Clearer, Fairer Funding For The Third Sector - Details Of The Third Sector Investment Programme Published, UK
July 20th, 2008 | by admin |Care Services Minister, Ivan Lewis, today announced new fundingarrangements for Third Sector organisations in health and social carethat will make funding more transparent and effective.
The new system, known as the Third Sector Investment Programme,replaces the ‘Section 64 General Scheme of Grants’. There will be twonew funding schemes for 2009/10, which are now open for applications.
The Strategic Partner Programme will recruit up to 10 organisationsto act as Strategic Partners from the third sector. These partnerswill receive funding to act as advocates for the third sector morewidely, making the sure the views of third sector organisations arerepresented to the Department and communicating departmental policieseffectively to the third sector. This new two-way role will improveunderstanding between the Department and third sector organisations.
The Innovation, Excellence and Service Development fund will fundprojects that have the potential for national impact, contributing tothe Departments objectives of improving health and well-being andcreating better care for all. Organisations will be able to applyindividually, or in partnership with other third sectororganisations.
Bids from potential Strategic Partners and applicants for theInnovation, Excellence and Service Development Fund will need todemonstrate that they can contribute to the following cross- cuttingthemes.
– Information, advice and advocacy
– Personalisation, dignity and carer support
– Community / user participation and peer support
– Prevention / early intervention
– Reducing health inequalities
Ivan Lewis said:
“These updated arrangements for third sector funding will make thesystem clearer, more transparent and fit for the 21st century andhave been achieved through close partnership and consultation withthe sector itself. I am delighted to announce that the 2009/10funding is now open for applications.
“Voluntary organisations play a critical role in improving people’shealth and wellbeing, particularly for some of the most excluded andhard to reach groups in our communities.
“The new Third Sector Investment Programme is designed to ensure thatthe Department can support the sector to contribute its fullpotential, in the context of a fair playing field in which to competefor funding.”
The new arrangements have been directly informed by an extensiveconsultation with over 700 Third Sector organisations on ways inwhich the Department could improve its funding of the health andsocial care third sector.
Dame Jo Williams, Chief Executive of Mencap, said:
“The clear objective for health and care services is for innovativeand personalised support and treatment, leading to improvedexperience and outcomes for people’s health and well-being. Thisprovides huge opportunities for third sector organisations to achievetheir full potential in shaping how health and social care servicesare delivered in future.
DH has worked very hard to understand the challenges faced by thirdsector organisations. The new ‘Third Sector Investment Programme’ isa hugely important step forward in building trust and partnershipbetween DH and third sector organisations at national level, andsupporting the sector, through Strategic Partners, to engage in thereformed health and social care system as valued and equal players.”
The Third Sector Investment Programme replaces the Section 64 GeneralScheme of Grants (project and core).
Funding support for the Third sector from the Department will remainthe same. Changes have been made to the design of the schemes andpriorities to make the system fairer and more transparent.
The Third Sector plays a vital role in the evolving health and socialcare system but current funding arrangements needed to be adapted tomatch the pace of change in increasing devolution of fundingdecisions to local commissioners. The new way of funding willencourage organisations to engage with PCTs as a mainstream partnerin the delivery of health and social care services with supportthrough the Strategic Partner Programme to improve partnerships atlocal level.
Under the Strategic Partner Programme organisations will be able tobid for a maximum of ￡200k per year to deliver activities for sectororganisations that increase capability, knowledge and understandingfrom the existing budget. Strategic partners would be monitoredclosely, meet regularly, be set key milestones to meet, producequarterly reports and be part of an independent evaluation.
More details on both funding programmes is available atwww.dh.gov.uk/thirdsectorinvestment
Applications for 2009/10 investment are now open. The closing date is8 September for stage one applications.
‘Third Sector’ describes the range of organisations which occupy thespace between the State and private sector. These include small localvoluntary and community groups, registered charities both large andsmall, foundations, trusts and a growing number of social enterpriseorganisations including Community Interest Companies andCooperatives.
Organisations in the sector share common characteristics:
* non-governmental
* values-driven
* principally reinvest any financial surpluses to further social,environmental or cultural objectives.
“Section 64″ refers to part of the Health Services and Public HealthAct 1968, which gives Secretary of State for Health the power to givegrants to certain voluntary organisations for health and social careservices.
http://www.dh.gov.uk
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