Civil Society: Government Assistance
(asked on 30th August 2024) - View Source
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support the Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise sector groups fulfilling local service needs.
Answered by
Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) has policy responsibility for Civil Society, including voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations (VCSEs). DCMS is supporting VCSEs fulfilling local service needs in a number of ways, including:
Support for local commissioners through the Life Chances Fund to create partnerships between public, private and VCSE sectors as a means to tackle entrenched social issues. This innovative £70m fund has co-funded 29 projects that are testing the use of social outcomes partnerships (SOPs) to provide flexible and effective local services. Since its launch in 2016 over 100,000 outcomes have been recorded by local projects. The Life Chances Fund will run to March 2025, with some projects continuing beyond this period. This government is continuing to look at how SOPs can be used to continue to support VCSEs.
Delivery of a number of grant programmes which help VCSEs to in turn support their local communities, including the VCSE Energy Efficiency Scheme, the Know Your Neighbourhood Fund and the Social Enterprise Boost Fund.
Support through social investment which provides access to grants, repayable finance and a blend of the two. This government is continuing to look at how dormant assets can be used to support the availability of finance to facilitate VCSEs becoming more entrepreneurial and financially resilient. An estimated £350 million will flow into the Dormant Assets Scheme between 2024-28, with details on how this money will be allocated to be provided in due course.
Through the Contract Readiness Programme, a £900,000 package of support enabling VCSEs in England to better compete for government contracts. The programme provides fully funded training for VCSEs interested in bidding for public contracts and support to public sector commissioners to increase awareness and understanding, with the aim of enabling more effective partnerships. Since launch, over 800 VCSEs have benefitted from the programme. This programme will run to March 2025. This government is continuing to look at ways VCSEs and Commissioners can be supported to develop effective partnerships.