Public Services
Public services are, broadly speaking, services which are funded with public money. They can be delivered by the state or on behalf of the state by a voluntary and community organisation or private sector company.
If you would like to discuss any of our work on public services please email the Policy team or telephone 020 7520 2473.
- Frequently Asked Questions on public services
- Public Service Delivery Network
- Links
- Further reading
- Public service reform
- Public services - archive
Public Service Delivery Network
NCVO hosts the Public Service Delivery Network, in partnership with the Office of the Third Sector, which seeks to develop the capacity of those in the voluntary and community sector with responsibility for negotiating and managing public service contracts.
The network has been going since 2006 and currently has over 2,000 members from the voluntary, public and private sector. We share best practice between our members and lead national policy on the role of the voluntary sector in delivering and reforming public services.
We welcome new members all the time. It's free to join and we're open to all. Find out more and join the network.
Links
Further reading
Measuring up? Outcomes, public service users and the voluntary sector
Karl Wilding, Head of NCVO research, looks at the challenges facing outcomes measurement and where we are eight years later.
Read Measuring up? Outcomes, public service users and the voluntary sector (PDF 94KB)
Is the voluntary sector any different when it comes to delivering services?
In this article Karl Wilding explores the complex answer to the simple question.
Read Is the voluntary sector any different when it comes to delivering services (PDF 20KB)
Blurring Boundaries
In the UK and elsewhere, many civil society organisations are increasingly delivering public services traditionally undertaken by the state. The strong inter-relationships and inter-dependence that exist between the state and civil society mean that the two are mutually influencing each other. The shifting nature of the boundaries between them suggests that the space available for civil society is changing.
Model - joint working for public service delivery
Organisations collaborating for public service delivery work with their voluntary sector partners in addition to public sector agencies.
The model concentrates on the relationship between voluntary organisations rather than partnership between voluntary organisations and public bodies.
Other relevant links
- Transform - how voluntary and community organisations can help transform public services
- Public Service reform report
- Shared aspirations
Public service reform
Public service reform is at the heart of the political agenda.
Our research confirms that the sector is playing an increasing role in shaping and delivering services, with income from contracts now worth £5.3 billion, accounting for 20% of the sector's income.
NCVO has played a leading part in the debate about the role of voluntary and community organisations (VCOs) in the reform of public services. We have argued that many VCOs play a crucial role in delivering public services that better meet the needs of individuals and communities.
It is important that VCOs engage in this agenda on their own terms, where it is in the best interests of a particular VCO and its members or beneficiaries.
However, there also remains a need to build understanding of the contribution that the sector can make to public service reform, and to use this understanding to put the right processes in place.
For the sector to play its full part in transforming public services:
- VCOs must be enabled to contribute fully to decision making processes about service needs;
- VCOs must be enabled to help design and commission solutions to meet those needs; and
- Where VCOs do deliver public services, they must be commissioned and procured in ways that do no drive out the reasons for working with the sector in the first place, are properly negotiated and sustainably funded.
NCVO Policy Analysis: The Open Public Services White Paper
NCVO has written a detailed policy analysis on the Government's Open Public Services White Paper, which was published in July 2011. Our report analyses the specific proposals and investments in the paper, details priorities and recommendations and outlines NCVO's involvement in the next steps with this White Paper.
