The Compact

In 1996, an independent inquiry into the voluntary sector in England recommended that there should be a `concordat' or `compact' embodying agreed guidelines for relationships between government and the voluntary sector. Since then, work has been continuous on drafting both a basic Compact and more detailed codes to regulate the behavior of both parties in areas such as funding, consultation, the use of volunteers, contacts with Black and ethnic minority organizations, etc. The Compact and several codes are now in force. Current questions include whether their existence can be made known to the thousands of individuals and organizations involved and whether, having no legal force, they can become effective constraints on inappropriate actions.