Charities are an effective way to provide community services, says Deputy Soulsby
A NEW partnership between government and the third sector is an opportunity for all, a senior politician has said.
Heidi Soulsby is political lead for the charity sector.
She said that the States already worked with the sector through more than 30 formally commissioned services, at a total value of more than £5m.
She said that, generally, commissioning charities was an effective way for government to provide support in the community.
‘Guernsey Mind understands the needs of the community and can provide the services in a more efficient, effective and flexible way than government can,’ she said.
‘With government, it’ll be generally slow, it has greater checks and balances.
‘Charities benefit from not having all that bureaucracy around them and can focus on what they’re there to do. When it comes to delivering services to support our community, government and the charity sector have many of the same values at heart, which means that there are plenty of opportunities for us to work in partnership to achieve our shared objective of community wellbeing.
‘We already work closely with the charity sector, making sure that those who best understand the needs of the community are delivering these services in a way that is as effective, efficient and flexible as possible to meet ever-changing needs.’
Deputy Marc Leadbeater, Vice-President of the Committee for Health & Social Care, said that £65,000 for a 12-month service agreement was money well spent.
‘We’re really pleased to enter into this agreement with Guernsey Mind for the benefit of our community. This agreement will focus on ensuring access to services and establishing early intervention in line with our Bailiwick Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy.
‘As well as helping to improve the health of our community, early intervention also avoids the need for more significant interventions later down the line for further support and treatment, saving costs through these preventative measures.’
