The civil society covenant

Made in collaboration between the government, the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO) and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), the Civil Society Covenant is a new agreement being produced with the goal of improving the relationship between civil society and government.

Since the general election, NCVO has engaged over 50 voluntary infrastructure bodies and worked with the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) to develop and draft principles which will define this relationship.

The aims of the Civil Society Covenant are to:

• Support collaboration between civil society organisations and government;
• Ensure respect for the different roles we play, and protect our independence;
• Support all public bodies and civil society organisations;
• Build on and support existing agreements in place at a local level; and
• Complement other arrangements in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Applying across the UK, the initiative aims to “improve government and civil society’s ability to tackle complex social and economic challenges by uniting the unique capabilities of the two to facilitate better outcomes for communities which would otherwise be impossible to achieve in isolation”.

The government plans to start a consultation exercise during the autumn, expected to focus on issues including whether the four principles of the covenant: transparency, recognition, participation and partnership, were the correct ones, what the barriers are to meaningful partnership, and what could be done to ensure the covenant is effective.  The hope is that the Covenant's principles will act as a starting point for wider engagement across government, the public sector and civil society.

The final form of the Civil Society Covenant is expected to be published in the coming year.