theme of mutual benefits from collaborations between charities and businesses. "Collaboration is often seen as a response to cuts, so if you view it that way, it should be on the top of your agenda anyway. But as this seminar showed, it is far more than that." There are several links to relevant material, one example of which is the NCVO's own "Collaborative Working" website. NCVO list the benefits of collaborations as the opportunity to:
- Deliver new, improved or more integrated services
- Make efficiency savings through sharing costs
- Develop a stronger, more united voice
- Share knowledge and information
What struck me about this list is that these are among the benefits that Paces foresaw and expected from collaborating with others groups at Paces Campus to set up High Green Development Trust to run the Campus.
The Collaborative working pages on the NCVO site have loads of information, tips and case studies on collaboration if you want to follow this up.
(Thanks to "Kathryn" at NCVO Third Sector Foresight for provoking this post).
