“The mortar between the bricks of the services”: how third sector staff’s risk work supported people who were homeless to access healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic

Aims: Third sector organisations comprises of charities, social enterprises, and voluntary groups supporting communities at local level. The study has focused on the relationship between the State and Third Sector Organizations (TSOs) in delivering services to impoverished rural community. Study Design: Mention the design of the study here. Place and Duration of Study: Thirty TSOs were chosen from Kolar, Chikkaballapur, and Tumakuru districts, encompassing a variety of entities including NGOs, SHGs, and primary-level cooperatives, which collectively constitute the third sector comprising charities, social enterprises, and voluntary groups supporting local communities. The data pertains to the year 2021-22. Methodology: To achieve the specific objectives of the study, descriptive statistics were employed to assess the service delivery dynamics between the State and TSOs. Results: The findings revealed that during the unprecedented times of the COVID-19 pandemic, Third Sector Organizations (TSOs) have played a crucial role in extending support to communities in various spheres. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, TSOs extended educational support to 1,687 individuals, representing 2.06 per cent of the total beneficiaries. A significant majority (83.33%) of these organisations actively participated in implementation of Government-supported projects, maintaining a two-way relationship with the government (73.33%). The organisations had also taken financial help from Government in the form of funds (70 %), grants (33.33 %), and subsidies (33.33 %). The study also revealed that majority (66.67 %) of the organizations were having political interference in TSO. Furthermore, a substantial majority (90%) of the organizations anticipated timely financial support from the Government. Conclusion: The study underscores the indispensable role of Third Sector Organizations (TSOs) in bolstering impoverished rural communities, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite challenges, TSOs actively engage in government-supported projects, fostering a symbiotic relationship. However, concerns persist regarding political interference within TSOs, highlighting the need for safeguarding their autonomy. Overall, the findings emphasize the necessity of consistent and timely financial support from the government to sustain TSO initiatives effectively. The study recommended the necessity of providing punctual financial support from the government to encourage TSOs in enhancing their service delivery to the rural poor.

EU eInclusion policy goals reinforced in the flagship initiative ‘A Digital Agenda for Europe (2010)’ aim to both develop digital skills and competence for empowerment and emancipation and use ICT in support of social inclusion processes. The vast majority of the eInclusion initiatives in the field are carried out by the third sector and public sector organisations. In order to better understand how EU-third sector synergies could be strengthened in favour of the eInclusion process and, given the scarcity of data available about the structure, characteristics, needs and challenges of the civil society and the Third Sector Organisations (TSO), JRC-IPTS has carried out an exploratory research study to shed some light on the above questions. \n\nThe study starts by analysing the European policy framework for the third sector, and clarifies the nature and specificities of civil society and TSO activities and their contribution to social innovation. It analyses TSOs’ contribution to eInclusion objectives and makes an attempt to classify the different types of TSO from this perspective, providing many inspiring examples of TSO actions. Finally, it proposes some policy options to support and further develop the role that this sector plays in achieving eInclusion goals.

In Northern countries, in addition to a fiduciary approach to organisational governance emphasising the board's role as steward of public funds and tax concessions provided to the organisation, a corporate governance approach emphasising the role of the board in providing an organisation with strategic leadership is receiving currency now. This model is being suggested for third sector organisations (TSOs) everywhere. The question is does this corporate model of governance apply to third sector organisations in Asia? In order to approach the question logically we tried to to know how governance of third sector organisations in Asian countries work. Our premise is that the third sector organisation governance refers to performance of the following functions: Setting directions and strategies for the organization; Identifying and ensuring the type and quality of goods and services; Defining and maintaining relations between the 'board', staff, beneficiaries, and the fund givers, and other external stakeholders. Relating the organisation to its wider society: the government, the financiers, the members and other stakeholders. This paper is based mainly on the first (legal environment report) and second (key informant survey) steps of the project. A questionnaire survey of around 30 key informants drawn from the third sector, business sector, government sector, and international organisation in six widely varied countries in terms of culture, history, colonial past, economic institution, political system (i.e. China, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam) was undertaken. The initial analyses show that three factors influence TSO governance: legal environment, relations with the government (and other stakeholders), and internal structure of the organisations. This paper highlights issues related to these three factors. In the next phase the analyses, with governance surveys around 500 TSOs in the participating countries, are to deal with questions like how and to what extent and form the traditional system of governance impact on TSO governance, is there or why there is a variation of TSO governance across fields of activity, or the size and sources of income, what are the relationships between governance and accountability, and governance and performance in TSOs? These are to be reported in the later part of the project to be completed by Samiul Hasan and Jenny Onyx (with the help of Mark Lyons and researchers in each of the participating countries).

