Civil Society Covenant: tools
Source: gov.uk (2025-08-15)

Tools and resources to help put the Civil Society Covenant into practice.

The Civil Society Covenant (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-society-covenant) is a set of principles designed to help build effective partnerships across civil society and government. This page offers guidance on putting the Covenant into practice. To learn more about the Covenant’s programme of work go to Civil Society Covenant: programme (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/civil-society-covenant-programme).

About

This page provides tools and resources to help individuals and organisations across civil society and government embed the Civil Society Covenant.

This page will be regularly updated as new resources become available.

Case studies

During the engagement period, we gathered real-world examples of effective partnership working between the government and civil society. We have included some of these examples throughout both the Covenant and the Summary of Findings, as illustrative examples of on-the-ground good practices. These examples can be accessed below:

Civil Society Covenant: AllChild and Better Society Capital (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/civil-society-covenant-allchild-and-better-society-capital) - Cymraeg (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/cyfamod-y-gymdeithas-sifil-allchild-a-better-society-capital) Flexible commissioning for impactful early intervention.

Civil Society Covenant: Barnsley Stronger Communities (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/civil-society-covenant-barnsley-stronger-communities) - Cymraeg (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/cyfamod-y-gymdeithas-sifil-cymunedau-cryfach-barnsley) Improving local areas through co-production with communities.

Civil Society Covenant: Belfast City Council (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/civil-society-covenant-belfast-city-council) - Cymraeg (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/cyfamod-y-gymdeithas-sifil-cyngor-dinas-belfast) Belfast 2024’s Creative Citizens programme.

Civil Society Covenant: Calderdale Council (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/civil-society-covenant-calderdale-council) - Cymraeg (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/cyfamod-y-gymdeithas-sifil-calderdale) Recognising VCSE value for a flourishing future.

Civil Society Covenant: Cambridge City Council (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/civil-society-covenant-cambridge-city-council) - Cymraeg (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/cyfamod-y-gymdeithas-sifil-cyngor-dinas-caergrawnt) Building shared goals and alignment with the community wealth building strategy.

Civil Society Covenant: London Borough of Camden (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/civil-society-covenant-london-borough-of-camden) - Cymraeg (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/cyfamod-y-gymdeithas-sifil-bwrdeistref-camden-llundain) Providing unrestricted and long term funding.

Civil Society Covenant: EUSS Vulnerability Programme (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/civil-society-covenant-euss-vulnerability-programme) - Cymraeg (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/cyfamod-y-gymdeithas-sifil-rhaglen-bregusrwydd-cynllun-preswylion-sefydlog-yr-ue-euss) Leveraging data and transparency to bridge digital divides for vulnerable citizens.

Civil Society Covenant: Evaluation Support Scotland (ESS) (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/civil-society-covenant-evaluation-support-scotland-ess) - Cymraeg (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/cyfamod-y-gymdeithas-sifil-evaluation-support-scotland-ess) Improving services by measuring impact.

Civil Society Covenant: Government Outcomes Lab (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/civil-society-covenant-government-outcomes-lab) - Cymraeg (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/cyfamod-y-gymdeithas-sifil-trawsnewid-y-gig) Data sharing and partnership working.

Civil Society Covenant: Greater London Authority (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/civil-society-covenant-greater-london-authority) - Cymraeg (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/cyfamod-y-gymdeithas-sifil-awdurdod-llundain-fwyaf) Increasing trust with civil society and communities during and after COVID.

Civil Society Covenant: Greater Manchester (GM) VCFSE Accord (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/civil-society-covenant-greater-manchester-gm-vcfse-accord) - Cymraeg (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/cyfamod-y-gymdeithas-sifil-cytundeb-vcfse) Recognising the potential of civil society to address inequalities in the city-region.

Civil Society Covenant: Home Office Knife Crime Coalition (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/civil-society-covenant-home-office-knife-crime-coalition) - Cymraeg (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/cyfamod-y-gymdeithas-sifil-clymblaid-troseddau-cyllyll-y-swyddfa-gartref) A partnership based approach to reducing knife crime.

Civil Society Covenant: Leeds City Council (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/civil-society-covenant-leeds-city-council) - Cymraeg (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/cyfamod-y-gymdeithas-sifil-cyngor-dinas-leeds) Building effective partnerships through proactive communication and engagement.

Civil Society Covenant: Medrwn Môn Place Shaping (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/civil-society-covenant-medrwn-mon-place-shaping) - Cymraeg (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/cyfamod-y-gymdeithas-sifil-cynllunio-lle-medrwn-mon) Working together as an alliance.

Civil Society Covenant: National Youth Strategy (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/civil-society-covenant-national-youth-strategy) - Cymraeg (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/cyfamod-y-gymdeithas-sifil-y-strategaeth-ieuenctid-genedlaethol) Putting young people at the heart of policy development.

Civil Society Covenant: Accessible aviation with AATFG (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/civil-society-covenant-accessible-aviation-with-aatfg) - Cymraeg (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/cyfamod-y-gymdeithas-sifil-grwp-gorchwyl-a-gorffen-hygyrchedd-hedfan-aatfg) Co-designing accessible aviation through partnership.

Civil Society Covenant: The Plan to Make Work Pay (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/civil-society-covenant-the-plan-to-make-work-pay) - Cymraeg (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/cyfamod-y-gymdeithas-sifil-y-cynllun-i-wneud-i-waith-dalu) Early and inclusive collaboration with stakeholders.

Civil Society Covenant: Transforming the NHS (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/civil-society-covenant-transforming-the-nhs) - Cymraeg (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/cyfamod-y-gymdeithas-sifil-trawsnewid-y-gig) Collaboration shaping people’s health for the future.

Covenant principles in practice

This illustrative document (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/illustration-document-progress-signs-for-implementing-the-civil-society-covenant) provides examples of behaviours in civil society and government of what the Covenant principles will look like in practice. It is intended to help demonstrate what progress looks like when the Covenant principles are effectively adopted and implemented, and the signs that could indicate a lack of progress.

This guidance will be reviewed regularly and updated as necessary to reflect changing needs and best practices. Feedback from both civil society and government stakeholders will be actively sought and incorporated.

Learning programme

Government is developing a learning offer to support the implementation of the Covenant including a new learning series with the Civil Service Policy Profession to delve into the relationship between Civil Society and government, aiming to enhance policymakers’ understanding of, and effective collaboration with, Civil Society partners.

Further information on the learning programme will be made available here.

Further resources

Below are a selection of information hubs and resources to support deepening understanding and uncover new collaboration opportunities.

The charity register
- Search the charity register (https://www.gov.uk/find-charity-information) - find information on registered charities
Information hubs
- MyCommunity (https://mycommunity.org.uk/) - a MHCLG-backed central hub for information and support, including community assets and community grants
- Citizens Advice (https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/) - a DBT-backed general information site
- 360Giving (https://www.360giving.org/) - a charity that helps organisations publish and use open grants data
Social action platforms
- Neighbourly.com (https://www.neighbourly.com/) connects businesses with thousands of vetted local charities, food banks and community groups across the UK and Ireland
Statistics
- The Community Life Survey (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/community-life-survey--2) is a key evidence source for understanding more about community engagement, volunteering and social cohesion, sampling adults (aged 16+) throughout England
- The Indices of Multiple Deprivation (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-indices-of-deprivation-2019) details statistics on relative deprivation in small areas in England
Resilience
- The VCS Emergencies Partnership (https://www.vcsep.org.uk/) aims to bring organisations together to deliver a more coordinated response to emergencies
- The National Emergencies Trust (https://nationalemergenciestrust.org.uk/home/) collaborates with UK charities in the event of a disaster or emergency within the UK
Engage Through Volunteering (for civil servants)

Most government departments offer a minimum of three days’ volunteering leave. Civil servants are encouraged to review their departmental policy and leverage this opportunity to foster stronger connections and deepen understanding of partnership working with civil society, while providing valuable support to organisations and communities

Reach Volunteering (https://reachvolunteering.org.uk/) and doit.life (http://doit.life/) are volunteer matching platforms which can help with finding volunteering opportunities

The Charity for Civil Servants (CfCS) Interchange Programme

In July, CfCS launched an interchange programme to offer a range of five exciting project-based development opportunities for emerging civil service leaders. These opportunities will enable individuals to gain valuable insights into the charitable sector, at a time when the government is looking to work much more closely in the delivery of its missions with the third sector.

For more information and application details, please contact Victoria Black, at xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)