Mission-driven partnerships with civil society organisations

How can civil society play a part in ‘mission-driven government’?

This report by The Future Governance Forum and NPC, supported by Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales, explores this question.

This includes looking at how to make sure the Civil Society Covenant includes concrete mechanisms for change, and succeeds in improving relationships between government and the third sector.

Drawing on extensive engagement with charity leaders, experts, and the public sector the report calls on the government to:

• Catalyse partnerships from the centre of government, facilitating good practice across Whitehall and serving as a transparent ‘front door’ for meaningful, two-way engagement.
• Integrate civil society’s insights into every stage of policy design and delivery, working in the open, increasing opportunities for informal engagement and embedding engagement into ministerial submissions.
• Strengthen civil service capabilities and boost interchange with civil society, including through a new ‘Missions Secondment Programme’.
• Involve civil society in a new ‘test and learn’ culture of innovation, teaming up with charities and social enterprises to innovate towards missions.
• Embrace challenge as integral to effective policy and decision-making, ensuring relationships are maintained despite public disagreement.
• Launch a civil society satellite account, gathering and analysing data on the sector’s economic impact and using insights to guide better decision-making.