Perceived Need for Mental Health Care and Service Use Among Adults in Western Europe: Results of the ESEMeD Project

As the search for a stable definition of social enterprise/entrepreneurship continues among academics (Dacin et al., 2011), this paper explores a different angle to the debate, concerning SE identity. Previous research has shown the inherent ambiguity and complexity at play within organisational identities, and SE is unsurprisingly similar in this regard (Jones and Keogh, 2006). The play of meaning within and between the very notion of the ‘social entrepreneur’ has prompted many to acknowledge the presence of SE-activities within other types of non-profit organisation. This paper contributes to this debate by determining the presence (and absence) of an SE ‘identity construct’ across a sample of third sector organisations (TSOs). Currently, research in this part of the SE research landscape adds a very interesting angle to the popular and enduring development of SE ‘meanings’ (Jones et al., 2008, Seanor and Meaton, 2007). Indeed, a steady stream of critical studies of SE have emerged in recent years which have begun to unpick the various strands emanating from a frenzied period of activity in the global interest in SE and social enterprises (Curtis, 2008). Furthermore, academics continue to debate the effects of agency/structure on SEs, as well as the institutional influences determining either way (Battilana et al., 2009). Consequently, such work has centred on the emergence of institutional entrepreneurship (IE) in the SE conceptual space as an explanation for the variety inherent within the SE concept (Dacin et al., 2011). Therefore, there are two central research questions under investigation in this study: first, can we convincingly argue the SE refers solely to certain TSOs (i.e. social enterprises), or is SE best understood across many different TSO types? Secondly, can we locate the presence of such SE exclusivity by measuring TSO attitudes to a SE identity ‘construct’? Since such a construct does not exist, I develop one based on the recent alignments between SE and IE (Dacin, et al 2011). Based on a survey of 1200 voluntary and community sector organisations in the United Kingdom (UK), I sequentially employ exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (EFA and CFA) to understand whether and to what extent SE-traits are indeed present within TSOs. This technique, used comparatively for the first time in this area, allows for the confirmation of components within, and discriminant validity between, constructs. The measurement scale was developed following a review of the social and institutional entrepreneurship literatures, isolating three core identity ‘components’: shared vision; mobilisation of resources; and institutional values. The five-item scale was then articulated into scale-based attitudinal response questions, and tested for reliability and internal consistency (DeVellis, 2003, Hendrickson et al., 1993). Analysis shows that there are some enduring identity traits between SEs and TSOs in the UK, and the EFA approach offers a significant empirical insight into the location of these traits in TSOs. Elements of all three core components were found to be significant in the study sample: the need for innovative social responses, the strength of social vision, and attitudes to public sector constraints to growth and access to capital. The CFA component shows a high level of discriminant validity between the three constructs, showing that the three constructs each measured separate facets of SE identity. Thus the study identifies areas of core similarity between SEs and TSOs, which contravenes the view that social entrepreneurship is a distinct and separate domain. Furthermore, the paper provides a major empirical contribution to the SE literature through the development of a new scale for measuring SE identity. The findings add weight and specificity to the SE meaning debate, by showing with some confidence where and how SEs and TSOs align. This quantitative study was undertaken with the view that it might confirm (or indeed disconfirm) assumed links between the two broad organisational categories. Consequently, I hope that further research should necessarily lead to qualitative, in-depth investigation between SEs and TSOs, and adds insights into both fields.

ObjectivesTo identify the facilitators and barriers to implementing patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in third sector organisations (TSOs) delivering health and well-being services.DesignA qualitative interview study. Participants were recruited using purposive,...

