Are You Providing Social, Community and Personal Services Commissioned by Public Bodies?
The Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD) are undertaking a review of the current national practice in relation to the commissioning by public bodies of social, community and personal services in Ireland, including information on the scale of commissioning, approaches to commissioning, and the impact of commissioning across public bodies and the community and voluntary sector.
On behalf of the Department, the Think Tank for Action on Social Change (TASC) have launched a questionnaire that aims to collect baseline information on the current commissioning practices. This information will support government strategy which aims to develop a collaborative, whole-of-government approach to commissioning that prioritises social value and community need.
The outcomes of this survey will be mapped and published by TASC in a report arising from the data collected and the Department wish to emphasise the importance of completion of the questionnaire by community and voluntary organisations to inform and provide the necessary data set for the completion of this project, which arises from a commitment in the Government’s strategy for the community and voluntary sector: Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities.
For this project, commissioning is defined as a strategic planning approach to service provision, linking resource allocation with assessed need. Thus, commissioning as defined here is broader than procurement or competitive tendering, and it relates to all arrangements by which social, community, and personal services are contracted by public bodies to the community and voluntary sector. These arrangements may include funding of salary/operating costs in the supported organisations.
Community, voluntary and local development organisations who are commissioned to deliver services on behalf of public bodies are invited, and encouraged, to access the questionnaire and avail of the opportunity to input to the development of public policy and practices on commissioning.
The questionnaire is open until Friday 5 July 2024 and can be accessed at the following link: https://form.jotform.com/240922522401040
Thank you very much for your participation.