Guidance

Civil Society Covenant

Published 17 July 2025

Forewords

The Rt Hon Lisa Nandy MP - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

I am proud to launch the Civil Society Covenant — a new chapter in the relationship between this government and the remarkable civil society organisations that form the backbone of our communities.

This government was elected on a mandate to deliver change. We make no apology for the scale of ambition to achieve this. But ambition alone is not enough. If we are to transform the country, we must be willing to do things differently and to do them together.

I learnt nearly everything I know about politics from the inspirational young people I worked with at the youth homelessness charity Centrepoint more than two decades ago. For all of the challenges they faced in their lives, they knew better than anyone what needed to change and more often than not, how to achieve it. Where the government saw problems, they saw potential in their own lives. They taught me a lesson I’ve carried with me ever since. The government cannot shape a better future alone. It takes a nation.

Our history tells the story of ordinary people who come together to achieve extraordinary things. From the formation of mutual societies in our industrial towns to the community kitchens, youth clubs, and warm spaces of today — civil society has always been about solidarity, hope, and a shared belief in each other. With the backing of an active government, in lockstep with businesses big and small we believe civil society is the conduit for change and which for too long has been underestimated.

It has been a difficult decade for many civil society organisations who have been asked to do more with less. Less funding, less recognition and less power. Funding has reduced as need has soared and the right to speak up on behalf of those most in need has routinely been challenged. It has cost us time and energy that could have been spent rebuilding our country and changing lives. If we are serious about renewal, civil society must be heard, not just at the margins but at the heart of decision-making.

We believe civil society has a powerful voice that must be heard in the rooms where decisions are made and that it is only by working together that we will build a self-confident nation where everybody’s contribution is seen and valued, and all people have the chance to live the richer, larger and dignified lives that they deserve.

For all the challenges facing our country, everywhere I go I see the spirit of civil society in action and feel the ambition that exists in people everywhere. It is time for us to match it, unlock Britain’s potential and turn to face the future.

Civil Society Advisory Group

A government intent on tackling the deep-seated challenges of our time will benefit from a stronger relationship with civil society. A relationship that enables partnership and can withstand disagreement is essential to achieve our shared purpose to deliver better outcomes for people across the UK and globally. 

It is because of this that the Covenant is so significant. It presents the opportunity to forge a new relationship where government, both national and local, can partner with civil society to create change that lasts generations. Equally important, the Covenant will protect the independence of civil society to hold government to account whether working together or independently. 

The rich tapestry of charities, not-for-profit organisations, volunteer-led initiatives, social enterprises, campaign groups and grass roots organisations achieve change that people feel in their daily lives across the UK and around the world. These organisations are the eyes, ears and voice of the people. They know what works, and what doesn’t. They are innovative, steeped in lived experience, and have the immeasurable trust of the communities they stand for. They are vital to create empowered communities, a strong democracy and a thriving economy.

However, without the support, buy-in and understanding from government at a national and local level - change can be short-lived. The Covenant is well placed to address this and shift the dial from siloed and interim solutions to a partnership approach for long-term, systemic change. From a civil society whose independence has been challenged and undermined, to a strong democracy where everyone’s voices can be heard. 

To enable this, we know that bold change and ambitious leadership is needed on both sides to overcome entrenched barriers, amplify good practice, and make the most of the opportunities ahead. This will look different across the UK, reflecting the varied structures, devolved arrangements and partnerships that already exist across and within the four nations. It will also look different internationally as the UK partners with civil society around the world to address global challenges.  

Tangible change is needed to implement the Covenant, so civil society is valued as an expert strategic partner and independent advocate who can hold government to account and campaign for public benefit without fear of sanction. Whose expertise is sought to set the agenda and develop policy, not just bend to implement it. Whose independence is protected and valued.  

It will take honesty and humility to build trust, as well as willingness to work in new ways. We must seize this opportunity, because the social, economic and environmental challenges we face cannot be solved by government alone. 

We know the challenges facing our sector are great, and there is a long way to go to achieve the ambitions of the Covenant. We are committed to working with government and wider civil society to ensure the Covenant results in real transformation, so civil society and government can best serve the people and communities we are both accountable to. 

