Regulation of civil life
Civil life has become more regulated, partly to protect citizens and organisations, following terrorist attacks and the ‘war on terror’ and partly in response to low public tolerance of risk. Institutions increasingly seek to avoid a growing culture of blame by eliminating or insuring against risk. Measures have been introduced such as the requirement for all those working in schools for the first time to undergo enhanced CRB checks, and VCOs are subject to multiple regulation regimes.
What are the implications?
- Increase in information on the VCS.
- Risk of over regulation that stifles VCS innovation and requires disproportionate resources and time for VCOs.
- Increased public security and surveillance.
- Risk aversion and perception of a ‘litigation’ society could lead to increased work in managing volunteers and potential falling volunteer levels.
- Tightened controls on the global economic movements (see globalisation of markets)
- Anti terrorist legislation may impact negatively on VCOs, particularly those working with diaspora communities and/or in areas where the threat of terrorism is high.
Moving forward
Risk management is essential for any organisation, but taking risks is also important to develop new ideas and approaches.
- What strategies will you put in place to manage risk without stifling innovation?
- Can you help others, such as your funders or volunteers, to increase their appetite for risk by clearly communicating the risks and the benefits of the work that you do.
Terrorism and the legislation to protect against it pose new challenges for VCOs.
- Can you demonstrate that your organisation also has a role in preventing terrorism by creating social cohesion and building social capital?
- Are you aware of any specific risks terrorism poses to your organisation? What measures have you taken to manage these risks?
Want to know more?
This driver is a stub and will be completed soon. Here we will link to external documents and resources for further reading.
Discuss
How will this affect your organisation? Have you considered it during your strategic planning? Can you share any interesting relevant links? Start the discussion by posting a comment here!
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