In what is going to be a pretty massive release, we have today uploaded the first two of sixteen reports from our Inquiry into the Future of Voluntary Services. The general background to our Inquiry is provided by Dexter Whitfield’s ‘The Ideological Context’, which sketches out how neo-liberal ideas have damaged public services and … Continue reading
The results of research can be important in shaping and re-shaping our understandings and assumptions about our work and its effectiveness. But often academic research uses obscure language and is presented in ways that make practitioners lose the will to live. So we’ve been playing around with ways to make research more accessible and have … Continue reading
Today, 2 June, is the deadline by which Community Work Placements – the flagship policy announcement at last year’s Conservative Party conference – were required by contract to be up and running [2]. But Keep Volunteering Voluntary, which represents the hundreds of voluntary sector organisations who have pledged not to take part in the scheme, … Continue reading
G4S is the biggest winner of “Help to Work” contracts, the latest workfare programme which started yesterday. G4S is currently under investigation for fraud. As part of this contract G4S will seek placements in voluntary groups, which will be responsible for reporting claimants for benefit sanctions if they fail to comply with the placement.
Voluntary groups have been warned that they could end up exploiting the people that they exist to help if they fall for a new government scheme that is misrepresented as “volunteering” or “work experience”.
The “Community Work Placements” (CWP) will force unemployed people to work with a charity or faith group full-time for six months … Continue reading
Our latest newsletter is now out – what do we now do about the Gagging Act? plus news of the heroes and quite a lot of dirty dealing as usual. Settle down with a cup of tea and enjoy the read here… Continue reading
NCIA has urged charities and other voluntary groups to consider breaking the law by defying the requirements of the Lobbying Act. The new legislation, nicknamed the Gagging Act, will restrict charities’ expenditure on campaigning and limit their ability to speak up for the people they exist to serve. The new law is framed in such … Continue reading
The government’s largely discredited ‘Big Society’ mantra promised to strengthen the capacity of civil society. More evidence of the empty rhetoric that surrounds the idea now comes from LSE’s Armine Ishkanian. In an article published in Critical Social Policy, Armine examines how “…. The Big Society agenda, coming alongside public spending cuts, is affecting the … Continue reading
Make a new year resolution – add your name to the list of NCIA signatories and help to build a
public show of alternative voices. People who are ready to act with self-determination for justice and equality. To hold to account, the State and other powerful political, business and financial interests. Help us gather as … Continue reading
“We are currently witnessing a ruthless colonisation of the world of voluntary action, led by pure ideology from neo-liberal economics” says NCIA’s Adrian Barritt in the Observer 29.12.13. http://bit.ly/1cgyuEn
Folk at NCIA are always busy, noticing what is happening in the world. Over the holiday period Adrian Barritt, from Adur Voluntary Action spotted this article … Continue reading