White paper presents great opportunities to innovative CSOs – The Social Investment Business

Monday 11 July 2011

Responding to the government’s publication today of the Open Public Services White Paper, The Social Investment Business’s Managing Director of Investments Sue Peters said:

“David Cameron’s acknowledgement that charities, social enterprises and voluntary organisations are able and willing to take on a greater role in providing high quality, efficient public services is very welcome.

“We work with hundreds of civil society organisations (CSOs) who already do this, but know of many more that can’t access public sector contracts because it is too hard to compete with the larger traditional providers from both the public and private sectors who sometimes seem to have the system all sewn up.

“More power in the hands of local people and commissioners presents greater opportunities for innovative local CSOs to either get involved or increase their role in delivering local services. But some proposed reforms could make it even harder – increased regulation and monitoring requirements for personalised budgets and payment by results contracts pose challenges for those without large capital reserves or who have the expertise, but not the requisite paperwork.”

She added:

“There is a job to be done by leaders in the voluntary sector in communicating our aims and ambitions to the public. We’ve seen in the case of the NHS debate recently how the idea of opening up public services to new providers can worry people. It’s important that the concept of CSOs wanting to increase their role in providing services under contract to local commissioners is not conflated with the bogeyman of private providers supposedly intent on the privatisation of beloved public institutions. We’ll need to address those fears and explain that CSOs can win contracts and deliver services just as well and better than many traditional providers can, while delivering extra social value to the local community. “  

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1.    For further information or interviews, please contact The Social Investment Business press office:

Liz Banks - 0207 842 7726/ 07809 504072 liz.banks@socialinvestmentbusiness.org

Nicola Jones - 0207 842 7755 nicola.jones@socialinvestmentbusiness.org 

2.    The Social Investment Business, the fastest growing social investor in the UK, exists to help social enterprises, charities and community organisations do more of what they do best – supporting people and communities most in need. We help organisations prosper by providing innovative financial solutions, business support and long term strategic thinking.

www.thesocialinvestmentbusiness.org @TheSocialInvest

3.    The Social Investment Business manages Government funds on behalf of the Office for Civil Society and the Department of Health. The Communitybuilders Fund, previously managed on behalf of the Department of Community and Local Government and the Office for Civil Society is now an endowed fund, owned and administered by the Adventure Capital Fund, parent-charity of The Social Investment Business.  We manage over 1,400 active investments ranging from £3,600 to help a small organisation bid successfully for a public sector contract, to £6.7million to help a large national charity establish and develop innovative new services for children and young people.