The Future of Public Service Delivery by the Community & Voluntary Sector
This report is based on original data generated by individual organisations regarding services and staffing, and analysis of existing research published by organisations like The Wheel, The Community Foundation Ireland, The Charities Institute, and the organisations involved in the research. The research shows divergent trends in demand and staffing numbers across not-for-profit organisations working in distinctive areas of frontline services and support, for example, disabilities, homelessness, and home care.
Turnover and vacancies are increasingly forcing organisations to reduce hours and cancel services because they lack the staff to deliver them. They also must maintain quality, especially considering the vulnerability of their service users, and limit the risk of burnout amongst existing staff. Beyond staffing, organisations are facing greater pressure on their resources from government requirements to implement increasingly stringent standards regarding service quality1 and governance. However, the contracts to deliver public services do not account for the staff time, training, and potentially, consultation fees, to comply with standards. Finally, organisations must respond to rising costs in their own overheads and the delivery of services, for instance, fuel costs for home care staff travelling to service users.