Civil Society Advisory Group members:

Lindsay Cordery-Bruce, CEO, Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA); Maddy Desforges OBE, CEO, National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA); Sarah Elliott, CEO, National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO); Anna Fowlie, Chief Executive, Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO); Romilly Greenhill CEO, Bond; Peter Holbrook, CEO, Social Enterprise UK; Jane Ide OBE, CEO, ACEVO; Fadi Itani OBE, CEO, Muslim Charities Forum; Carol Mack OBE, Chief Executive, Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF); Rose Marley, CEO, Co-operatives UK (Co-op); Celine McStravick, Chief Executive, Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA); Peter Nowak, Trades Union Congress; Kunle Olulode MBE, Director, Voice4Change England; Daniel Singleton, National Executive Director, Faith Action; Caroline Slocock, Director of Civil Exchange and Chair of the core group of the Better Way Network

Summary

An enduring covenant between government and all those across civil society who invest their time and money in the service of others.

We believe:

• Britain’s civil society, including volunteers, charities, faith organisations, co-operatives, trade unions, philanthropists, social enterprises, social investors and purpose-driven businesses, are part of the fabric of our nation. 

• Their service is a proud part of our national identity. It is an expression of the responsibility towards each other that underpins our social contract. It strengthens the bonds that bring our communities together, enriches our democracy, and improves lives across the UK and around the world. 

• A strong and independent civil society is essential for the shared pursuit of national renewal. Working in partnership will enable us to build a better, fairer, future for all. 

• Civil society is a force for innovation. It has the local knowledge of what works, it is rooted in lived experience and earns the trust of those it serves. By strategically co-investing with government, social finance can help drive innovation through testing and growing new ideas.

• Civil society should never be expected to step in and replace government. Rather, government should lean in to work in partnership with civil society.

We will: 

• Recognise and value all those who give their time and money in the service of others, respect our different roles, and build trust and shared objectives together.

• Respect the independence of civil society organisations and ensure they can advocate for those they serve and hold government to account without fear of reprisal.

• Partner and collaborate across every department and every mission of government, working at both national and local level across the UK to deliver the Plan for Change. 

• Design, fund and deliver policies and services in genuine partnership; working with mayors, local authorities and other public bodies on place-based partnerships and developing collaborative commissioning and procurement arrangements.

• Promote participation and inclusion by involving people in decisions that affect their lives, ensuring their voices are heard and removing barriers to democratic participation.

• Strengthen trust with open communication and sharing of information, data, and best practice, and by civil society organisations being proactively transparent and accountable for the money they receive.

• Report annually on actions to honour this covenant and the impact of this partnership with civil society.

The Covenant 

Purpose: why we need a Covenant

To tackle the deep-seated challenges of our time, we need a new model of partnership between civil society and government. The Covenant will create an environment in which civil society is respected, supported and listened to by government, both when working in partnership with civil society and independently, when civil society is holding government to account. The Covenant is a reciprocal arrangement recognising that both civil society and government have distinct and shared roles in serving the public. The Covenant builds on the foundation of current legislation and regulation that governs the actions and conduct of government, public bodies and civil society. It does not duplicate these existing requirements, but does seek to reinforce high standards of governance and conduct. The Covenant will drive mutual understanding and respect, and enable collaborative working between a greater range of organisations. This Covenant aims to underpin this partnership to deliver:  

• a fair, just and equitable society with improvements to people’s lives and protection of human rights

• a strong, sustainable and independent civil society which collaborates with government to benefit the public and achieve their mission

• responsive government that collaborates with civil society to achieve its mission for public benefit

• resilient, connected and empowered communities with inclusive opportunities for participation which strengthen our social fabric

• invigorated decision making which embraces civil society’s insight, expertise and constructive challenge

• innovative long-term problem solving to benefit people in all parts of the country

• a strong democracy where all people can participate and where all voices are heard

Scope: who the Covenant is for

The Covenant has been co-designed between government and civil society representatives. It is the product of wide engagement with over 1,200 organisations across civil society, and with local, central and devolved governments throughout an engagement exercise conducted in 2024. 

The Covenant principles set out core expectations that should apply to the relationship between civil society and government. Beyond these core expectations, the Covenant will prompt and inspire further improvements in the relationship. In practice, the effects of the Covenant will be felt in diverse ways, depending on the specific and local circumstances. 

