Footprints of Positive Steps getting lost in the sand

Voluntary and community organisations feel that the Positive Steps report, published in March 2005, has had little impact. The downbeat assessment contrasts with the view of the Social Development Minister, David Hanson, that good progress has been made on implementing its recommendations.

“Positive Steps aims to deliver real change on the ground for voluntary and community sector organisations, and for the communities they support,” Mr Hanson said. “The implementation of Positive Steps has come a long way in the two years since the report was published, but more work remains to be done.”

NICVA’s study sketches a gloomier picture, suggesting that Positive Steps is fizzling out and that grass roots organisations are seeing little benefit apart from one or two initiatives.

In a survey of members in February 2006, 28.4% believed Positive Steps would have a great deal of impact on the sector; by February of this year, when the survey was repeated, only 11.1% of respondents held this view.

Just over one fifth said Positive Steps has already had some or a great deal of impact on their own organisation’s relationship with government; however, 55% said it had little or no effect.

Only about 22% of respondents thought this year that longer-term outcome-focused funding had made a significant difference; well over half believed it had not. Likewise, 57% thought there was no difference in the provision of information about government funding sources; only 5% detected significant change.

There was little variation in the 17% who reported a lot or quite a lot of change in support for community development; however, over the 12 month period the proportion who said there was no change went up from 35% to 50%. There was an even greater increase, from 21% to 49%, in those who believed the Modernisation Fund had made no difference.

A mixed picture emerged in the question of the effect of lead departments in policy development. The proportion reporting a lot of change rose from 6.8% to 12.5% but there was a decline in those who saw quite a lot of change; as before there was a jump in the numbers who reported no change at all, from 37% to 50%.

Minister Hanson can get some cheer from the small increase in the number of voluntary and community representatives who saw a lot or quite a lot of change in the Lead Minister role and a decline from 59% to 49% among those who said there had been no change.

About one third of the sample detected change in the lead funder approach, more than last year, but the number reporting no change also rose from 47% to 57%. Questions were not included about full cost recovery last year. This time around some 15% see a lot or quite a lot of change but 48% see none at all.

Members were asked to list the Positive Steps initiatives they would like to see tackled immediately. Longer-term outcome focused funding came first, mentioned by 36%, followed by full cost recovery by 15.2%, lead departments for disability/young people/women/rural services listed by 13.6% and community development support by 12.8%

In 2006 the development of a strategy for networks/infrastructure/support agencies was ranked the most important future need. This remains the overwhelming priority, followed by good governance, a skills strategy for the sector and skills to engage in the policy development process.

A report by the Department for Social Development painted a much cheerier picture. There have been several initiatives across departments to promote longer-term planning with a focus on outcomes and work has been completed on social capital indicators and a toolkit to measure outcomes.

Information on funding is now available on a database used by all departments and increasingly by other agencies and DSD is working on including web links to key voluntary and community sector information sites on the database.

The progress report reveals a huge demand for funding because 137 applications were made to the community investment fund, with bids totalling over £23 million. Only 36 organisations were approved for economic appraisal and were due to have received contracts by the end of March.

Activity on some cross-departmental issues has been stepped up eg services for people with disabilities; marginalised young people; participation of women in marginalised and disadvantaged communities; and delivery of rural services. The Minister for Social Development now acts as the Lead Minister for strategic voluntary and community sector issues, the DSD report said.

Both reports were presented to a meeting last month of the Joint Forum, which brings together government departments and representatives of the voluntary and community sector about three times per year.

Only five of the 12 departments turned up. An agenda item on A Shared Future had to be dropped because the absentees included the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM).

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Department for Regional Development have missed the last three meetings and the Department of the Environment and Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment have missed the last two.

See more detailed coverage of both reports in April SCOPE, NICVA’s monthly social policymagazine, which is now being posted out. Click here to read the editorial about civil servants going AWOL from the Joint Forum. For subscriptions to SCOPE contact cathy.breslin@nicva.org.