Guide launched to aid community organisation commissioning

The Kindle Partnership — which incorporates Action with Communities in Rural England, Bassac, Children England, Community Matters, National Association for Voluntary and Community Action, and the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services — has published the guide because it says community groups are often reluctant to get involved in commissioning because they lack information about the process and the risks involved.

The new guide, Commissioning and the Community Sector — which has been produced in collaboration with the DCSF-funded Commissioning Support Programme — aims to provide community organisations with accessible information about "the commissioning cycle, how local authorities are using commissioning to improve outcomes for children and young people and how they can get involved at all stages".

David Tyler, chair of the Kindle Partnership, said: "Community groups consistently tell us that they are worried that the shift to more formal commissioning could spell the end of their involvement in local children's work.

"We know that community organisations add significant social value to most services as well as good local knowledge. We also believe that it is important for communities to be involved in shaping and delivering their own solutions to local need."