Civil society includes charities, social enterprises, co-operatives, trade unions, faith organisations, informal community groups, philanthropists and social investors. The Covenant is inclusive of organisations of all purposes, sizes, geographical locations, and those that are led by underrepresented groups. It is also intended to be relevant to those UK organisations working in the UK and abroad.

The principles in this Covenant apply to government and public bodies across the UK including: 

• UK government departments, including executive agencies and arms-length bodies

• strategic authorities and English local authorities

• wider public sector bodies working with civil society including NHS organisations and partnerships, such as Integrated Care Systems, and the criminal justice system

The Covenant should not cut across existing administrative or statutory frameworks where they meet a higher or equivalent standard, but the Covenant should be used to raise standards where this is not the case.

The Covenant should not compromise the regulatory functions of public bodies with regards to civil society, and will in no way compromise the organisation’s autonomy or independence from government. 

The Covenant is also relevant across the UK in policy areas where responsibilities are reserved to the UK government and not devolved to the governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Covenant is intended to complement and respect existing governance and partnership arrangements in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, working alongside the distinct frameworks in each nation. The UK government will continue to work in partnership with civil society organisations in all four parts of the UK.

Values and behaviours: what underpins the Covenant 

The values and behaviours which underpin it are vital to ensuring the success of the Covenant. They include:

• understanding - demonstrating understanding of the challenges and pressures faced by all parties, respecting each other’s roles and responsibilities

• flexibility - demonstrating ability to adapt to changing circumstances and adjust ways of working to innovate and include different types of organisations 

• mutual learning - working together to ensure all parties can be open about what has worked well and what needs to improve 

• trust - creating mutual trust by investing in relationships that recognise goodwill and build a shared purpose, communicating regularly, honestly and openly, acting with integrity and honouring commitments

• open - maintaining open channels of communication and respect, agreeing to disagree where necessary and seeking to resolve tensions without undermining collaboration

• diversity, equality and inclusion - promoting rights and responsibilities in how we work with each other and with communities, ensuring equity of access wherever possible

Covenant principles 

Recognition and value 

The Covenant builds solid relationships and strengthens sector independence by promoting respect and value for government and civil society’s respective strengths, responsibilities, perspectives and constraints.

Respect for independence and legitimacy

• Government respects the independence and legitimacy of civil society organisations to advocate and campaign, including protecting the right to engage in peaceful protest, and to hold the government to account to make better laws, regulation and decisions.

• Civil society respects the legitimacy of government to make decisions, the exercise by government of prerogative powers, and its accountability to Parliament.

• Government does not treat civil society organisations which have expressed disagreement with government policies any less favourably by excluding them from policy discussions or funding opportunities.

Recognition of value, role and different perspectives

• Government recognises the value of civil society’s economic and social contributions, including the inherent social value civil society organisations bring, and their ability to build cohesive, inclusive communities. 

• Civil society recognises that Secretaries of State and Ministers are democratically elected and have formal accountability to Parliament and the public as leaders, and for developing, determining and implementing the government’s policies through departments and their arm’s length bodies (ALBs).

• Government listens to and respects civil society’s varied expertise in the course of policy and service design, including trusted relationships, deep knowledge about what works, community leadership and building, social business, and service delivery. 

Understanding responsibilities and constraints

• Government and civil society understand each other’s respective responsibilities and operational parameters under legal requirements, relevant regulations and ethical standards. 

• Government recognises the responsibility of civil society to speak out and hold government to account where that supports a civil society organisation to achieve their mission. 

• Civil society and government understand that they will not always agree, and that government may have to balance competing factors and priorities in its decisions.

Case study: Greater Manchester (GM) VCFSE (Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise) Accord

The Greater Manchester (GM) VCFSE Accord was signed in November 2017 as a collaboration agreement between public bodies and civil society.

The Accord was established by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership with a group of GM-based civil society leaders to build a relationship that would recognise and unlock the full potential of civil society to address inequalities in the city-region for the public’s benefit. 

