A summary of the Policy Lab sessions creating a future Civil Society Strategy for the Office for Civil Society in the Uk Government.

1. Civil Society Strategy Labs
Write-up
May 2018

2. Strategy Labs
Birmingham
Leicester
From 27 February to 22 May 2018, the DCMS Office for Civil
Society launched an online platform for a Civil Society
Strategy Engagement Exercise. A new strategy is being
developed through open dialogue across sectors as the team
build upon experiences from the past and shape the future of
government’s work with and for civil society.
The policy team asked Policy Lab to:
● Produce a set of materials which could be used to
stimulate this
● Demonstrate the use of those materials to host
discussions in four locations around the country
● Report on their findings
● Provide a visual record of the process, so participants
can be clear that their views informed the strategy
London
York
We facilitated events in:
We designed a set of activities for
the DCMS toolkit. They
facilitated participants:
● to consider what civil society
looks like now, and how it
could look in 2030
● to understand the challenges
that need to be addressed to
reach our ideal end state
● to ‘roadmap’ actions that can
be taken by individuals,
groups and government.

3. Birmingham
11 April
This deck provides a summary of what Policy Lab heard in Birmingham - it does not reflect government policy

4. A visualisation of the discussion by Zuhura Plummer (@ZedPea).
This is available, on request, as a high quality image.

5. “
We started with discussion on our ideal
end state, i.e. what does civil society
look like in 2030.
Here’s what we heard:
In 2030, people are motivated to take their
own action. They do not wait until they are
asked, nor do they wait for permission.
They have pride in their local area.
Schools and education encourages and
facilitates local action. Leaders visit places
in person and are attuned to local need.
Partnership models are not top down, they
empower people to take action. Local and
national governments are facilitators,
creating forums to come together in
partnership. There is a culture of sharing
experience and listening to community
voices.
Discussion - Birmingham

6. Roadmap - Birmingham 1

7. Roadmap - Birmingham 1
P
E
O
P
L
E
How can we make it
easier for people to
become active - or play
a part - in civil society?
Individuals can act as ambassadors who showcase/role-model active citizenship so that
people become aware of civil society and the role they play.
Groups (like the NCS) can be ready to take people in who want to be active and refer them to
other causes/activities/social action that might be interesting to them.
Government can act as a steward, educating people about what civil society is, how it is
relevant to them and why they should take part. Government should make it part of the
national curriculum, giving civil society an equal importance to STEM.
P
L
A
C
E
How can we create the
“space” for
communities to share
power and
responsibilities locally?
Individuals can celebrate the small stuff, encouraging others, having community events and
celebrations.
Groups can set up spaces on local group servers to act as fora for conversations and
advertising the availability of resources.
Government an act as a provider, educating young people on the importance of local
engagement.
P
A
R
T
N
E
R
S
H
I
P
How can we help
partnerships come
together around a
shared mission?
Individuals can create a social enterprise to tackle a local issue.
Groups can create and build cross-secor structures and forums.
Government can act as a steward, sharing what we are doing and what we hear others are
doing (especially exciting innovative practice).

8. Roadmap - Birmingham 2

9. Roadmap - Birmingham 2
P
E
O
P
L
E
How can we encourage
individuals to embrace
responsibility and
influence as a citizen?
Individuals don’t need to wait for permission to get involved.
Groups can make connections between existing assets and people in the community.
Government can act as a catalyst, teaching civics, rights and responsibilities at school. This
would value local places and local people.
P
L
A
C
E
How can we focus on
PLACES, not just
service delivery?
Individuals can take pride in where you live, try to understand what makes your community
and the way it is.
Groups can get involved in service design, telling government when they should step back
Government an act as a collaborator, visiting local places in person, stopping the focus on
London, listening and working with/for local people across the country.
P
A
R
T
N
E
R
S
H
I
P
How can we encourage
connections between
the private sector, civil
society and public
institutions that are
equal?
Individual leaders can acknowledge they don’t have all the answers and visit places in person.
Groups can team up with local groups and use existing networks.
Government can act as a collaborator, trusting that areas know their own solutions and that
people closest to the issue understand it best.

