Professionalising the voluntary sector

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• Professionalising the voluntary sector
• Dr Rowan Astbury
• Charities Evaluation Services

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The essential, non-contestable part of being
professional is to

• specify exactly what will be delivered
• ensure this can be audited.

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Current climate for third sector organisations

• language of performance
• achieving intended outcomes
• accountability for public money
• partnerships with government agencies.

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Expectations about monitoring systems

• New CES research confirms that there are
  different expectations between funders (and
  commissioners), and third sector organisations.
• CES has published a new report, Accountability
  and Learning Developing Monitoring and
  Evaluation in the Third Sector.
• Go to  www.ces-vol.org.uk

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This brief paper has two themes

• how does the third sector prove itself to the
  criminal justice world?
• in proving that interventions by the third sector
  work, who is responsible for what?

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In our work with third sector organisations
wanting to prove their worth, the first key steps
are to

• define outcomes
• find ways of measuring them.

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Mission

The mission made more specific
Services we provide
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To enable prisoners to prepare for their
release
To increase confidence in ability to learn To
improve literacy To improve behavior in prison
Provide sessions on learning skills and
literacy Arrange group work on social skills
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This triangle forces you to say what changes you
want to achieve for your target group
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Work on effects of third sector interventions in
prison

• for NOMS
• with CLINKS
• effects of third sector interventions
• triangle for desired outcomes
• combined across several third sector
  organisations.

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Measurement by questionnaire to prisoners, e.g.

• I am getting on better with other people
• I am better prepared to get work on release
• I am keener to continue learning
• I am in trouble less.

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Difficulties in research in prisons

• research not a priority
• access increasingly difficult, e.g. security
  checks
• dependence on particular members of staff
• churning of staff
• churning of prisoners.

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The real difficulty mismatch between

• evidence the third sector can produce, and
• evidence that government agencies need.

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Third sector interventions can show improvement
in

• eg
• social skills
• literacy
• job search skills
• self-confidence
• behaviour in prison.

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Government agencies want evidence of improvement
in

• getting and keeping a job
• recidivism.

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Are there links between what can be achieved in
prison and what government agencies want to see
subsequently?
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(No Transcript)
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If the link is shown, what does this mean for
future monitoring and third sector interventions
in prison?

• If A predicts B
• Demonstrating A is tantamount to demonstrating B.

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Who is responsible for research on possible
links between improvement of the type A and
improvements of type B?

• In the third sector generally?
• Specifically, in criminal justice settings?