On 17th October , at No.10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister confirmed his priority to reset the relationship with civil society.

He outlined a commitment to build a new partnership that can harness civil society’s full potential and deliver against the government’s five missions. DCMS is committed to delivering this vision, ensuring that civil society is viewed by government as an equal partner that is fully valued and heard.

As part of this work to reset the relationship, on 17 October 2024, DCMS published a Civil Society Covenant Framework to kickstart a period of engagement throughout Autumn to develop the final Covenant in 2025. A new principles-based Covenant will act as a foundation for this new relationship and will symbolise the UK government’s recognition of civil society as a trusted and independent partner.

The Civil Society Covenant Framework sets out the ambition, scope and key principles that should underpin the new relationship. It includes 4 high level principles – transparency, recognition, partnership and participation – that we envisage will form the basis of the future relationship. The Covenant Framework and further details can be viewed at Civil Society Covenant Framework.

DCMS has worked closely with key civil society bodies, including the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO) to share ideas about their vision for a new relationship with Government.

Please share this with your members, and communities as widely as possible so we can hear from organisations from across the country about what they would like to see in this Covenant. To share views and ideas directly go to NCVO’s webpage, or send written communication to DCMS until 12 December.

For any questions, or feedback, please contact civilsocietycovenant@dcms.gov.uk.