Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-dnltx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-19T06:42:19.555Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Delivering Public Services in the Mixed Economy of Welfare: Perspectives from the Voluntary and Community Sector in Rural England

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2010

IRENE HARDILL  and
PETER DWYER
IRENE HARDILL
Affiliation:
The Graduate School, College of Business, Law and Social Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, Burton Street, Nottingham NG1 4BU email: Irene.Hardill@ntu.ac.uk
PETER DWYER
Affiliation:
School of Social Work, Psychology and Public Health, University of Salford
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The voluntary and community sector in England is playing an increasingly important role in the delivery of public services to older adults and in doing so they rely on unpaid volunteers. In this article, we draw on the findings of a recent qualitative study of the impact on the voluntary and community sector of delivering ‘low-level’ public services that promote independent living and wellbeing in old age. The fieldwork focused on services that help older adults aged 70+ living in remote rural communities across three English regions. Those charged with service delivery, which is increasingly the voluntary and community sector, face particular challenges, such as uncertain funding regimes and reliance on volunteer labour.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Social Policy , Volume 40 , Issue 1 , January 2011 , pp. 157 - 172
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Age Concern (2007), Stamped Out: Let's Make Rural Post Offices Work for Older People, London: Age Concern.Google Scholar
Age Concern/Help the Aged (2009), Prevention in Practice: Service Models, Methods and Impact, London: Age Concern, Help the Aged.Google Scholar
Alcock, P., Brannelly, T. and Ross, L. (2004), Formality or Flexibility? Voluntary Sector Contracting in Social Care and Health, London: NCVO and Countryside Agency.Google Scholar
Asthana, S., Halliday, J. and Gibson, A. (2009), ‘Social exclusion and social justice: a rural perspective on resource allocation’, Policy and Politics, 37: 2, 201–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atterton, J. (2008), ‘Demographics of the ageing rural population’, Working with Older People, 12: 3, 19–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Audit Commission (2006), Best Value Indicators, 2005/6, London: Audit Commission.Google Scholar
Audit Commission (2007), Hearts and Minds: Commissioning from the Voluntary Sector, London: Audit Commission.Google Scholar
AVECO (2008), ‘Impact briefing: putting impact at the heart of the tendering process’, www.acevo.org.uk/captest/download_file.cfm?filename=Impact_Briefing_final_version.pdf, accessed February 2009.Google Scholar
Baines, S., Wilson, R. and Hardill, I. (2008), ‘How can voluntary organisations help to transform care? Articulating social value’, Paper presented at the Transforming Elder Care Conference, 26–28 June, Copenhagen (http://www.sfi.dk/sw52801.asp).Google Scholar
Baldock, J. and Hadlow, J. (2002), ‘Housebound older people: the links between identity, self esteem and the use of care services’, Research Findings 4, Growing Older programme, Sheffield.Google Scholar
Beckford, J. A. (1991), ‘Great Britain: voluntarism and sectional interests’, in Wuthnow, R. (ed.), Between States and Markets: The Voluntary Sector in Comparative Perspective, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Billis, D. and Glennerster, H. (1998), ‘Human services and the voluntary sector: towards a theory of comparative advantage’, Journal of Social Policy, 27: 1, 79–98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blackmore, A. (2005), The Reform of Public Services: The Role of the Voluntary Sector, London: NCVO.Google Scholar
Champion, T. and Shepherd, J. (2006), ‘Demographic change in rural England’, in Lowe, P. and Speakman, L. (eds.), The Ageing Countryside: The Growing Older Population of Rural England, London: Age Concern England.Google Scholar
Charity Commission (2007), Stand and Deliver: The Future for Charities Providing Public Services, Liverpool: Charity Commission.Google Scholar
Clark, H., Dyer, S. and Horwood, J. (1998), ‘That Bit of Help’: The High Value of Low Level Preventative Services for Older People, Bristol/York: Policy Press and Joseph Rowntree Foundation.Google Scholar
Clough, R., Manthorpe, J., Raymond, V., Sumner, K., Bright, L. and Hay, J.; OPRSI (Older People Researching Social Issues) (2007), The Support Older People Want and the Services They Need, York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation.Google Scholar
Craig, G. and Manthorpe, J. (2000), ‘Social care in rural areas: developing an agenda for research, policy and practice’, JRF Findings, York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation.Google Scholar
Craig, G. (2004), ‘Citizenship, exclusion and older people’, Journal of Social Policy, 33: 1, 95–115.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DEFRA (2003), ‘Community capacity building and voluntary sector infrastructure in rural England’, Rural Forum, 7: 7, June, London: DEFRA.Google Scholar
Department of Health (2005), Independence, Wellbeing and Choice: Our Vision for the Future of Adult Social Care, London: Department of Health.Google Scholar
Department of Health (2007), ‘Putting people first: a shared vision and commitment to the transformation of adult social care Ministerial Concordat’, http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_081118, accessed 14 September 2009.Google Scholar
Department of Health (2008), The Case for Change – Why England needs a New Care and Support System, London: Department of Health.Google Scholar
Department of Health (2009), Shaping the Future of Care Together, Cm. 7673, London: TSO.Google Scholar
