For instance, large children's charities such as NCH and Barnardo's are substantial contracting businesses, and more than 128m of the 150m turnover in 2002/03 of NCH, Britain's largest children's charity, came from the provision of publicly funded services.
A great contribution that voluntary groups can bring is innovation. The sector has also often goaded politicians to act in cases of particular injustice or need. Shelter's campaigns in the field of housing are a case in point.
Margaret Hodge last week hinted that she would like to see the voluntary sector playing a role in shaping policy and commissioning services in the new children's trusts, as well as delivering them. Others have been saying similar things for years. But in 2002, a Treasury review of the sector's contribution to public services identified areas, including governance structures and the calibre of management, that would have to be addressed. These are now being addressed and the Government is backing the process with a 125m fund called Futurebuilders (see News, p4).
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