This past week I attended what struck me as an extraordinary event. Held at the Science Museum in London, it brought together multiple ministers and Secretaries of State plus many senior representatives of the Voluntary Sector/Civil Society organisations, plus some hangers-on like myself. Described as a Mission Summit with the aim of launching the Civil Society Covenant, it was addressed by the Prime Minister himself, colleagues from the Cabinet and several other ministers. I was struck by how many of these parliamentarians had worked in the voluntary sector prior to becoming MPs and it did make their contributions feel very personal and committed.
As Lisa Nandy (Secretary of State at the Department of Culture, Media and Sports which is leading the initiative) put it in her introduction to the event, this covenant is meant to mark ‘a new chapter in the relationship between this government and the remarkable civil society organisations that form the backbone of our communities’. The buzz in the room, and the enthusiasm with which the speakers from the organisations present engaged in conversations with ministers, suggests there is high level of support for the initiative. Seen as a way of bringing local organisations into both decision-making and delivery across the different missions – safer streets, opportunity for all and so on – there was a belief that bottom-up provision is every bit as important as Whitehall top-down imposed solutions to the manifest problems.
You may be wondering why I was there at this invitation-only event. After all, I’m not known as a leader in the voluntary sector for good reason: I’m not one. But I am involved with the Opportunity Mission through my work with the Department for Education, as Chair of their Scientific Advisory Committee. What I see there is the importance of education not just sitting in a silo, but being closely tied in with other departments. Health for instance: a child can’t thrive if their eyesight is weak, let alone if they should be in receipt of an Education, Health and Care Plan, EHCP, the cause of so much public angst about SEND provision. There’ll be no thriving if their family is homeless, something that may fall under any or all of the Department for Work and Pensions, Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, and Ministry of Justice as well as Education. And so on.
Government by mission is a wonderful concept, but probably harder to deliver than anyone would like. Minister after (Cabinet) Minister expressed their wish to see cross-departmental working to deliver on their goals, but a sense of frustration that department staff have been too conditioned by working in silos under the previous Government to embrace this new style swiftly. Clearly, culture change takes time.
One of the passionate speakers, totally brave and honest, was Jess Phillips. She was talking about something very close to her heart, and something she knows a great deal about: violence against women and children. She was in discussion with those working, for instance, in women’s refuges. She was explicit in her determination to change the focus of the work from looking after victims to dealing with predators so that safe spaces like refuges are no longer needed. (Sadly, that may be a while away.) There was a recognition of how much things have improved since the earliest refuges were opened. I am old enough to remember when Erin Pizzey set up the very first shelter for domestic violence victims, and the uproar such action provoked.
This particular panel pointed out that everyone has a duty to look out for those suffering at the hands of family members, but were clear that in the latter case this should not just be another burden to add to the work of teachers. Phillips called on everyone in the room to do their bit. I sat there feeling guilty thinking, when have I ever helped a victim in this way? Then felt a little reassured that by my work championing women in my own University, by helping to raise issues around lower-level harassment and predation, I had been active in my own sphere. I reiterate, anyone who sees bad behaviour and does nothing – in whatever situation – is complicit and should be aware that, if it is safe to act in the moment or thereafter, they should do so.
It was an extraordinary day because the sense of ‘we’re all in this together’ was palpable. One felt a sense that a healthier relationship between Government, in both Whitehall and local town halls, and the committed individuals who carry so much of the burden of looking after the vulnerable and those with no voice of their own, was not only possible but going to be delivered for the good of us all. I’m sure many readers will be used to a feeling of disbelief that things could change for the better, when listening to the average politician, or a lack of confidence that the politicians themselves had conviction about the words they use. But, on this occasion, I did come away feeling positive, that mission government could be made to work for everyone and to make this country a better place for those who currently struggle through no fault of their own. Fingers crossed.
