Civil Society Covenant: A new model for partnership
The Civil Society Covenant was launched on 17 July 2025 at a pioneering Summit bringing together key senior figures from across government, civil society and the social impact sectors. ACEVO CEO, Jane Ide commented that this is the beginning, not the end of reshaping and resetting the relationship with government.
It comes from a great deal of hard work, commitment and collaboration from all those who have been involved in co-producing it over the past year, including many dedicated voices from ACEVO’s membership and our sector. ACEVO is proud to have championed the interests of our members and sector leaders throughout the development of the Covenant, from first including an ask in our Joint Voluntary Sector Manifesto with NCVO in the lead up to the May 2024 General Election, then leading consultation with the sector alongside NCVO on the framework for a Civil Society Covenant, through to the final stages of development alongside other civil society infrastructure bodies as part of the Civil Society Advisory group convened by DCMS.
What is the Civil Society Covenant?
Where does it apply?
The Covenant applies across UK government departments, strategic authorities and English local authorities and public sector bodies. It is designed to build on and complement rather than replace existing legal and regulatory frameworks and governance and partnership arrangements in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, working alongside the distinct frameworks in each nation.
Summary of Principles
- Recognition and value: The Covenant promotes strong relationships and sector independence by fostering mutual respect and valuing distinct strengths, responsibilities and perspectives of civil society and government. It upholds the independence and legitimacy of civil society to advocate, campaign and peacefully protest while recognising government’s legitimacy to make decisions and be accountable to Parliament. Government will not treat civil society organisations that have expressed disagreement with them less favourably. Government respects and listens to civil society’s varied expertise in the course of policy and service design. Both parties commit to understanding each other’s roles, legal and ethical constraints, and accept that disagreements may arise as government balances competing priorities.
- Partnership and collaboration: The Covenant encourages purposeful collaboration between civil society and government to enhance decision-making and service design. It emphasises early, regular and ongoing engagement, encouraging strategic partnerships to define shared goals and outcomes. Government should communicate inclusively, enabling civil society to contribute its expertise throughout the policy cycle. Both parties should foster a culture of innovation, prioritise prevention and adopt a long-term perspective. Sustainable partnerships and reduced barriers, especially for smaller organisations, are essential for effective joint delivery.
- Inclusion and participation: The Covenant emphasises increasing inclusion and participation by enhancing opportunities for people to be involved in decisions and activities that impact their lives. Both civil society and government aim to co-produce solutions with affected communities and involve individuals with lived experience. They will also collaborate to remove barriers to participation, fostering a healthy democracy, community resilience and social cohesion.
- Transparency and data: The Covenant supports greater openness in sharing information and data by improving availability, understanding of need, and evidence-based solutions. It promotes open, honest, and transparent communication between civil society and government. The government commits to providing feedback on policy and funding decisions, responding promptly to Freedom of Information requests, and following best practices in publishing impact assessments and consultation responses. Civil society will maintain transparency and accountability for funding and sharing research where possible. It also focuses on improving data development through collaboration between civil society and government to measure civil society’s value, identify evidence gaps, recognise diverse evidence sources and enhance data collection while addressing related challenges.
Measures announced to support implementation
- Establishment of the Joint Civil Society Covenant Council: to set direction and provide strategic oversight, with cross sector membership representing both civil society and government departments and Co-Chaired by government and civil society. Chairs and membership are yet to be announced
- Task and Finish Groups on key issues : overseen by the Joint Civil Society Covenant Council the first two will be on local implementation and commissioning
- A Local Covenant Partnerships Programme to help implement the Covenant with local authorities and public service providers
- A Civil Society forum with the Treasury : to enable structured dialogue and engagement with senior HMT Ministers, senior official and civil society representatives
- Review of policies and guidance related to Cabinet Office model grant and service contracts to ensure they are consistent with the principles of the Covenant
- A programme of mutual exchange and learning between Government departments and civil society : aim to build understanding of roles and responsibilities, sharing skills and expertise across sectors through secondments
- Publication of an illustration document to provide examples of what effective implementation of the Civil Society Covenant might look like in practice and ‘warning signs’ to indicate where progress has stalled