Presentation by Richard Caulfield, Chief Executive of Voluntary Sector North West

1. Things that keep me awake at night
The final chapter
Richard Caulfield
Chief Executive

2. Things that keep me awake at night
• Cuts
• Public Sector Reform/Delivery
• Office for Civil Society
• Growth
• Welfare reform
• Future of Infrastructure
• NHS Reform
• Priority Culture
• Criminal Justice Reforms
• PBR
• Social Investment
• North South Divide
• Devolution
• European Funding
• Big Society Network
• Representing the sector
• Poverty
• Lobbying Act

3. Cuts
• Getting worse not better
• 2014/15 looking bad for Local Government
• … and NHS (‘negative growth’)
• Still ‘happening to’ and not with

4. Public Sector Reform/Delivery
• Opportunity…
• … or are we a Trojan Horse?
• Unintended consequences
– Work Programme
– Offender management
– National Citizen Service
• The rise (and often fall) of consortia
• Still generally for the ‘large’
• It’s the sector – but not as we know it…

5. Office for Civil Society
• Why???

6. Growth Agenda
• Still number one for Govt
• LEPs gaining increased influence & power
• VCS needs strong voice in LEPs
• VCS needs to articulate its offer on growth

7. Welfare Reform
• What does the sector think?
• Is it fair?
• How long can we go on without campaigning
louder?
• What about Oxfam’s perfect storm?

8. Future of Infrastructure
• NAVCA Commission
• Can we retain the scale we currently have?
• What stays and what goes?
• Re think on geography and service offer?

9. NHS Reform
• Govt admitting it was a mistake…
• More reforms currently underway
• Some sign of grants becoming popular with
CCGs
• Huge challenge with integration
• Challenge re demand reduction
• Reality is budgets are being cut

10. Priority Culture
• Rapidly it is becoming ‘what we do’ not just a
priority
• If VCS align with priorities – who looks after
those who miss out?

11. Criminal Justice Reforms
• Slow…
• VSNW event February 2011!
• How long have we been talking about it?
• Does it remain an opportunity for the sector?

12. Payments by Results (PbR)
• Logical conclusion of Outcome funding…
• Initial Desire to make everything PbR:
– Work Programme
– Ministry of Justice
• Unintended consequences
– Young Apprentice
– Mid Staffs
– ‘Gaming’
– Lying
• Who is outcome attributable to?

13. Social Investment
• Huge cabinet office resource put into it
• How real is it for the majority of
organisations?
• Need to see beyond loans
• Will always be a ‘minority sport’

14. North/South Divide
• Ever increasing health inequalities
• Government driven by southern focus
• Not all about North v South
• Potential offered by devolution?
• How do we ensure we are heard?

15. Devolution
• What powers?
• What Geography?
• Combined Authorities/City Regions
• What about County Deals?
• Role of LEPs?
• ‘Centralisation of control, devolution of
blame’
• ‘Careful what you wish for’

16. European Funding
• Real opportunity in the next programme
• What influence will sector have?
• How do we ensure money gets spent where
Europe intended?
• How do we ensure VCS has adequate support?

17. Big Society (Network)
• Was a predictable debacle…
• Govt & Big still have questions to answer
• Classic case of ‘shiny and new’

18. Representing the Sector
• Who is going to do it?
• Locally?
• Nationally?
• How about an elected leader?

19. Poverty
• Too big an issue to ignore
• What is VCS response?
• How long can we allow attacks on the poor?
• Impact of poverty porn?

20. Lobbying Act
• Nasty piece of legislation
• Designed to keep sector quiet
• Must not get in the way
• Need to see defiance across the sector

21. Do what we do best…
• Respond to need
– Fill the gaps
• Focus energy on the people and places that
need it
• Provide a platform for the voice of those who
need support
• Don’t let anyone fall below the radar