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1 – 10 of over 38000Tarmo Puolokainen, Annika Jaansoo and Margo Klaos
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of delivering rescue services in remote areas, where there is little or no natural incentive to provide this service, taking the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of delivering rescue services in remote areas, where there is little or no natural incentive to provide this service, taking the case of Estonia as an example.
Design/methodology/approach
The case study is based on secondary data obtained via analysis of legal acts, rescripts and strategic documents, as well as (applied) studies. In addition, the transcripts of ten half-structured interviews were analyzed, which were conducted with rescue services experts in December 2012. The benefits and risks pointed out in the literature are discussed against an example of providing rescue services in the remote areas of Estonia.
Findings
Outsourcing rescue services has led to cost effectiveness and thereby provides a better-quality service in densely populated areas. The main risks are yet to emerge. It is highly probable that the Estonian Rescue Board has to deal with the issues regarding the lack of control over service, which in turn is caused by the lack of skills and competence to manage the relationships and to design appropriate service-level agreements.
Research limitations/implications
Since the voluntary rescue service provision is rapidly evolving, there have not yet been many studies undertaken to describe the positive and negative aspects of its development. Therefore, the collected data have gaps and are open for discussion.
Practical implications
The introduction of an extensive network of voluntary fire and rescue service brigades is a paradigm shift in Estonia, where the rescue services have so far been provided publicly. Thus, it gives a guidance to other practitioners, on which aspects they should focus on, while planning a change in service provision/provider.
Originality/value
The novelty of this paper is to systematically analyze the benefits and risks occurred on a shift from public provision of rescue services to providing it in an extensive co-operation with voluntary rescuers.
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Helen Taylor, Maria Stuttaford and Panos Vostanis
The voluntary sector has an important role to play in the provision of services for people with mental health needs of lesser severity, thus complementing statutory services, as…
Abstract
The voluntary sector has an important role to play in the provision of services for people with mental health needs of lesser severity, thus complementing statutory services, as suggested by recent national policy. This article describes such a service for young homeless people, and discusses the perceptions of key stakeholders of the benefits and challenges of such a service. The service largely met the mental health needs of young people who would not have easily accessed statutory mental health services, and who fulfilled the criteria (low/moderate need) of the service. Challenges for the future included the different organisational cultures, the professional isolation of the mental health practitioners and the lack of operational and commissioning links with statutory mental health services.
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There has been much research focusing on contracting and its effect on individual voluntary sector organisation, and some mapping of the extent of voluntary sector participation…
Abstract
There has been much research focusing on contracting and its effect on individual voluntary sector organisation, and some mapping of the extent of voluntary sector participation in joint community care planning. Each of these is a new and formal relationship with the statutory sector, and in many cases the tasks are fulfilled by the same voluntary sector worker (usually the senior paid officer of the agency). But the impact that these two new relationships have on the voluntary organisation’s perception of its dependence and inter‐dependence has received less attention. The paper will draw on structured interviews in three local authorities, with voluntary sector participants in contracts for social care, and with participants in joint community care planning groups, as well as on documentary research. It will explore the impact of the evolving roles for those seeking to operate effectively in the pluralist provision of public services. It will analyse experiences within joint community care planning structures, and will analyse experiences of contractual relationships. The paper will seek to identify the elements present in each research site which influence the culture of joint working within the two statutory/ voluntary relationships.
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Derek Milne, Andrea McAnaney, Ben Pollinger, Katie Bateman and Emma Fewster
Voluntary organisations are an integral part of community care, and the available research indicates the value of their social support role. However, surprisingly little is known…
Abstract
Voluntary organisations are an integral part of community care, and the available research indicates the value of their social support role. However, surprisingly little is known about the forms and functions of this support, or the links to the formal support provided by the National Health Service (NHS), so hampering quality improvements. Therefore, a small sample of voluntary service organisations in one English county participated in a pilot study. This involved the staff and users of these organisations, and a geographically linked sample of NHS mental health professionals. Interview data indicated that the voluntary sector users and staff held similarly positive views of the appropriately varied forms and functions of the provided social support, and all participants held unusually similar and positive views of their links, although areas for improvement were suggested by both groups (e.g. links to GPs).
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This paper aims to provide a reflection on the other contributions to this special issue of IJPSM on the “employment implications of the outsourcing of public services to…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide a reflection on the other contributions to this special issue of IJPSM on the “employment implications of the outsourcing of public services to voluntary, not‐for‐profit organisations” in the light of more widely available discourses and evidence.
Design/methodological approach
The paper, in line with the purpose, draws on relevant secondary sources, including those forming part of this special issue.
Findings
The provided analysis centrally concludes that, against the backcloth of growing competitive pressures and public expenditure cuts, there is a real threat of a general downward trend in the employment conditions of voluntary sector staff engaged in the delivery of outsourced public services that has the potential to adversely affect service quality.
Research limitations/implications
There is a need for much more extensive research on how market‐based outsourcing is impacting on the work experiences of voluntary sector staff outside the area of social care and the implications that it has for the quality of service provision.
Practical implications
The analysis draws attention to the need to consider further regulatory action to protect the terms and conditions of voluntary sector staff engaged in the delivery of outsourced public services.
Originality/value
The paper serves to highlight that, rather than improving the value for money of social care services, outsourcing has the potential to do the opposite by adversely impacting on the employment conditions of staff and hence the quality of services provided.
