Opportunity for drug and crime voluntary groups to meet service commissioners (05/04/2006)
18.04.2006
Voluntary groups working in drug and crime services will have a chance to meet commissioners of those services at a national event. The Centre for Public Innovation and Futurebuilders England are co-hosting Changing the Landscape, a one-day conference on 27th April in London. The organisers are offering 50 free places for voluntary and community organisations on a first come, first served basis. Readers from the voluntary sector who don’t manage to get a free place can have a 15% discount if they book by phone and mention this publication.
The conference will focus on strengthening ties between voluntary groups that want to play a bigger role in public service delivery and public sector commissioners who award contracts. Representatives of voluntary organisations that have won contracts with local authorities, prison and probation services and primary care trusts will be on hand to share their experiences.
Futurebuilders chief executive Richard Gutch said:
“Voluntary and community organisations already provide excellent drug and crime services that benefit from the third sector’s ability to win the trust of service users. We want to make sure public sector commissioners value the experience and commitment that voluntary groups bring, and understand that contracts must cover costs for delivering services. That’s why we are bringing the two sides together.”
The conference is part of a wider campaign by Futurebuilders to proactively engage with commissioners of services that the voluntary sector can provide. This includes organised meetings and workshops, a new information leaflet and pages for commissioners on the Futurebuilders website – all aimed specifically at commissioners.
To claim a free place at Changing the Landscape please call the event organisers, Pavilion Publishing, on 0870 890 1080 and for more information see: www.pavpub.com
For more information on Futurebuilders England please see: www.futurebuilders-england.org.uk
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Notes editors
1. Changing the Landscape: delivering drug and crime services takes place on 27th April 2006 at ORT House Conference Centre, Camden, London.
Journalists wanting more information, or wanting to attend Changing the Landscape should contact Alice Grahame at Futurebuilders on 020 7680 7890
2. Futurebuilders is the £125 million government backed investment scheme for the voluntary and community sector. It offers a mixture of grants and loans to organisations that want to expand into public service delivery. Voluntary groups pay back the loans by earning revenue through contracts with public sector agencies such as local authorities and primary care trusts.
3. The Centre for Public Innovation works to improve people’s health and to reduce crime in disadvantaged communities. We provide consultancy and training services to help public services and organisations involved in these areas achieve better results and improve outcomes. CPI is an independent, community interest company.