10. Feedback - Birmingham
Policy Lab is a space for experimentation
with new methods in open policy making.
We asked participants to provide us with
feedback on how the sessions were run.
We received feedback from 6 participants.
Participants appreciated being able to
contribute to the bigger picture and share
experiences. The materials were useful
stimulus for idea exchange.
This was the first session and we adapted
later workshops following a recommendation
that we spend more time on the ‘roadmap’
exercise as there was a lot for participants to
cover.
The group also recommended a greater role
for local teams to facilitate, with those from
London clearly there to listen. In Leicester,
London and York we adapted sessions
accordingly.

11. Leicester
17 May
This deck provides a summary of what Policy Lab heard in Leicester - it does not reflect government policy

12. A visualisation of the discussion by Zuhura Plummer (@ZedPea).
This is available separately as a high quality image.

13. “
We started with discussion on our ideal
end state, i.e. what does civil society
look like in 2030.
Here’s what we heard:
In 2030, people are motivated to take part
in civil society. They find ways to make
community action a key part of their busy
lives.
Civil society is reflective of critical age
dynamics, with young people engaged
through technology and business models
for philanthropy matching the ‘[online]
communities of the future’.
Civil society organisations do not compete
with each other for funding, sharing key
capabilities and shared services.
‘Connectors’ play a critical role, joining
groups and initiatives together. Decisions
are taken collaboratively and with a
long-term view.
Discussion - Leicester

14. Roadmap - Leicester 1

15. Roadmap - Leicester 1
P
E
O
P
L
E
How can we inspire
and enable young
people to make a
difference? How do
we help them channel
their energy?
Individuals can set the agenda, using their voice. Groups can use schools as a valuable forum
to speak to young people.
Government can look at the school curriculum, introducing politics and democracy earlier. We
should consider ways to encourage more debate which is creative, inspirational and relevant.
Local politicians can properly represent their constituents, using their power to effect change.
Across government we can encourage youth representatives at every level (committees,
councils etc). Government can also lower the voting age to 16.
How can we address a lack of civic unity? - particularly helping the middle aged, those who are complacent and
like the status quo. We need to think, specifically, about how we fit civil society action into the busy lives of these
people.
P
L
A
C
E
How can we encourage
local businesses to
give back to their
communities?
We need to be conscious that the definition and interpretation of ‘place’ has changed,
with young people finding community online. What does this mean for philanthropy of
the future?
Individuals can use their vote to hold politicians to account.
Groups can identify people with shared goals and work together instead of competing
Local government can build a sense of pride in local places (culture, creativity and
community).
P
A
R
T
N
E
R
S
H
I
P
How can we bring
together effective
collaborations around
specific issues (cross
sectoral with common
purpose)?
Individuals living on the same street can seek out ways to share resources e.g. broadband
access, lawnmowers etc. (n.b. Private rented sector is a barrier to this).
Groups can hold intergenerational ‘conversations’. These should be convened with inclusive
and digital participation.
Government can tackle digital exclusion. Some people have no access and are excluded from
services (e.g. universal credit), social interactions on digital platforms and financial services.

16. Roadmap - Leicester 2

17. Roadmap - Leicester 2
P
E
O
P
L
E
How can we help
communities to have
an equal voice?
Everyone can use the internet and other channels to make connections between people,
engaging and understanding, ensuring everyone has a voice and is part of the conversation.
Groups can provide opportunities for all VCS groups (regardless of shape or size) to be valued.
This could be through consortia.
Government can act as a collaborator, using government expertise to share best practice to
enable development of place locally.
P
L
A
C
E
How can we develop
budgets that are
pooled around
‘outcomes for people’,
with funding controlled
locally?
We need to recognise that it takes 5-10 years to develop programmes.
Businesses/local government can commission or procure ‘instagram’ or similar aps that will
engage young people to have a voice/help plan local service delivery.
Government can act as a legislator, embedding outcomes for people, embedding
requirements for local strategies/plans (e.g. parish plans) to be reviewed and included. The
builds in equity into a system of change.
P
A
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T
N
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S
H
I
P
How can we give
organisations “time” to
nurture change and
develop working
relationships with other
sectors?
Leaders of organisations need to talk about collaboration.
Groups must be open to collaboration (you don’t have to lose your USP) - this means investing
in themselves.
Government, particularly OCS can act as a convenor, developing a longer term
cross-government strategy that won’t change with each new government, making sure that it is
based on the views of civil society and has cross party appeal.

