Policy paper

Enabling social action: guidance

Resources for public sector commissioners to help deliver public services.

Documents

A description of social action

Commissioning for social action

Enabling social action methodology

Details

From November 2015 to August 2016 government collaborated with the New Economics Foundation to develop resources for commissioners and other public sector leaders to help them embed social action in commissioning.

Social action is about people coming together to help improve their lives and solve important problems in their communities. When the public sector works with communities – listening to citizens, growing their capacity to act, and working with them as equals – social action can become a powerful way of meeting people’s needs.

These publications provide resources, ideas and case studies on how to embed social action into existing services, develop new programmes and create the conditions for social action.

To help inform these tools three local authorities in Staffordshire, Islington and Cornwall received several days of training and support on social action, co-production and commissioning.

This video describes Staffordshire County Council’s ambition to develop a social action strategy.

Enabling social action - Local Authority case study

This video describes procurement and commissioning practice from different perspectives. It includes examples of innovative approaches using social action including delivering youth services.

Enabling social action - views on the benefits

Updates to this page

Published 16 February 2017
Last updated 16 February 2017 + show all updates
  1. First published.

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