Compact

What is the Newham Compact?

It is a written agreement between four of Newham’s key statutory organisations and the borough’s voluntary, community and faith sectors. It plainly sets out how we will improve the way in which we work together to provide services and opportunities that better meet the needs and aspirations of Newham residents.

The statutory sector organisations who have signed up to the Newham Compact are Newham Council, Newham Primary Care Trust, Newham University Hospital Trust and the local Metropolitan Police. Following extensive consultation the Newham Compact was signed on behalf of the voluntary, community and faith sector by Aston Mansfield Community Involvement Unit, Conflict and Change, Newham African Caribbean Resource Centre, Newham Voluntary Sector Consortium and Newham Volunteer Network Centre.

The agreement begins with a clear statement of the mutual benefit and added value of working together, the Newham Compact Vision. This is followed by a set of principles to guide and improve the way we work together including explaining how we will resolve any conflicts. The agreement contains range of practical commitments, known as Codes of Practice to further guide how we work together in the areas of funding and procurement, consultation, community groups, volunteering and communication. The agreement concludes with a plan of action to ensure the implementation of the Newham Compact.
The Newham Compact is based on best practice from across the Country as well as local consultation and follows the agreement to a National Compact in 1998.

What Does It Say?

The Newham Compact begins with our shared vision for the Newham Compact, which is

To measurably strengthen partnership working between the statutory, voluntary, community and faith sectors in Newham, through an agreement that promotes mutual respect, trust and benefit, that facilitates collective decision making and responsibility and which endorses transparency and accountability, resulting in improved services and outcomes for local people and supporting the achievement of the 2010 vision.

Our Vision statement is followed by a set of Shared Principles that summarise how we will work together. The Shared Principles emphasize how we will respect and value each other’s differing but complementary roles in providing services and how we are jointly committed to a relationship of openness, honesty, accountability, equality and continuous improvement.

Codes of Practice

The Codes of Practice provide practical guidance on how we should work together. They contain clear commitments by both the statutory and voluntary, community and faith sectors and will enable the Newham Compact to be an agreement that truly delivers improvement.. The Codes of Practice are expected to be ‘living’ documents, which means that they can be continuously improved and new ones developed. The Newham Compact currently includes 5 Codes of Practice, and a summary of each is set out below.

Consultation – Provides guidance on how statutory agencies will effectively consult with the voluntary, community and faith sector organisations on key policies, strategies and service developments and how the voluntary, community and faith sector will effectively engage the communities that they represent to inform their response.

Funding and Procurement – Provides basic standards that aim to ensure that funding and contracting processes are fair and consistent. Thereby helping local organisations to effectively apply for or tender to deliver high quality services that have realistic budgets. This Code of Practice also seeks to establish monitoring arrangements that are linked to the amount of grant or contract value and recognises the need for voluntary, community and faith organisations to set up robust systems that will ensure that public money is spent wisely.

Community Groups – Specifically recognises the diversity of organisations that deliver services in Newham, many of whom receive little or no funding to provide services to distinct communities. This Code seeks to ensure that community groups, including faith groups, are able to inform and influence decision making and have access to funding and services. The Code emphasizes the role of umbrella voluntary organisations in supporting new, small and emerging community groups

Volunteering – highlights the importance of volunteering to society and the individual by committing all Newham Compact partners to developing robust and clear volunteer policy and procedures. The Code also seeks to ensure the effective engagement of volunteers in decision making.

Communication – seeks to ensure regular, consistent and open two way communication that positively reflects the shared principles of the Compact and encourages and builds mutual respect and trust between all partners.

Two further Codes of Practice are currently being developed. Following consultation we are changing our original Black and Ethnic Minority Code of Practice into an Equality and Human Rights Code to reflect the diversity of Newham. We are also developing a Governance Code of Practice to ensure we can develop effective leadership for all organisations and for the Compact itself.

How will it work in practice?

The final part of the Newham Compact document sets out how we will ensure that the agreement truly shapes the way in which we work together. This includes

• Establishing a Compact Implementation Group to drive forward and monitor the delivery of the Newham Compact
• The agreement to an annual action plan with measurable commitments
• The holding of a public Annual Meeting to assist in the review, evaluation and development of the Newham Compact, its Codes of Practice and its annual action plan
• The appointment of Compact Champions within statutory and voluntary, community and faith organisations to provide support and guidance on Compact implementation
• Agreement to a staged process to resolve and learn from disagreements
• Building support for the Newham Compact by encouraging other organisations to formally sign up to it, within both the statutory and voluntary, community and faith sectors

Why should your organisation sign up?

We want more organisations to formally sign up to the Newham Compact by discussing it with their Boards of Directors, Management Committees and Trustees and by appointing their own Compact Champions. If the above has not convinced you to sign up then perhaps the five below examples of how and when the Newham Compact could be used will:

1. By statutory sector staff who want to effectively engage the local community in developing a range of health services from one location. The Newham Compact’s Consultation Code of Practice provided them with the clear guidance they needed and a voluntary umbrella partner who could help.
2. By a Chief Executive who consistently receives her grant cheque late. The Chief Executive was able to enhance her request for speedy payment by referring her Funder’s to their commitments within the Newham Compact’s Funding and Procurement Code of Practice.
3. By a trustee who wants to constructively challenge a decision by the Metropolitan Police but is concerned about losing funding for a Crime Diversion Scheme. The trustee was able to assure himself that he was able to do this as set out within the Shared Principles of the Newham Compact.

Where can I find out more?

The main contact for voluntary, community and faith sector organisations is Newham Voluntary Sector Consortium. Contact Sarah Ruiz on 020 8519 9500 or e-mail here