18. Roadmap - Leicester 3

19. Roadmap - Leicester 3
P
E
O
P
L
E
How can we harness
individual/community
social action without
‘bogging’ people down
with bureaucracy?
Everyone can promote and empower individuals, listening more to young people.
Government can give more focus to the NCS and schools.
Groups can better identify needs/descriptions of roles e.g. trustees/volunteers. They can
cooperate/coordinate better to assist/support each other. They can invest in time to
understand each other and their potential to work together.
Local government can act as a funder, valuing and funding infrastructure, seeing it as an
investment in civil society. They can coordinate action to support issues e.g. GDPR to
minimise wasted/duplicated effort. They can do more community asset transfers with support
in transition.
P
L
A
C
E
How can we support
local organisations to
share the ‘building
blocks’/enablers for
social action (e.g.
safeguarding policies,
training and tech)
High net worth individuals can use networks such as the lieutenancy/high sheriff to influence
giving to support community action by groups and individually.
Individual organisations can run an open office day, inviting other groups to come over for a
cuppa and chat.
Government can maximise on community assets. They could devolve more powers and
funding to local level with experience, e.g. of civil society vision as part of Midlands engine.
P
A
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T
N
E
R
S
H
I
P
How can we support
the ‘connectors’ (e.g.
neighbourhood
development officers)
to build networks and
do the connecting?
Everyone can encourage businesses to use their corporate social responsibility to fund local
networks and facilitate connections. Eg. Tesco in Nottinghamshire fund a local partnership
coordination.
Government can trust the local community, acknowledging rural and urban.

20. Roadmap - Leicester 4

21. Roadmap - Leicester 4
P
E
O
P
L
E
How can we change
the civil narrative to
encourage individuals
to look out towards
their community?
Individuals can be encouraged to step forwards, especially through training programmes to
take an interest.
Businesses can invest in apprenticeships and their communities. This can focus on more
disadvantaged people. Charities can tell the story of the reality with in local communities to
encourage support. They can give people knowledge on where to go with their wealth or
support.
Government can tweak business improvement district developments to facilitate those
arrangements being affected in disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
P
L
A
C
E
How can we give civil
society organisations a
stable political/
governance
environment to operate
in?
Government can facilitate cross-party agreement that arrangements stay in place after
elections. One example could be strategic partnerships (2000s), community empowerment
networks and local enterprise partnerships developed over the years. These were ripped up.
P
A
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T
N
E
R
S
H
I
P
How can we ensure
partnerships operating
at different levels are:
- Interconnected
- Accountable
- Transparent
- Inclusive
- Representative
All parties can balance the same old vs a more diverse set of voices on local panels. In one
area a tiny percent of funding goes to black community projects, yet the majority of children in
the school system are non-white.
Government can create a civil society ombudsman.

22. Feedback - Leicester
Policy Lab is a space for
experimentation with new methods
in open policy making. We asked
participants to provide us with feedback
on how the sessions were run.
We received feedback from 20
participants, with an average rating of
3.8 out of 5 for the event overall and 4
out of 5 (very good) for the supporting
materials.
Participants appreciated the engaging
atmosphere, focus on solutions,
discussion with their colleagues, being
led through the process and, most
significantly, the visual record of
discussion.

23. London
18 May
This deck provides a summary of what Policy Lab heard in London - it does not reflect government policy

24. A visualisation of the discussion by Zuhura Plummer (@ZedPea).
This is available, on request, as a high quality image.

25. “
We started with a discussion on what civil
society looked like now, which also merged
into what it could be.
Here’s what we heard:
There was particular concern about the
reduction in services for young people, with
fewer places to go. Participants felt this
should be addressed and that in the civil
society of the future, young people would
have a much stronger voice in their local
community.
There was interest in the potential for
philanthropy, which participants felt was
under-utilised. In the USA there was an
expectation of giving which simply did not
exist here.
Participants felt the civil society of the future
would involve greater local autonomy that
allowed people to decide on their own
futures. It would be easier to find out what
was going on locally and to get involved.
Discussion - London

26. Roadmap - London 1
P
E
O
P
L
E
How can we develop
moral/ethical trusted
leadership and a
shared sense of
accountability/ the
value of all people
Individuals can create opportunities for more social action led by young people.
Accountability should be embedded in the culture of organisations and partnerships.
Government ensures that the law is applied equally to all to demonstrate moral society.
P
L
A
C
E
How can we develop a
shared understanding
of the kind of
communities we want
to live in, whilst
enabling local
identities and
responses
Groups can collectively be confident and positive about communities
Government can recognise role and context of place.
P
A
R
T
N
E
R
S
H
I
P
How can we partner in
ways which recognise
and make use of the
resources of all
partners
Groups can speak up and be mature in their engagement. Leaders should recognise and value
grass-roots knowledge and expertise.
Government can think more holistically: see initiatives through - move away from political
short-termism and focus on the long term; stop thinking about sectors and start thinking about
the system
Government and Civil Society leaders need to be clear about their expectation of the other
and not assume this is so obvious that they both just know.

