NO - Kate Green, chief executive, Child Poverty Action Group
The Freud review of welfare is suggesting contractors are givenfinancial incentives to get claimants off benefits. For many charities,this would result in a conflict of interest with their vital welfarerights advice services. The success of many charity projects inproviding employment support services has attracted the Government tothe idea of contracting out benefit delivery. However, the independenceof the sector is a key factor behind its success.
YES - David Hunter, policy officer, Association of Chief Executives ofVoluntary Organisations
We feel that charities are capable of both giving out and advising onbenefits. This is especially true of the larger charities that have thecapacity to set up branches that can work separately. There is a lot oftalk of the independence of the charity sector that I think has beenoverplayed, charities have always had a variety of paymasters. InAustralia this type of outsourcing has worked well and there are thingswe can learn.
NO - Clare Tickell, chief executive, NCH
Being both can be extremely problematic for a charity as in most casesit changes what you do.
What most charities do is advise on maximising benefits and that wouldbe difficult if they were involved in the handing out of one type ofbenefit. Where it could work is if the charity has a set of values thatinvolves dispensing benefits as well as advice. But, in practice, it isthe linking of the two areas that concerns me. It can create confusionwithin the organisation and among users.
YES - Corin Taylor, head of research, Taxpayers' Alliance There isevidence that the situation in Australia, where private firms andcharities are closely involved in benefit provision and helping peopleto find work, is working well. Instead of cumbersome Governmentbureaucracy it seems these organisations have much more success infinding work for people and, more importantly, finding long-term work.The discussion about charities and their independence is a genuine one,but in principle it could work.