Dwyer, P. and Hardill, I. (2008), Older People and Village Services: Exploring the Impact on Community Based Services in Rural England, London: Age Concern.Google Scholar
Glendinning, C., Challis, D., Fernandez, J.-L., Jacobs, S., Jones, K., Knapp, M., Manthorpe, J., Moran, N., Netten, A., Stevens, M. and Wilberforce, M. (2008), ‘Evaluation of the Individual Budgets pilot programme’, Final report, Social Policy Research Unit, University of York.Google Scholar
Hardill, I. (2006), ‘“A place in the countryside”: migration and the construction of rural living’, in Lowe, P. and Speakman, L. (eds.), The Ageing Countryside: The Growing Older Population of Rural England, London: Age Concern England, pp. 51–68.Google Scholar
Hardill, I., Benneworth, P., Baker, M. W. and Budd, L. C. (eds.) (2006), The Rise of the English Regions? Regions, Cities and Policy book series, London: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Help the Aged/Age Concern (2005), Delivering for Older People in Rural Areas: A Good Practice Guide, London: Help the Aged/Age Concern England, Commission for Rural Communities, DEFRA.Google Scholar
HMG (2005), Opportunity Age: Meeting the Challenges of Ageing in the 21st Century, London: Department of Work and Pensions.Google Scholar
HMG (2009), Building a Society for all Ages, Cm 7655, www.hmg.gov.uk/buildingasocietyforallages.aspx, accessed 14 September 2009.Google Scholar
HM Treasury (2002), The Role of the Voluntary and Community Sector in Service Delivery: A Cross-Cutting Review, London: HMSO.Google Scholar
House of Commons (2006), Select Committee on Public Accounts: Thirty-second Report, London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Law, A. and Mooney, G. (2007), New Labour/Hard Labour? Restructuring and Resistance Inside the Welfare Industry, Bristol: The Policy Press.Google Scholar
Le Mesurier, N. (2003), The Hidden Store: Older People's Contributions to Rural Communities, London: Age Concern.Google Scholar
Le Mesurier, N. (2006), ‘The contributions of older people to rural community and citizenship’, in Lowe, P. and Speakman, L. (eds.), The Ageing Countryside: The Growing Older Population of Rural England, London: Age Concern England, pp. 133–46.Google Scholar
Lowe, P. and Speakman, L. (eds.) (2006), The Ageing Countryside: The Growing Older Population of Rural England, London: Age Concern.Google Scholar
Machin, J. and Ellis Paine, A. (2008), Management Matters: A National Survey of Volunteer Management Capacity, London: Institute for Volunteering Research.Google Scholar
Manthorpe, J., Malin, N. and Stubbs, H. (2004), ‘Older people's views on rural life: a study of three villages’, International Journal of Older People Nursing in association with Journal of Clinical Nursing, 13: 6b, 97–104.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Manthorpe, J. and Stevens, M. (2009), ‘Increasing care options in the countryside: developing an understanding of the potential impact of personalisation for social work with rural older people’, British Journal of Social Work, pre-publication online, 1–19.Google Scholar
Milne, A., Hatzidimitriadou, E. and Wiseman, J. (2007), ‘Health and quality of life among older people in rural England: exploring the impact and efficacy of policy’, Journal of Social Policy, 36: 3, 477–95.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murphy, R., Wedlock, E. and King, J. (2005), ‘Early findings from the Home Office Citizenship Survey’, Home Office Online report 49/05, http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/rdsolr4905.pdf, accessed August 2008.Google Scholar
National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) (2002), Supporting Rural Voluntary Action, London: NCVO Publications.Google Scholar
Osborne, S. P. and McLaughlin, K. (2004), ‘The cross-cutting review of the voluntary sector: where next for local government-voluntary sector relationships?’, Regional Studies, 38: 5, 571–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paxton, W., Pearce, N., Unwin, J. and Molyneux, P. (2005), The Voluntary Sector Delivering Public Services: Transfer or Transformation?, York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation.Google Scholar
Raynes, N., Clark, H. and Beecham, J. (2006), The Report of the Older People's Inquiry into ‘That Bit of Help’, York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation.Google Scholar
Reichardt, O., Kane, D., Pratten, B. and Wilding, K. (2008), The UK Civil Society Almanac 2008, London: NCVO.Google Scholar
Ritchie, J., Spencer, L. and O'Connor, W. (2003), ‘Carrying our qualitative analysis’, in Ritchie, J. and Lewis, J. (eds.), Qualitative Research Practice: A Guide for Social Science Students and Researchers, London: Sage, pp. 219–62.Google Scholar
Scharf, T. and Bartlam, B. (2006), ‘Rural disadvantage: quality of life and disadvantage amongst older people’, a pilot study, Commission for Rural Communities, Cheltenham.Google Scholar
Sherwood, K. and Lewis, G. (2000), ‘Accessing health care in a rural area: an evaluation of a voluntary medical transport scheme in the English Midlands’, Health and Place, 6: 4, 337–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wardell, F., Lishman, J. and Whalley, L. (2000), ‘Who volunteers?’, British Journal of Social Work, 30: 2, 227–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wenger, C. G. (2001), ‘Myths and realities of ageing in rural Britain’, Ageing and Society, 21: 117–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilding, K., Clark, J., Griffith, M., Jochum, V. and Wainwright, S. (2006), The UK Voluntary Sector Almanac: The State of the Sector, London: NVCO.Google Scholar
Williams, C. (2003), ‘Developing community involvement: contrasting local and regional participatory cultures in Britain and their implications for policy’, Regional Studies, 37: 531–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yeandle, S. (2009), Telecare: A Crucial Opportunity to Help Save Our Health and Social Care System, London: The Bow Group.Google Scholar