Definition:
The BME sector consists of any organisation staffed and managed primarily by volunteers of black or minority ethnic backgrounds, or one that is concerned primarily with the needs and welfare of ethnic minority groups. More broadly, this compact can cover any group of BME individuals who come together for a common purpose. When referred to as the 'BME sector', it must be remembered that this title has a broad application. “Ethnicity” covers not only the colour of someone’s skin, but also their national, cultural and religious background.
This document provides a basic framework for the statutory sector and the developing BME sector to use to work together, based on the structure of the national BME Compact. It describes the commitment and desire of public bodies to value, utilise and develop the skills and experience of all BME individuals working in the communities of Lincolnshire. However, due to the embryonic status of the BME sector locally, it is recognised that this document has been developed without the input of the BME groups themselves. This is something that must change, and it is hoped that this version of the Compact is merely the first; that the BME groups that exist now and those that we hope will come into being in the future will engage with the working group to revise and improve this framework to meet their own specific needs and aspirations.
Aim:
The compact aims to:
- Cultivate a thriving BME voluntary and community sector that reflects interests and needs of all BME communities and individuals
- Allow the statutory and BME sectors to work together in an environment of mutual trust and cooperation
- Achieve positive outcomes for BME communities in terms of social inclusion and their own development and fulfilment
- Develop and support any and all BME voluntary or community initiatives and to encourage the establishment of new ones
- Progress race equality in line with public bodies that are required to do so under the Race Relations Amendment Act (2000)
Commitments and obligations:
In order to realise these aims and shared values voluntary, community and statutory organisations that sign up to the compact will strive to:
- Ensure that the needs, concerns and aspirations of minority ethnic groups, where they may be different from the majority, are considered in the day-to-day provision of services
- Seek the input of BME groups at all levels of strategic planning wherever possible, and make provision for BME representation on all relevant boards and committees, whether internal or in consultation (the Equality and Diversity theme groups of the Local Strategic Partnerships currently fulfil this partially and must continue to develop Good Practice)
- Recognise and reference their commitment to this compact, to the statutory duty of public bodies to promote race equality as defined in legislation, and to any relevant policies of their own when composing strategies, action plans or other policy
- Accept and make available any literature regarding public service provision or cross-sector projects in whatever languages are spoken in that community, as far as it is possible
- Monitor all relevant aspects of their provision of practical and financial support to ensure that all ethnic groups have fair access. Also to consider setting aside funding for BME projects to avoid them becoming ‘lost’
- When dealing with faith groups, to recognise the social benefits of their work beyond the promotion of religion, and to assess any application for funding or support on the basis of potential profit to the community rather than the religious motivation of the applicants
- To recognise and give due weight to the value of BME volunteers and their capability to provide professional and expert service, and to utilise these skills wherever possible
- Engage fully with the wider voluntary, community statutory sector, which can offer assistance and partnerships to BME organisations
- Utilise the varied training facilities available in the county to ensure that volunteers are properly trained and also have the opportunity to develop themselves. Volunteers should also be made as safe as possible in their working environments and whenever possible, insured
- Ensure proper governance, through the adoption of constitutions, election of trustees and effective financial management, in order to boost the credibility and the capacity of the BME sector
- To make full use of the Councils for Voluntary Service to help in the establishment of new projects and to find peer support.
Capacity building should focus on the needs of individuals and groups. It needs to be robust and clear about what it is aimed at, what methods will be used and how it will be evaluated
Fundraising and capital investment:
In Lincolnshire, like the rest of the country, there appears to be a need for greater expertise in fundraising amongst the BME communities. In Lincolnshire this is because of the lack of an established BME voluntary sector, meaning there is a lack of experienced individuals. Wherever possible, individuals and organisations in the private and public sectors should be encouraged to provide assistance, or ideally training, to fledgling BME groups.
The Application and development of the compact:
As stated earlier, this compact, in its current form, has been composed without the input of the local BME voluntary and community sector, because that sector is currently under-developed. The vision of this compact is that it can be used as a starting point for the voluntary, community and statutory sectors to address the issue of how to engage with and develop BME community groups. Once this development is underway, this compact should be revisited and rewritten to reflect the experiences, strengths, weaknesses and desires of the BME sector it is intended to serve, with reference to the national compact (“Getting It Right Together”).