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Reviews the development of the Irish voluntary sector and examines the unique characteristics of the legal framework in which voluntary organizations operate and the funding and…
Abstract
Reviews the development of the Irish voluntary sector and examines the unique characteristics of the legal framework in which voluntary organizations operate and the funding and staffing arrangements. Focuses on recent changes in the relationship between the state and organizations. Speculates on the future of these organizations by examining issues such as contracting, cohesiveness and general evolutionary trends.
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Emma Parry, Clare Kelliher, Tim Mills and Shaun Tyson
This paper aims to examine the practice of human resource management (HRM) in voluntary sector organisations providing substance misuse treatment services and to compare these…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the practice of human resource management (HRM) in voluntary sector organisations providing substance misuse treatment services and to compare these findings with similar organisations in the public sector.
Design/methodology/approach
HRM practices are examined using a survey of voluntary and public sector drug and alcohol treatment provider organisations. The survey data are supported with a number of case studies and qualitative interviews with the HR managers of such organisations.
Findings
The data show that in many areas practice is broadly similar in the voluntary and public sectors. However, there are also a number of important differences, influenced by both their relative financial positions and the value‐led nature of the voluntary sector.
Originality/value
Recent estimates suggest that over half a million people are in paid employment in the UK voluntary sector; however, relatively little is known about HRM within this sector. This paper provides a valuable insight into HRM within this sector and highlights the similarities and differences between this and the public sector.
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Nigel Thomas, David Pilgrim, Cathy Street and John Larsen
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the introduction of a voluntary sector pilot project to develop innovative mental health services for young people.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the introduction of a voluntary sector pilot project to develop innovative mental health services for young people.
Design/methodology/approach
A combination of observation, interview and group discussion with service providers and users was used to build a picture of the relationships between context, mechanism and outcome.
Findings
The project was perceived as successful and beneficial in all three pilot sites, although there were differences of perception as to whether it complemented or challenged existing statutory services.
Practical implications
Learning about what adolescents and young adults with complex mental health needs find helpful may help to develop more appropriate and acceptable services. A mental health service for young people delivered by the voluntary sector offers the opportunity for radical service innovation. Synergy may be achieved as a result of statutory and voluntary sectors working together but the ethos of the voluntary service may challenge that of the statutory services.
Originality/value
The research is original in that it examines the process of introducing an innovative voluntary sector project into an existing traditional service framework.
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The purpose of this paper is to explore whether the voluntary sector meets male rape victims’ needs in England, UK. The author’s contribution represents an attempt to piece…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore whether the voluntary sector meets male rape victims’ needs in England, UK. The author’s contribution represents an attempt to piece together some of the voluntary sector’s responses to male rape victims in England, UK and examine whether they meet male rape victims’ needs.
Design/methodology/approach
The author draws on data collected from semi-structured interviews and qualitative questionnaires with male rape counsellors, therapists and voluntary agency caseworkers (n=70).
Findings
The findings reveal nuanced themes that have been overlooked in the existing literature of male rape: first, male rape victims are not given a choice of their voluntary agency practitioner (regarding gender) to serve them; second, there is no specific training on male rape in voluntary agencies; third, the impact of limited resources and funding in the voluntary sector means that many male rape victims’ needs are unmet; and finally, there is ageism and discrimination in some voluntary agencies, whereby male rape victims are prioritised in terms of their age.
Research limitations/implications
Methodologically, the author’s sample size was not considerably large (n=70), making it difficult to generalise the findings to all voluntary agency practitioners in a British context.
Practical implications
At a time of scarce funding and scant resources for the third sector, the impact of limited resources and funding in the voluntary sector could mean that male rape victims may not receive proper care and treatment. Budget cuts in the third sector are problematic, in that voluntary agencies may be unable to get access to robust training programs for male rape or to resources that can help shape and develop the ways in which they serve male rape victims. The needs of male rape victims, therefore, are unlikely to be met at the local, regional and national levels.
Social implications
Some practitioners are misinformed about male rape and do not have the tools to be able to adequately and efficiently handle male rape victims. Not only can their lack of understanding of male rape worsen male rape victims’ trauma through inappropriate ways of handling them, but also the practitioners may implicitly reinforce male rape myths, such as “male rape is solely a homosexual issue” or “men cannot be raped”.
Originality/value
Whilst previous contributions have recognised the third sector’s responses to female rape victims, little work has been done to identify their treatment of male rape victims. The author attempts to fill some of this lacuna. In particular, The author draws attention to some of the issues and dilemmas that arise when voluntary agencies provide services for male victims of rape. The author’s concern is that many male rape victims’ needs may be neglected or ignored because of the rise in neoliberalism, as there appears to be a financial meltdown in the voluntary sector.
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The paper summarises some of the main results of a study of inter‐agency collaboration in the provision of community mental health services in one city in Britain. The research…
Abstract
The paper summarises some of the main results of a study of inter‐agency collaboration in the provision of community mental health services in one city in Britain. The research was based on interviews with service purchasers and providers in health, social services and the voluntary sector. The results suggest that, in spite of cordial working relationships and a historically stable organisational structure, collaboration between agencies in the provision of mental health services was being seriously damaged by contradictory central government policies of tight operational control yet fostering internal markets in purchasing and providing. It is recommended that research is urgently needed to assess the impact on vulnerable clients’ quality of life and level of functioning of changes in inter‐agency collaboration forced by the introduction of internal market mechanisms.
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