Regulating for Quality in the Voluntary Sector

Abstract

The implementation of the NHS and Community Care Act, the greatly increased use of voluntary sector providers and the switch from grants to contracts form the background to this study. The article brings together two main themes in current social policy debate in the personal social services: regulation and quality assurance. Contracts are seen as increasingly significant forms of input, process and output regulation, although their impact depends upon their type and specificity and upon the capacity of purchasers to monitor contract compliance, and the sanctions available to them. Clarification of the conceptual framework is followed by the report of an empirical study of the position in a single large county. The results from this study are then discussed in the context of evidence from other parts of Britain and the United States. The main issues identified in this discussion are competition, consumer choice, user involvement, the dangers of excessive and inappropriate regulation, the importance of trust and risk, and the relationship of resources to quality.

Public Service Outsourcing and its Employment Implications in an Era of Austerity: The Case of British Social Care

“…Many of the charities engaged in the delivery of public services are highly dependent on income derived from this activity (Clarke et al, 2009). Against this background, research suggests that they are often not well placed to act proactively by taking the initiative and shape the nature of the relationship they have with service commissioners (Johnson et al, 1998), many operating on a restricted geographical basis and therefore reliant on obtaining income from a relatively small number of (often much larger) local authority service commissioners (Charity Commission, 2007). This vulnerability has arguably been exacerbated by deteriorating market conditions arising from governmental responses to the 2008 financial crises.…”

Improving performance? The adoption and implementation of quality systems in U.K. nonprofits

“…External stakeholders, it is argued, have become increasingly concerned about having evidence that services provided at arm's length from them meet acceptable standards of quality. As a result of this concern, voluntary and community organizations are feeling pressured to varying degrees to adopt quality systems so that they can demonstrate to stakeholders their organizational effectiveness and the standard of their services (Barclay and Abdy, 2001;Johnson and others, 1998).…”

‘Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind’: Assessing The Impact Of Markets For Children’s Residential Care

“…To date, most of the research investigating these issues has focused on local authority services for adults, covered by the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 (Wistow et al 1996;Walsh et al 1997;Lewis and Glennerster 1996;Means and Langan 1996;Johnson et al 1998;Leat and Perkins 1998;Wistow and Hardy 1999). With some exceptions (Support Force 1995;Social Services Inspectorate [SSI] 1995Petrie and Wilson 1999), far less attention has been given to the emergence of external markets for other local authority services such as children's residential care.…”