News - Key takings from the Civil Society Covenant and what it means for Cheshire West

The Government has now launched the Civil Society Covenant, a new chapter in the relationship between the Government and Civil Society organisations, including those in the community sector.

• Full details about the Civil Society Covenant

A couple of months ago, the Government ran a consultation on the Civil Society Covenant and CWVA worked with community sector organisations in Cheshire West to respond to this, highlighting the invaluable role our sector plays in society and how the Covenant can be truly meaningful.

On a more local level, the Compact for West Cheshire was recently launched, outlining a set of principles that will support the community and public sectors to work collaboratively together to benefit local communities.

• Find out more about the Compact

It’s important the Compact and Civil Society Covenant complement each other on a local level to make sure the relationship between our sector and all levels of government are equal and effective.

Key aims of the Civil Society Covenant

Strengthening collaboration

• The Covenant champions equitable and enduring partnerships between the Government and Civil Society.
• It recognises the distinct and vital role of community sector organisations in delivering public value, community wellbeing, and social innovation.

Enabling local action

• Emphasis is placed on local empowerment, supporting grassroots activity and ensuring communities have a voice in shaping services.
• Local authorities are encouraged to adopt the Covenant and work collaboratively with local community sector organisations.

Fair funding and commissioning

• It acknowledges the need for sustainable, long-term funding and fairer commissioning processes.
• It encourages investment in preventative work and codesigned services.

Volunteering and civic participation

• It reinforces the importance of volunteers and active citizenship.
• The Covenant commits to removing barriers to participation and supporting inclusive, accessible volunteering opportunities. Inclusive volunteering is one of the themes in the Vision for Volunteering, led by CWVA and codesigned with organisations, volunteers and residents.

Building capacity and resilience

• It supports efforts to strengthen the infrastructure of the community sector through skills development, digital tools, and leadership support.

Shared accountability and learning

• It promotes transparency, mutual accountability, and joint learning between sectors.
• It calls for meaningful measurement of impact and progress.

While the Civil Society Covenant is an important step to rebuilding the relationship between the Government and Civil Society, we want to make sure its content becomes a reality, and the future relationship is an equitable and purposeful one.

The National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA) and National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) are both part of the Civil Society Advisory Group, which has been set up to oversee the success and implementation of the Civil Society Covenant.

At CWVA, we have strong existing relationships with both NAVCA and NCVO and will be working closely with them on a more local level in Cheshire West to make sure the Civil Society Covenant has a positive impact on our sector and communities.