The Accord has helped raise the profile of civil society organisations with local public sector leaders and put a spotlight on the value and expertise that they can bring. One resulting partnership is the Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit (GMVRU) between government, police, health, education, youth justice services, local authorities, other statutory agencies and civil society. The GMVRU is committed to taking a community-led approach in its efforts to prevent violence. This approach acknowledges the value and strength of civil society organisations in working closely with communities, to understand their needs, challenges and strengths in relation to violence prevention. It also places decision-making in the hands of communities, including setting priorities and agreeing funding for projects and interventions aimed at engaging children, young people and families.

VRU initiatives have included a civil society led StreetDoctors programme, which delivers training sessions for young people to act in a medical emergency. This resulted in 95% of young people knowing what to do if someone is bleeding or unconscious, and 85% being willing to act in a medical emergency.

An Interim Report suggests enhancing the Accord’s visibility and embedding its principles across public sector organisations. This will enhance recognition of civil society’s value across GM, thereby supporting increased involvement of VCSEs and increasing citizens’ voices in GM wide work.

Case study: Calderdale - recognising VCSE value for a flourishing future

Calderdale Council’s VCSE strategy 2024 to 2029 recognises the vital role of the Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector in Calderdale. It values VCSE as a key partner in achieving the local vision to be an enterprising place, full of opportunity, where everyone can live a larger life. 

At the time of its creation, VCSE groups were facing reduced public sector funding, rising costs, and growing demand for services. Staff shortages, lower pay, and fewer volunteers added to the pressure. Central to its development and implementation has been Calderdale Council’s recognition of the inherent value and expertise of the VCSE sector. 

Co-produced with VCSE representatives, the strategy acknowledges the diverse and complex nature of the VCSE sector and its significant impact on Calderdale residents and communities. It recognises the sector’s contribution to society as well as to the local economy. Research by Durham University in 2023 reported that the total value of the VCSE in Calderdale was valued around £549.5 million. This figure includes sector expenditure, the value produced by regular volunteers, and value created for users of services.

Calderdale Council has embedded the recognition of the VCSE’s role in multiple other strategies in the borough. A key example is the Inclusive Economy Strategy, which sees a thriving VCSE sector as fundamental to achieving an inclusive economy. In Calderdale, the VCSE is a key part of the local economy, with the sector employing over 5,000 people, and supporting 13,000 as volunteers. As part of the Inclusive Economy Strategy, Calderdale will look to explore more career pathways for young people in the local VCSE sector, providing young people more opportunities to stay in Calderdale, with access to good quality work. 

Partnership and collaboration

The Covenant encourages high quality, purposeful, collaborative working between government and civil society to inform decision-making and service design, delivering better solutions for all.

Early, regular and ongoing engagement

• Government and civil society work together as strategic partners to identify and develop priorities to achieve shared goals. 

• Government communicates strategically and effectively with civil society through channels that are accessible, open and inclusive for genuine two way conversations.  

• Government facilitates early engagement to enable civil society to contribute insights and expertise to define the problem, create a shared purpose and agree outcomes to inform both policy development and service design.

• Civil society draws on its strengths, including its expertise in representing the interests of the people or causes it has been established to support, acting strategically by engaging early, sharing evidence, insights, and expertise wherever resources allow, throughout the policy cycle.

Creating the conditions for collaboration and innovation

• Government and civil society promote a culture and environment conducive to innovation, creating opportunities for testing new ideas, taking risks, focusing on impact and learning, and building on what works.

• Government and civil society work together to prioritise preventative interventions and take a long term view to tackle challenges and realise opportunities.

Addressing barriers to delivery in partnership

• Government supports collaborative commissioning and procurement models, recognising the inherent social value civil society brings, offering flexibility to achieve outcomes, ensuring proportionate monitoring and providing adequate funding to achieve the required outcomes.

• Government builds and encourages partnerships based on long term funding arrangements where possible, recognising that sustainable partnership working is vital to working jointly on long term issues. 

• Civil society organisations work in partnership with other civil society organisations and other sectors, seeking to remove barriers for smaller partners. 

• Government works with civil society to reduce barriers to and creates opportunities for partnership working. 

Case study: Transforming the NHS - collaboration shaping people’s health for the future 

Through open dialogue and partnerships with civil society, the UK government’s Health Mission is building a National Health Service (NHS) in England fit for the future.

