The Rubber and the Road: A Workbook for Implementing the Codes of
Good Practice
1. Before you start
About the Codes of Good Practice
When the Government of Canada and the voluntary sector signed the Accord
in December 2001, they knew their work was just beginning. The Accord
built a strong foundation for a renewed relationship between the sectors.
But how would it play out on the ground – in the hundreds of daily
interactions between the two sectors?
That’s where the Codes of Good Practice come in. They are a resource
of tangible, concrete ideas about how to take the spirit and guidelines
of the Accord and put them into action in both government and voluntary
sector organizations. The Codes are about building relationships, looking
for common ground and accepting one another’s differences. They’re
also about making Canada a better place to live by improving policies
and programs for Canadians. What makes the Codes so powerful is that
they were developed in a truly joint process and are endorsed by both
sectors.
Who should use this Workbook
The Workbook is meant to be used both by people working in Government
of Canada departments and agencies, and in the many organizations that
make up the voluntary sector. The Codes focus on funding and policy
dialogue because these are two of the areas where the sectors come together
most often. So if you’re a policy analyst or program officer who
deals with the voluntary sector, check it out! If you’re the administrator
of a large national organization that receives Government of Canada
program funding or would like to, or the part-time co-coordinator of
a three-person advocacy group that wants to be heard, check it out!
What the Workbook can do
For many of you, living up to the Accord and the Codes of Good Practice
will just mean “business as usual.” You already devote a
lot of time and energy to the relationship, collaborating with the “other”
on key issues, sharing information and resources, and exploring new
ways of drawing on each other’s unique insights and skills. For
some, it may only take a little tweaking here and there to put the relationship
on a brand new footing. And for others, the spirit may be willing, but
you’re not quite sure how to begin.
Wherever you are now, this Workbook can give you some ideas about how
to move forward. If you work in a voluntary sector organization, it
may mean doing some research about how government funding processes
work. If you’re part of a government policy group, it might involve
getting out into the field a little earlier in the policy process to
find out what voluntary sector organizations are thinking. Or maybe
it’s just a matter of inviting some new faces to sit down at the
table and talk.
How to use it
Choose how you use the Workbook. It’s designed to be flexible
so you can decide for yourself what approach best suits your needs.
Here’s how the rest of the Workbook is set out:
- section 2: Where are you now? – poses some questions
to get you thinking about your current relationships and how they’re
working – or not working
- section 3: Moving forward … on policy dialogue –
looks at some good practices that apply to the policy process, helps
you assess how you’re doing now, and suggests how you can improve
- section 4: Moving forward … on funding – looks
at some good practices that apply to funding, helps you assess how
you’re doing now, and suggests how you can improve
- section 5: The road ahead – asks you to set out
an action plan for the future, based on what you identified as priorities
in either of the previous two sections
You may want to get a group of colleagues together – either from
your own or other organizations – and engage in a dialogue about
these two Codes. As a group, you can choose to go through the exercises
and map out an action plan. Or you may decide to work through the exercises
on your own and present your findings to your co-workers. Another option
is to organize a workshop and invite members from your own or both sectors
to participate in a half-day session using the Workbook as a discussion
tool.
If you would like more information, or further suggestions on how to
get started, you can refer to the contacts listed at the end of this
Workbook.