27. Roadmap - London 2
P
E
O
P
L
E
How can we make sure
civil society can benefit
from innovation
sooner/ as much as the
private sector
Business can make CSR more skills-based. Volunteers’ time might be more effectively given
through new digital forms of peer support.
Government, business and the sector can create a more innovative development cycle
Organisations can shake up board membership so that it is much more representative. A
statement by Charity Commission can help set the right expectations about what is good risk.
P
L
A
C
E
How can we persuade
more local
philanthropists to
support causes at a
local level?
Councillors and politicians can make better use of existing links, thinking about community
assets to make better use of them. Social leaders can identify the right people in
intermediary organisations who can help.
Recipients of funding can help people understand where money is already going, for example
by publishing data on giving, e.g. 360 degree giving
Government should engage philanthropists strategically.
P
A
R
T
N
E
R
S
H
I
P
How can we create
greater links between
small/ local and
large/national in a way
that respects grass
roots and is bottom-up
For everyone involved, co-production should be the central principle of working.
People can play a more specific role in creating data. e.g. web-enabled identification of need
(homeless link). Government can use regulation to open up and publish more data and provide
better infrastructure.
Government and businesses can make it easier for people to give time.
Project evaluation and comparison should be given the ‘wet Wednesday in Wigan’ test!
Local Authorities can be clearer about different routes into/ links within the LA

28. Roadmap - London 3
P
E
O
P
L
E
How can we help
people engage more
with their communities
and make sure it
matters?
Government and funders can shift the focus to evidencing ‘why’; focus on outcomes not
outputs; collect the right data; question it regularly; resource the collection of data; and move
away from headline statistics to focus where there is greatest need.
Civil Society organisations should not lose sight of their specific offer
P
L
A
C
E
How can we help local
communities take
control?
Funders should share intelligence more effectively and also fund preventative work
Leaders in local Civil Society can create new structures at local level outside political cycles,
moving towards the long-term view ie 100 year model not 5 year model,
All organisations can look at international examples and bring ideas in.
P
A
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T
N
E
R
S
H
I
P
How can we ensure
lasting and useful
partnerships?
Funders should support the unfashionable and support core costs. Funders should recognise
the value of grants.

29. York
21 May
This deck provides a summary of what Policy Lab heard in York - it does not reflect government policy

30. “
Discussion - York
We started with discussion on our ideal
end state, i.e. what does civil society
look like in 2030.
Here’s what we heard:
In 2030, a wide variety of people and
organisation are engaged in civil society,
both across distance and across sectors.
Projects and initiatives learn from each
other, ensuring that they don’t run the risk
of ‘reinventing the wheel’.
The region itself it broad and so there is
considerable disparity between different
local areas. With a strong sense of place,
it was important to recognise that some -
but not all - initiatives that worked
elsewhere could work in this region.
The comment at the London workshop
about government’s ambivalence to the
work but “just crack on” strongly
resonated.