The Department of Health and Social Care put in place a comprehensive engagement strategy to inform the development of the 10 Year Health Plan, which translates the thousands of insights gathered into a clear plan of action. Civil society can play a vital role in supporting the three fundamental shifts: from hospital to community, analogue to digital and treatment to prevention. 

The 10 Year Health Plan includes an explicit goal to make the NHS the best possible partner and the world’s most collaborative public healthcare provider. Bottom-up and grass roots innovation is how we’ll maximise progress. Alongside setting strategy, the Plan will have an explicit goal to harness partnerships with investors, industry, local government, employers, SMEs, voluntary organisations and trade unions. Deepening the relationship with civil society partners will help deliver the 10 Year Health Plan’s aims, including by fostering a ‘neighbourhood health service’ model.

The ambition is to use a plurality of providers - from within the NHS, the voluntary sector, the independent sector and social enterprise. Where there is such rapid innovation taking place today in how services can be transformed through advances in science and technology, the government wants to broaden the eco-system of providers. For example, there is enormous potential for a wide range of providers to offer real value in the Neighbourhood Health Service. Our aim is to establish a neighbourhood health centre in every community, a one-stop-shop for patient care and the place from which multi-disciplinary teams operate. Neighbourhood health centres will co-locate NHS, local authority and voluntary sector services, to help create an offer that meets population needs holistically.

Case study: Home Office Knife Crime Coalition - a partnership based approach to reducing knife crime 

Launched by the Prime Minister in September 2024, the Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime is a partnership of individuals with lived experience, civil society, and campaign groups, adopting a partnership approach with government to halve knife crime within a decade.

The collaboration brings a deep understanding of interventions that can help to prevent knife crime, bringing these perspectives into policy and programme creation to tackle the issue.

The Home Office is also working with Coalition partners to provide a platform for youth voice and their perspectives on the core issues around knife crime, increasing public safety and supporting those who need it most, ensuring young people’s lived experiences contribute to shaping government policy.

A key example of the Coalition working in partnership with government is the valuable contribution it made to inform the policy development and design of the extended surrender arrangements for knives, ninja swords and other weapons.   

With Coalition member FazAmnesty and Word 4 Weapons, the government are delivering extended weapon surrender arrangements throughout July 2025. FazAmnesty is operating a mobile surrender van in Greater London, the West Midlands, and Greater Manchester, while Word 4 Weapons are providing anonymous surrender bins in these areas for knives and other weapons, including ninja swords. 

These initiatives provide safe options for young people to surrender dangerous weapons, making our streets safer and removing more weapons from communities. 

Participation and inclusion

The Covenant provides greater opportunities for people to be involved in decisions and activities affecting their lives, where government and civil society enable increased involvement and representation. 

Enable diversity, equity and inclusion

• Civil society organisations further diversity, equity and inclusion in ways that are relevant to their mission, and represent the interests of the people or causes they have been established to support. 

• Government works with civil society to ensure all relevant groups are represented in policy-making, through whichever method is most appropriate, particularly those who may experience barriers or exclusion, and listens to those impacted by decisions. 

• Government follows accessibility, communication, Welsh language and equality impact assessment best practice requirements.

Engaging citizens and communities in decision making and delivery

• Government and civil society work together on the ambition to co-produce solutions with those communities and citizens that are most affected. 

• Civil society organisations involve their beneficiaries in their work, including those with lived experience, where it is relevant to their mission.

Removing barriers to active participation to build a healthy democracy and community resilience

• Government and civil society work together to facilitate and create the conditions for active participation in society, such as volunteering or social action, to build community capacity, social cohesion and resilience.

• Government and civil society work together to build a healthy democracy and to champion democratic participation.

Case study: National Youth Strategy - putting young people at the heart of policy development

Young people have been in the driving seat of co-producing a new national youth strategy since its announcement in November 2024 by the DCMS Secretary of State as part of the government’s mission to improve opportunities. 

As a first step, to ensure that youth voices would be at the heart of the process, the government appointed 13 diverse young people to form a Youth Advisory Group (YAG) and bring lived experience across key areas including advocacy, violence prevention, social mobility and mental health. An Expert Advisory Group of 14 experts from a variety of sectors sat alongside the YAG to bring expertise from relevant sectors, providing input and challenging thinking.

