Posted by Lindsay on 29/10/2009
There is considerable concern around the impact of personal budgets on the voluntary and community sector (VCS) as a whole and on volunteering in particular. There is a clear need for increased understanding within the VCS about potential implications of the personalisation agenda. Consideration also needs to be given at this stage to the impact it will or may have on the nature of volunteering. One East Midlands recently hosted a conference on volunteering in partnership with its members, funders and stakeholders. Louise Beatty from the Office of the Third Sector (OTS) facilitated a workshop on the personalisation agenda and its likely impact on volunteering activity in health and social care. Key conclusions drawn from the workshop reflect some of the questions, challenges and opportunities presented to the VCS and the coordination of volunteer activity as the personalisation agenda evolves. This key question was voiced during the workshop: should volunteers be taking on roles formerly delivered through paid employment? A major challenge lies in how to plan and prepare to deliver services when the VCS does not know how many service users are likely to buy its services. Furthermore, the definitions of what funding people qualify for through personalisation are not consistent between local authorities. There may be niches in which the VCS can deliver well but there is lots of surrounding uncertainty about how to shift from current delivery and funding models to earning from personalised budgets. The concerns raised within the workshop have been fed into the work of the Cabinet Office Advisor on Third Sector Innovation, Rt. Hon. Anne McGuire MP and recommendations to Cabinet Office Ministers and other government departments will follow. One East Midlands is working with the East Midlands England Volunteering Development Council to carry forward a regional action plan on volunteer coordination. The Big Care debate Shaping the Future of Care Together is the Green Paper which presents the Government’s vision and proposals for a National Care System that is fair, affordable, and sustainable, to meet future adult care and support needs. Personalised budgets are a central tenet of the new proposed system. See the Big Care Debate website for details of the consultation roadshows that took place across the UK, including 4 in the East Midlands. The consultation period ends on 13 November 2009. One EM is coordinating a regional response from the VCS which will be available on the One EM website after the deadline.
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