31. Roadmap - York 1

32. Roadmap - York 1
P
E
O
P
L
E
How can we support
development of
generous leadership?
How can we engage
with those people that
are disengaged/not
interested?
Community-minded people/community activists are a key resource. Their efforts need to
be appropriately recognised by groups/local government. Infrastructure organisations like
NCVO, NAVCIA can genuinely facilitate culture change in the sector to spot collaborative new
opportunities and seize them through things like phanthophy.
Everyone can identify the real catalyst organisations in each area and invest long term in their
work. Everyone can recognise the role of funders (e.g. community foundations, both public
and private sector) and invest in VCSE to grow civil society and resource it.
Government doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel, recognising best practice and evolving
movements. They can also ensure collective investment in leadership training for young people
(would include things like public speaking, storytelling - e.g. ‘reclaim Manchester, Helsinki),
elected leaders (including shared leadership) and community leaders (on how to articulate civil
society actions).
P
L
A
C
E
How can we mobilise
people around place?
- Shared leadership
- Collaboration
- Deliberation
Champions can find the generous leaders and support them to give to the wider ecosystem of
support. Trusted local organisations can engage through things people are interested in.
Once trust has been built, then people will be more into engagement in other things.
Local authorities can develop social value policies, commissioning and procuring to maximise
investment in civil society - not just the usual 10% of contracts but how it becomes the way we
do things around here.
P
A
R
T
N
E
R
S
H
I
P
How can we develop
purpose and clarity
around partnership
models?
Together, we can reorganise with strength-based approaches respecting the value of local
voice. As an ecosystem we can invest in the right type of capacity building - i.e. see the
characteristics of successful TSOs - foresight, enterprise, governance and impact.
The local authority, reflecting place shaping role, can facilitate the development of social
action strategy and plan for the city: stating local priorities, plans and resources.
Throughout, we need to think about how we can find long-term resources to support civil society

33. Roadmap - York 2

34. Roadmap - York 2
P
E
O
P
L
E
How can we design
solutions that are based
on a real understanding
of needs and assets,
involving decision
makers and
communities/ people?
How can we help
decision makers to
change practices based
on evidence available?
Central Government can work with local efforts and not run separate, competing national
projects. It should make data more available to tackle challenges. It can consider how wider
capital investment in transport and economy can be mobilised to develop Civil Society.
Local Authority CEO’s can convene placemakers to identify specific needs and drive
momentum for action.
Everyone can take greater responsibility in contributing to what is needed to improve their
communities.
P
L
A
C
E
How can we create a
sustainable and
effective local
infrastructure support
model?
Central Government should invest in regional and digital infrastructure; it should allow people
on Universal Credit to volunteer without it impacting on their benefits.
Civil Society sector needs to develop a clearer, stronger impact story and communicate it
better.
Local Councillors expertise should be better integrated into plans and actions.
Big funders need to work with local authorities more, and devolve decision making.
P
A
R
T
N
E
R
S
H
I
P
How can we ensure
civil society is
resourced to have a
voice?
VCSEs can use unrealised funding to make ensure their voice is used and heard.
Everyone can tell their story: about what we do to give back and what it does for us.
Businesses can encourage staff to get involved and local engagement as a corporate
responsibility. Funding should be available for people to become a local leader, setting up a
business etc and becoming trustees.

35. Roadmap - York 3

36. Roadmap - York 3
P
E
O
P
L
E
How can we inspire
people to take
ownership of society?
What’s our shared
goal?
Government, large organisations and the media can enable people to share their story, by
giving them a platform.
Everyone can share their story, either articulating or asking how have you shaped society?
Government can listen to what people have to say, working with people and groups taking
action as necessary - for example teach civic education, inspire young people, “don’t
necessarily organise social action but don’t ban it either!”
P
L
A
C
E
How can we support,
celebrate and value
each other for shaping
local places and
driving change?
Civil Society can address the motivation question: “If I participate, what will change?”
Local Communities can recognise the value of community action organisations.
Local and central government can give greater power to the local community, for welfare and
public services.
P
A
R
T
N
E
R
S
H
I
P
How can we reshape
partnerships between
neighbours, business
and voluntary
organisations to drive
social change?
Individuals can connect with neighbours across social/ power boundaries to build social
capital.
Government, business and social action groups need time to develop trust. And need
resources. There is an opportunity to find the community vision and the “winners”, recognising
good practice (like the Cities of Service model).
Government can create clear cross-departmental frameworks that are simple and which
mandate behaviours. The current complicated systems of evidence can be revised, using data
more effectively.

37. Feedback - York
Policy Lab is a space for
experimentation with new methods
in open policy making. We asked
participants to provide us with feedback
on how the sessions were run.
We received feedback from six
participants
Participants appreciated the opportunity
to discuss the big picture, innovative
facilitation, the ability to meet a wide
range of colleagues and the structure of
the sessions.
Participants recommended investment in
local leadership and involvement of
community foundations.

38. CONTACT US
For enquiries about the project, feedback
or suggestions, contact us:
Vasant Chari
Vasant.Chari@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
To find out more about Policy Lab
Follow us on twitter (@PolicyLabUK)
and check out our blog
Further
information