DCMS partnered with an expert consortium - market research consultancy Savanta, My Life My Say and the #iwill Movement with coordination from Volunteering Matters and UK Youth - to set up a youth-led engagement campaign to ensure young people from all areas of the country had the opportunity to have their say. The consortium worked with ten Youth Collaborators to ensure all campaign activities were genuinely designed and led by young people.The Deliver You campaign used a range of innovative and targeted methods to ensure underrepresented groups were able to get their voices heard. The campaign captured insights from over 20,000 young people. 

Our approach has empowered young people to lead change at the heart of policy making and in their own lives. Their lived experiences including their worries and hopes for the future will form the basis of a new ten year ambition for young people in the National Youth Strategy. 

Case study: Barnsley Stronger Communities - improving local areas through co-production with communities 

In 2013, Barnsley Council’s Stronger Communities programme shifted from traditional service delivery to a community partnership model. It actively involves communities and civil society organisations in designing, delivering, and reviewing services through devolved decision-making. 

To target resources in the most cost-effective way to meet local needs, the council increased community involvement, moving from “doing things for” to “working with” residents and community groups.

Barnsley Council established ‘Ward Alliances’, each with elected members and community representatives, a devolved budget, and decision making powers. The Ward Alliances involved local residents and groups to inform local shared priorities and budget allocation. Their co-designed strategies across Barnsley have increased local buy-in and involvement. A Litter and Environmental Crime Plan for 2024 to 2030 was co-produced with community members and volunteers whose experiences informed the strategy, fostering shared ownership.

This shift to working with the local community has resulted in more communities engaging in local decision-making, an increase in volunteer hours and in the number of local groups active in the area. The budget allocation powers within Ward Alliances have supported a range of local projects, and have empowered communities to come together, and feel united in a sense of pride in their area.  

This community impact has contributed towards Barnsley Council’s national recognition, winning both the Local Government Chronicle’s Council of the Year title and the Municipal Journal Local Authority of the Year award in 2023, the only council to win both awards in the same year. 

Transparency and data

The Covenant champions more open sharing of information and data through better availability, understanding of need and evidence-based solutions. 

Engage in open, honest and transparent communication

• Civil society and government work together to create the conditions needed for open communication, applying only proportionate and well explained confidentiality arrangements, meeting high standards and supporting debate and constructive challenge.

• Government aims to offer feedback after engagement on policy and funding decisions to drive learning and improvements. 

• Government responds promptly and openly to Freedom of Information requests and follows best practice regarding the publication of impact assessments and consultation responses. 

Make evidence and data publicly available

• Government works toward making the primary data and information it collects more accessible.

• Civil society maintains public trust by being proactively transparent and accountable for the money they receive.

• Civil society organisations share the research and analysis they undertake as far as reasonably possible, whilst also complying with data protection regulations

Improve data development

• Civil society and government work together to find effective ways to measure the value and health of civil society, and identify any evidence gaps. 

• Civil society and government work together to recognise the value of different evidence sources, including lived experience.

• Civil society and government work together to improve data collection across civil society and government, recognising the data and evidence challenges that civil society organisations can face and being informed by a range of different evidence sources and insights. 

Case study: EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) Vulnerability Programme - leveraging data and transparency to bridge digital divides for vulnerable citizens

The EU Settlement Scheme’s digital-first design posed challenges for vulnerable EU citizens in the UK, including those facing language barriers, digital exclusion, mental health issues and homelessness. These issues posed a barrier to applying and securing settled status in the UK. Although many civil society organisations (CSOs) were uniquely placed to reach and support these individuals, they lacked  accurate data to work with.

In response, government launched a grant programme for CSOs to enhance data collection, sharing and transparency. This enabled better data sharing between the government and grantees for immediate assessments, established transparency standards, and offered support to smaller organisations for data management compliance. Data gathered from civil society informed policy changes and outreach, improving understanding of needs and enabling collaborative, evidence-based solutions. 

