Appendix 3: Call for evidence
The Select Committee on Charities was set up on 25 May 2016 to consider issues related to sustaining the charity sector and the challenges of charity governance. The Committee, chaired by Baroness Pitkeathley, has to report by 31 March 2017.
The following is a public call for written evidence to be summited to the Committee. The deadline is 5 September 2016.
The Committee invites interested individuals and organisations to submit evidence to this inquiry. The submissions we receive will guide the Committee’s deliberations in oral evidence sessions later this year, and also inform the Committee’s final conclusions and recommendations. Public hearings began in early July and will continue until early December.
The Committee’s report will receive a response from the Government, and will be debated in the House of Lords.
The focus of the inquiry
The charitable sector in the United Kingdom has a long and proud history of contributing to British society. Recent years have seen an unprecedented period of change to the environment in which the sector is operating. Furthermore, within the sector there have been a number of high profile events in recent months which have called into question practice in the voluntary and charitable sector. We are looking to make sure that the attention on recent issues does not undermine the good work done by many charitable organisations.
We are looking to understand the pressures faced across the sector by charities. We will make recommendations to the UK Government, and to others, which we hope help ease these pressures, and to make sure that the charitable sector in England and Wales is sustainable for many years to come. We consider sustainability to be charities having the appropriate resources available to them to meet their charitable purposes. As the regulation of charities is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland and Scotland, we will be focusing our inquiry on the experiences of charities in England and Wales. We do however want to learn about the experience of charities in Northern Ireland and Scotland, as well as in other countries.
This inquiry is intended to be an opportunity to engage positively with charities and the voluntary sector. We are looking for examples of best practice, innovation and ideas to bring the sector together to make sure that it can thrive.
We recognise the diversity of charities in England and Wales, and we want to learn about the experiences of them all. The questions that follow are wide ranging, and it is not necessary to answer every one.
Questions
The purpose of charities
1.What is the role and purpose of charities in civic society in England and Wales?
- How has this changed?
- What makes them distinct from other organisations doing similar work?
- What role can charities play in community cohesion and civic action?
- How does the sector benefit from volunteering?
- How has the status of volunteers changed?
- What challenges do charities face in trying to fulfil their role in civic society?
- How can these challenges be overcome?
Pressures and opportunities
2.What are the main pressures faced by charities currently, and what impact have these had?
- What opportunities do charities have in the current environment?
- Are there specific pressures affecting particular types of charity (for example, service delivery charities; charities reliant on fundraising income; charities with a rural focus; smaller or larger charities; or charities promoting a particular cause) that you can highlight?
Innovation
3.How do charities seek to innovate, particularly in the digital arena?
- What more could be done to promote innovation, and by whom?
- What barriers are there to being innovative?
Governance and leadership
4.What skills are required to lead and manage a charity?
- How can these skills be gained?
- What support exists to develop these skills within the charitable sector?
5.What role should trustees play in the performance and effectiveness of a charity?
- How can trustees be best equipped, enabled and supported to fulfil their responsibilities?
- What, if any, changes might this mean for current arrangements?
Accountability
6.How can charities ensure that they are properly accountable to their beneficiaries, their donors, and the general public?
- What, if any, changes might this mean for current arrangements?
- How should charities assess their long term viability and/or sustainability?
Resource management
7.What are the current challenges to financial sustainability, as well as efficient resource and risk management for the sector?
- How can these challenges be overcome?
- How can best practice and information be shared across the sector?
- What lessons can be learnt from past mergers or dissolutions of charities?
- How can charities effectively deliver services and be assured that their work achieves successful outcomes?
- What are the benefits and challenges of funding for charities being derived from commercial contracts?
Social investment
8.What is the potential of social investment and social impact bonds?
- What are barriers to fulfilling their potential?
The role of the Government
9.What should the role of Government be with the sector?
- What should be the role of local Government?
- What should be the role of the Charity Commission?
- Have these relationships changed? If so, how?
- How should Government (national or local) focus its resource to deliver its civil society agenda?
- What is the likely impact of greater local devolution on the charitable sector, or particular types of charity?
- What are the opportunities and challenges associated with local devolution?
Lessons from other sectors and countries
10.What can the charitable sector in England and Wales learn from other sectors and/or approaches taken in other countries, including from Northern Ireland and Scotland?