What is the Dudley Compact?
The Dudley Compact is an agreement between the local statutory organisations and the voluntary and community sector in Dudley borough. It aims to define and strengthen relationships by establishing principles and commitments to which all parties to the Compact sign up.
The Dudley Compact is supported by:
- Dudley Health and Wellbeing Board
- Dudley Health and Care Partnership Board
- Dudley Safe and Sound Board
- Dudley Forging a Future Board
- Dudley Council for Voluntary Service
Read a full copy of the Dudley Compact here: Compact Refresh June 2024
Foreword by the Chair of Dudley Health and Wellbeing Board
I am pleased to agree this revised and refreshed Dudley Compact as it demonstrates how important I believe that a strong and active voluntary and community sector is to the vitality of the borough. The council is committed to working with the sector, as an essential and independent partner, in encouraging people to take part in our society, in creating new opportunities and in improving the lives of our communities. It is a challenging time for both the public and voluntary and community sectors, and indeed the private sector, and it is as important now as it ever has been that we make the relationship work.
There have been some notable successes since the first Dudley Compact was agreed almost a decade ago, but we could have also done better. I want to build on these successes in finding new and improved ways of working with voluntary and community organisations in Dudley, and by learning from when things have not gone quite so well. We are fortunate in having so many enthusiastic and committed people in the borough working or volunteering in voluntary and community organisations, so we have a great foundation on which to build.
Foreword by Chief Executive Officer of Dudley Council for the Voluntary Service
While much has changed since we first worked on drawing up a compact agreement, many of the values and principles that were set out in that are still relevant. Indeed, it is even more important that we stick with them now given the challenges that both sectors are currently facing.
The voluntary and community sector knows that it cannot expect the levels of public sector funding it has received in the past. There is no doubt that we need to look at new ways of working and to generate opportunities for the sector to flourish within the borough. It is much easier to do this if we work together both within the voluntary and community sector and with our public sector partners.
The values and principles in the previous Compact have been tested in the past and, at times, not always complied with. It is vital therefore that we restate our commitment to this revised Compact and use it to govern the way we work together into the future.
The Dudley Health and Care Partnership has committed in its Joint Forward Plan, to support the sustainability of the voluntary and community sector. Designed to underpin the principle of “Community First” is the suggestion that when opportunities arise for the deployment of resources by public sector bodies to deliver services, establish posts, carry out individual projects etc., commissioners consider how our voluntary, community, and social enterprise sector may be considered as the first option.
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