Compact main page :: Compact in action (you are here)
As with any 'agreement', which is essentially what the Compact is, there are times when one side may feel the other has breached or disrespected the agreed terms. What happens when a Compact agreement is broken? Sarah Fletcher of Peterborough Council for Voluntary Service explores this issue.
Whilst many people understand the concept of the Compact, they are not sure what the benefits of signing up to the Compact are. More importantly they want to know what their organisation might gain by signing up.
Firstly, you need to check who the signed up partners of Compact are. Look on our web site and check the listings of both Voluntary and Statutory partners. If the organisation, voluntary or statutory, who you feel has breached the Compact agreement with you is listed you will then be able to follow the step by step guide below, please remember you must have already signed the Compact for this to work.
Secondly, you need to make sure you have copies of the Codes of Good Practice for Peterborough including:
- Communication and Consultation
- Development, education and training
- Equality and diversity
- Funding
- Volunteering
Then follow this step by step guide below, make notes and contact the Compact Officer to discuss your case.
How to use the Compact: Step-by-step guide
If a breach of the Compact has affected your organisation, follow this step-by-step advice to campaign on its behalf.
1. Research
Look into your relationship with the statutory body that you have, build up a timeline of key moments and events in the relationship, get an idea of how many other voluntary organisations may be in the same position as yourself, is this relationship a local one or is there funding coming from a central government department? What is the context and external environment of your relationship?
2. Identify the areas of the Compact that may be being breached
Use the code documents to identify how the relationship you have with the statutory body compares to what it should be. Look at all the codes to see what parts are relevant to your case.
3. Identify your objectives
What do you want to achieve? Make sure you can measure the success of your objective and that it is achievable. Make sure you have a time plan. Put together your key messages so that they link into your objective.
4. Identify your target audience
Use government or local authority websites to ascertain who are the key decision makers you are aiming to engage with your issue, look at the chain of command and identify people that you want to target. Have a back up plan know what other options there are for you if your initial targets do not respond how you want them to e.g. the relevant ombudsman.
5. What will influence your target audience?
Put together a practical plan for what measures will influence, e.g. getting your local MP involved, planting a parliamentary question, doing a local press release, joining forces with your local CVS or a national infrastructure body, getting other case studies.
6. Action
Write letters make phone calls, network, go to events, and try to meet the relevant people
7. Follow up
If you don’t get responses when you should chase them up. Once you get a response see if you are satisfied – if not engage at a higher level with your statutory body. Continue to be clear and consistent in what you are asking for.
8. Close the case and share the lessons learned
Evaluate your work using the measures you put in place when you set your objective/s. Have you achieved everything you set out to do? If not why not? Is so, what worked well? Share this with relevant contacts.
Example areas where a Compact agreement can be challenged.
You have been consulted on a local issue but not given the results of the findings.
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You know a street that has no parking being implemented but not all residents have been consulted.
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Your funding arrangements have been changed and you have not had a 12 week period of consultation.
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An organisation replaces paid staff with volunteers.
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Legitimate volunteer expenses are being challenged by a funder.