Over £32.5 million was successfully allocated to over 70 civil society organisations, enabling them to provide essential assistance to more than 500,000 vulnerable citizens who might not have applied to the scheme otherwise. This critical initiative supported individuals with understanding the scheme, completing applications, and accessing legal or translation services.

The grants also supported four national organisations (one each in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland) and a number of regional organisations, ensuring UK-wide access to services. An example includes ‘Citizens Advice Scotland’, with 1,000 advisers in 200 outreach locations, delivering EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) advice, including benefits, housing, and debt support, enhancing community wellbeing.

Next steps include applying this model to future schemes and tracking long-term impacts on community resilience. 

Case study: Evaluation Support Scotland (ESS) - improving services by measuring impact 

Evaluation Support Scotland (ESS) is a Scottish charity supporting civil society organisations, trustees and funders, to measure and demonstrate their impact through evaluation. The aim is to use impact data and evidence to inform future policy development; it was created after research found that many third sector organisations and funders (including public bodies) lacked the skills and resources to undertake evaluations and to use the insights to inform decisions.

ESS receive core funding from the Scottish Government to deliver open workshops, tailored support, free online self-directed learning modules, and a wealth of online resources. They have also developed multiple guides for funders and organisations, including the five principles for good evaluation, that enables organisations to gain real-time insights, adjust their work and remain responsive to feedback from communities and citizens. They also partnered with the Scottish Government to develop Principles for Positive Partnership, to enhance the relationship between grant managers and grant holders, providing practical advice to strengthen both parties.

In 2023, ESS was funded by the National Lottery Community Fund (TNLCF), in response to the Scottish Government’s homelessness action plan, to focus on preventing homelessness in Glasgow and Edinburgh. With ESS’s support, organisations were able to better highlight the impact of their work which helped inform the targeting of future activity. This included those who are at risk of being homeless:

• being able to access services that meet their needs, including mental health support and youth outreach services

• having more access to more suitable accommodation for their needs

• having more influence on the systems that they are affected by, through the inclusion of lived experiences within housing association policies

ESS’s work has supported TNLCF to make decisions about funding future projects, and ensured that future funding streams were informed about effective support and interventions that had a real world impact on the people they were designed to support. 

Embedding the Covenant principles 

The ambition of the Covenant is to re-shape relationships and build lasting partnerships between civil society and all forms of government across the UK. This is a significant, long term challenge that will require sustained commitment and buy-in from a wide and diverse range of different organisations. 

To help drive momentum and demonstrate leadership, the UK government has committed to ensuring that Government Departments publicly support and work towards implementing the Covenant in order to become a better partner for civil society. The first steps will we take to implement the Covenant include:

• the establishment of the Joint Civil Society Covenant Council. This cross-sector board will be central to the delivery and review of the Covenant, setting direction and providing strategic oversight for its implementation

• the introduction of a range of Task and Finish Groups focusing on specific policy issues impacting the relationship between civil society and government. Two initial groups will focus on commissioning and local level partnerships

• the development of a programme to build capacity and understanding across the sectors, including encouraging more cross-sector secondments

• the establishment of an online hub for practical guidance and resources relating to the Civil Society Covenant

Many civil society organisations’ key relationships with the state are at the local level. We do not wish to cut across existing administrative or statutory frameworks where they meet a higher or equivalent standard, but the Covenant should be used to raise standards where this is not the case. We intend to work with local authorities, elected mayors, local health, and local civil society organisations to encourage and support place-based partnership arrangements that build on local strengths and meet local needs. 

The Covenant recognises that civil society organisations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland work across and are impacted by a wide range of policy issues, some of which are devolved to the governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and some of which are reserved to the UK government. The Covenant also recognises that the Devolved Governments have their own arrangements for working in partnership with civil society in each nation. The Covenant is not intended to undermine or disrupt these partnership arrangements and is designed to ensure alignment with existing schemes and approaches. The Covenant will sit alongside the existing arrangements in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and help to support a constructive relationship between the UK government and civil society on reserved matters. The UK government will continue to work in partnership with civil society organisations in all four parts of the UK and with all three Devolved Governments to ensure complementarity as the Covenant is embedded.

For guidance on putting the Covenant into practice visit Civil Society Covenant: tools or to learn more about the Covenant’s programme of work go to Civil Society Covenant: programme