About Defra

Terms of Reference

Implementing the Compact on Relations between the Government and the Voluntary & Community Sector

Aims

  • To foster a mutually beneficial strategic relationship between the voluntary and community sector and Defra.
  • To mainstream the operation of the Compact and its codes into all areas of Defra activity.

Objectives

The Group will:

  • Work together to build mutual understanding between Defra and its voluntary and community sector stakeholders;
  • Advise Defra and its stakeholders on Compact implementation;
  • Consider matters relating to the national operation of the Compact;
  • Monitor progress in implementing the Compact within Defra and its agencies.

Membership

The Defra Compact Group is made up of nominated individuals drawn from within the Department and from amongst it’s voluntary and community sector stakeholders.

The Group comprises:

  1. Twelve members nominated from within the voluntary and community sector to work with the Department on Compact implementation. The Group will seek to secure representation from:
    • across the Defra family and its interests;
    • local, regional and national organisations from across England and the UK;
    • both large and small voluntary and community organisations;
    • campaigning, delivery, representative and infrastructure organisations.
  2. Representatives from within the Department:
    • Minister of State for Rural Affairs (once a year);
    • Grade 3 Compact Champion – Co-chair;
    • 10 relevant representatives from across the Department’s remit;
    • Representatives of key Defra Agencies and NDPBs (A proposal for working with selected Agencies and NDPBs is in development);
  3. By invitation:
    • Representative of the Local Government Association;
    • Representatives of the National Compact Working Group and the Active Community Unit; and
    • Representatives of the sector from other UK nations.

Chairmanship

Meetings of the Group will be jointly chaired by the Department’s Compact Champion and a nominee from amongst the voluntary and community sector membership.

Succession strategies

The Group has a vital role to play in fostering and building relationships between the Department and it’s VCS stakeholders so continuity of membership is important.  It is however, equally important that the Group has effective succession strategies in place to fill any vacancies and to enable VCS members to manage their commitments.

  • The Group will review its membership on an annual basis with a view to identifying any areas for development.
  • A detailed succession strategy is attached at Annex A.

Committments

The Group will expect to hold a minimum of three meetings a year (one of which will take place in the run up to the Annual Compact Meeting in April).

In addition, Group members may be invited to take part in sub-group activities, one-off workshops and consultation exercises as part of the Group’s work plan.

The VCS members engage with the Group on a voluntary basis.

The Defra Compact Group relies on the good will and the enthusiasm of individual VCS members to advocate on behalf of their networks and the wider voluntary and community sector and to promote the Compact and its codes both within Defra and in the sector. 

The Group relies equally on the commitment and energy of Defra representatives to engage with the Group and its work programme and to champion Compact ways of working in their day-to-day activities.

All members of the Group will seek to increase mutual understanding between the Department and its VCS stakeholders.

Support

Defra’s Compact Team will provide secretariat support for the Group.

The Department will meet the expenses of voluntary and community sector representatives in attending meetings. 

In addition, it will provide a grant of £10,000 to support the work of the Group.

Ways of working

The Group will seek to be as open and accessible as possible in its ways of working. Where appropriate, members will seek to engage their networks and stakeholders in influencing and responding to the Group’s Agenda.

The Group will adopt an annual Defra Compact Work Plan with milestones and targets for achieving its aims and objectives. 

The Group may propose more specialised meetings of organisations within the Defra ‘family’ on a seminar basis, with officials and Ministers, in order to focus on particular areas of Defra’s work.

Further Details can be found at Annex B.

Reference group

In addition to the Group’s formal membership, stakeholders from within the voluntary and community sector and from within the Department will have access to an open reference group. The purpose of the reference group is to enable all those with an interest in Defra’s Compact relations to keep up to date with, and influence, the work of the Compact Group. Reference group members will receive copies of the minutes and agendas of meetings and will be invited to contribute where they have a particular interest. Reference group members will also take part in sub-group activity where they have a particular interest or expertise and act as a sounding board for the Group’s priorities.

Annex A

Succession strategy

VCS Members
  1. The Group will review its membership on a regular basis with a view to identifying any areas for development. Members will be drawn from amongst Defra’s VCS stakeholders. Members may nominate themselves or be nominated by any member of the Compact Group. Membership decisions will be taken through a process of discussion and negotiation, with the joint Chairs sharing responsibility to ensure the overall balance of the Group’s membership.
  2. The standard term of membership will be three/four years. However the Terms of Reference specifically allow for the phased retirement of representatives, so that not all experience is simultaneously lost. In addition to this there is also the option for a one year extension to the initial period of office. The detailed guidelines are as follows:
    1. At the end of the first period of office, one-third of the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS ) representatives shall retire from office.  Annually thereafter the number nearest to one-third of the representatives who are subject to retirement by rotation shall retire from office.  If there is only one representative who is subject to retirement by rotation, s/he shall retire.
    2. The VCS representatives to retire by rotation shall be those who have been longest in office since their most recent appointment. If there are representatives who were appointed on the same day, those to retire shall be determined by lot (unless they otherwise agree among themselves).
    3. If the Compact Group, at the meeting at which a representative retires, is unable to fill the vacancy, the retiring representative shall, if willing to act, be deemed to have been reappointed for the additional period of one year, unless at the meeting it is resolved not to fill the vacancy.
    4. Following the initial term of office, VCS representatives may be invited to serve for an additional term of one further year (at the discretion of the joint chairs).
    5. VCS representatives will be eligible for nomination to rejoin the group once a year has elapsed since the end of previous service, whereupon they will be subject to the normal process of consideration.
    6. Any Compact Group member may invite relevant Defra stakeholders to join the reference group or to nominate themselves for membership of the Compact Group.
  3. It will be important that nominees are fully aware of the responsibilities of Defra Compact Group membership. The key elements of this role are:
    • A willingness to represent the interests of the wider VCS in relation to Defra (not just those of the individual organisation);
    • Aims that are consistent with Defra’s objectives;
    • A commitment to champion the Compact.
  4. Where VCS members have not made any contribution to the group over a period of two meetings (approx six months) they may be asked to reconsider their membership.
Defra Members
  1. The Group will focus on drawing in members from across the Department’s remit with a particular focus on those who have regular contact with or interest in the voluntary and community sector.
  2. The Group may identify areas within the Department’s work where it would be useful to make links at any time.

Annex B

Ways of working

  1. An agenda and any associated papers will be circulated to the Group at least two weeks in advance of each meeting. Minutes will be circulated within two weeks of each meeting.
  2. All Group members will have a role in agenda setting. At the end of each meeting the Group will be asked to suggest items for the next meeting and a formal request for agenda items will be circulated with the minutes of each meeting. Group members are asked to bear in mind the need to keep agendas short and focused.
  3. The agenda and minutes for each meeting will be agreed by the joint chairs in advance of circulation.
  4. All agenda items and associated papers will be accompanied by a Context Sheet detailing:
    • a brief background or context to the item; and
    • what action (if any) is required from the Group? For example: to note, for discussion, to agree, to answer specific questions.
  5. Papers will be numbered, dated, printed double-sided and circulated in hard copy.
  6. The wider reference group will be made aware of agendas and minutes (available on the website) by email. Reference group members may feed in their views or issues from the sector through the Secretariat.
  7. The agendas and minutes of each meeting will be publicly available on Defra’s website.
  8. Participants from both Defra and the sector may be invited to participate in meetings of the Group where they have a particular interest or expertise in the matters discussed. The invitation of external participants will be at the discretion of the chairs.

Page published: 04 December 2007

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs