Big Society- How is it going to work?

[seekinginspiration]

I'm really confused. I do a bit of volunteering (two hours a week - but only when it fits in with other demands). I have to put paid work and family first so I need to earn some money. I think most mums and even some grannies are in this situation. How is it going to work?

Cornsilk. Where does David say he wants us to do jobs, that workers are currently paid for?
It was not my understanding of the Big Society!

well what jobs does he want us to do then?

Public libraries are being banded about as one suggestion Cornsilk.

I know the librarians fairly well, my kids and I go everyweek. As much as I love books and would hate to see our library closed, I have no desire to do their job for free.

well that's one example then complimentary

Does he mean helping out at the local library? If one of the librarians is sacked!

Meals on wheels is under threat because the paid managers who manage the volunteers can not be paid for.

Anyone up for cooking all the oldies in their street a hot meal each day. Maybe get a rota together!

Complimentary, yes he does.

Front line services that are provided by local councils are being cut back and volunteers are being asked to give their time for free.

In Birmigham they are making 7000 staff redundant, mainly in childrens and old peoples services.

librarians are graduates aren't they?!

he'll have volunteers as teaching assistants next

They don't seem to comprehend that volunteers are "volunteers" and if they don't want to turn up at any given time they're perfectly within their rights not to so we'll see libraries closed,teachers not being able to teach the way they'd planned etc,etc.

You can't force people to do anything if they're giving up their precious time.

I'm afraid Cornsilk, I would help out at the local library if it was faced with closure.
It would be like some kind of Dunkirk spirit!

Don't ask what your local library can do for you! What can you do for your local library!

dunkirk - bollocks
librarians are highly trained professionals

With the greatest respect Complimentary it would be a 2nd class service.

look its like this - the idea is that charities will compete for contracts for certain services - they will be competing with multiple private companies, councils and perhaps, other charities.

this means that charities will have to be highly organised and in a position to take on these contracted services

i'm thinking certain serices such as providing services for the elderly could only be championed by a charity already with the substructure in place - such as AGE UK the same can be repeated with other services such as mental health etc.

we are certainl not imo, talking about a group of grannies with fuck all else to do, setting up a book collection scheme to keep a library running.

imo - and from the imformation i have gleened, it will have to be much much more business orientated.

the major charities could be in a position to compete for these contracts, but this could be at the expense of smaller charities

and my cynical brain tells me that this means that lots of smaller charities will get pushed out, they will find it harder to get money and grants and the HR processes for a strictly large business run charity will mean that they will employ highly skilled highly paid people from the private sector - as perhaps they should to be able to compete.

there is this mistaken thinking 0 i think - that there will be lots of little small community projects that will get lots of funding, and it simply will not be so.

anyone who works in this secto absolutley knows that unless there is a mandate for say - unemployed people - or people in reciept of certain benefits to 'volunteer' or don't get their benefits - that there just arent the volunteers out there to do this work.

Worse still, mentally ill people won't get meds, old people could be in bed at lunch time, sure start centres are under threat, TAs are likely to be replaced, the list goes on.

On another thread last week, one lady said her friend who had been unemployed for a while had been made to volunteer for no pay at sainsbury and another lady confirmed that she had been made to move stock around for WHsmith without pay.

So not only will we lose key public services in some areas, where they continue they will be run by charities private companies. There is a real possibility that well trained people will be paid either a pittance all in the name of profit or even be unpaid.

So does that mean expertise will be out the window ie the best qualified won't necessarily be in the jobs but people employed by the companies who can do it the cheapest (with the help of lots of free labour)???

and you may ery well get support for libraries in the leafy suburbs - how quaint! the middle classes after dropping tarquin off at private nursery and doing shopping at wairrose will cycle up the little leafy village to the local library, kiss their mummy friends on both cheeks and settle in for two hours of volunteering

but where libraries are most needed, where libraries are not going to get volunteers are in areas of high deprivation and dissafection

so tell me cameron arse lickers - what does this mean - becuase from where i'm sitting it means the poor are going to get SHAT ON from a bloody great height.. AGAIN

Whilst I worked for WSCC the council started to put out to tender its adult services private companies.

The companies had to bid for contracts and compete against existing inhouse services.

The companies could offer their services cheaper mainly because of the poor pay and conditions and the lack of training they offered their staff.

Over time social workers were then asked to commission for individually for each service user. So it became a cost cutting exersise rather than finding services that supported people.

Interestingly now the private companies have west sussex over a barrel and will not provide half the services required, so yes elderely people are lieing in until lunch time!

CERTAINLY MILALAE, there will be highly qualified people paid the highly wqualified peoples wages in the charities who will do the organisational work as these will simply have to compete - COMPETE with private companies for tenders to services

the serie delivery however..well your gues is as good as mine

Milmae. With the greatest of respect it would not be a 2nd class service, it would be the only service! particularly if the library was being closed!
Librarians may be 'highly trained' professionals but I'm sure alone with a trained librarian I could order books,stamp them in and out, or even scan them in and out!It's not brain surgery is it?! Tidy the shelves etc. I would not mind doing the job as long as the library did not close. I can assure you I would not be the only one volunteering. My library (probably one of the smallest in the country) is very well used by all, elderly,kids(old and younger) the elderly,the infirm. I like to pop in and bend their ears on the local political crap. Yes the library serves many purposes and even has a computer and the internet!

You know what, I think I could probably volunteer to help out in the City - I don't think you have to be that clever to piss other peoples' money up the wall for years. I'm quite confident I could manage that one unpaid. But what's that - do I hear the private investors say they wouldn't trust their money with an untrained volunteer? The cheek of it.

God I'm off to bed before I get so riled I won't sleep.

I can't decide between DC being either v dim or just plain evil.

Yes complimentary and TAs just do a bit of painting with the kids

"give bankers a chance to rehabilitate themselves through charitable projects, perhaps?" I don't think they consider themselves in need of rehabilitation, do you?

as much as I really believe in giving back and volunteering and 'doing your bit', cooperative spirit I honestly think what is going on now is a cynical exercise in cost cutting dressed up in the warm and fuzzy

I would be more than happy to do Dave's job for free.