Following a review of prostitution legislation and the contexts in which sex work and prostitution third sector organizations (TSOs) operate in the Americas, this chapter utilizes a fourfold typological framework to analyze how TSOs in the Americas engage with people in the sex industry. First, it discusses how funders manage activism through alignment with professionally structured TSOs in conjunction with state devolution of essential services for people facing social vulnerabilities to TSOs. It then uses the examples of peer-to-peer mutual support, microenterprise, and arts-based organizing to illustrate how TSOs politically mobilize shared cultural values of individualism, self-help, and self-actualization. Next, it examines the ways that TSOs lobby for legislative reform, provide legal and peer-to-peer support for those criminally charged, and lead trainings for and/or cooperate with police. Finally, it explores how outlaw politics, defined as political mobilization around a shared outsider identity righteous in its opposition to dominant cultural norms, inform tactics designed to achieve TSOs' respective visions of freedom from oppression.

Interest in third sector organisations (TSOs) is growing as their role in addressing social regeneration, especially in urban environments, is regarded as crucial by governmental and supra-governmental organisations. The challenge is increased in multicultural environments, where those from ethnic minorities may struggle to participate in the mainstream economy and society more broadly. There is an assumption that TSOs make a positive contribution to the social good of the diverse communities and client groups that they serve. However, although there have been many studies of ethicality in commercial and public sector organisations, few focus on TSOs. Furthermore, black and minority ethnic (BME) TSOs, in particular face specific pressures, caught between the high expectations of their capacity to engage with diverse communities where the public sector has failed and, in common with all TSOs, the struggle to secure the resources necessary to manage their organisations and deliver front-line services. In this article, we investigate how implicitly ethicality is constructed in TSOs, including those with a primary mission to provide support for and services to BME communities. Building on information obtained for 305 TSOs in a post-industrial city we develop a structural equation model (SEM) in order to evaluate the relationships between elements that we argue comprise ethicality. We then assess the manner in which TSOs generally, and BME TSOs specifically, vary in the manner in which they communicate their ethical purpose and the outcomes of their actions.

Introduction:In integrated care models, third sector organisations (TSOs) are essential but often undervalued parts of the health and care ecosystem to address care fragmentation and inequity of access. In this study, we illustrate the value contributed by TSOs in a co-production setting.Methods:In this qualitative study, frame analysis was used to explore the varied interpretations of TSOs’ value contributions at different levels of the ecosystem. The qualitative interview data were collected from 16 informants in the context of a Nordic welfare state, Finland. The interviewees represented a variety of health and care TSOs.Results:The resulting frames were seen as organising principles that are socially shared. The analysis revealed a threefold interpretative schema of TSOs’ value contributions: strengthening the ideals of civil society, advancing the public service system and connecting people to communities.Discussion:The findings demonstrate that TSOs contribute values in health and care ecosystems at all levels—micro, meso and macro—by integrating short- and long-term policy objectives, ensuring that their actions result in meaningful and sustainable benefits across all levels of the public service ecosystem.Conclusions:This study underlines the need to integrate civil society into the health and care ecosystem and, specifically, to acknowledge the holistic contribution of TSOs when developing integrated care models. The key contribution of this study is demonstrating the diverse ways in which TSOs can contribute value for integrated care.

This article presents a summary review of the voluntary sector literature on third sector organizations (TSOs) and climate change. As governments around the world fail to respond adequately to the climate crisis, TSOs are called upon to work with governments, advocate for policy change, and support communities. However, the literature on TSOs and climate change remains limited. We reviewed 68 articles about TSOs and climate change and identified four mechanisms for voluntary action on climate change, which vary on two dimensions—focusing on advocacy or implementation and occurring within or outside government—and include policy advocacy, advocacy for behavior change, participation in governance, and direct interventions. We conclude with five key areas for future research: explaining the relationship between advocacy strategies and context, foregrounding the role of TSOs in climate governance, exploring direct interventions by TSOs, examining community-based TSOs, and linking TSO action and climate outcomes.

By relying on province‐level data from Italy, this paper empirically studies the factors that correlate with the development of third sector organizations (TSOs) in the Italian territory. Moving beyond traditional explanations of TSOs development based on population heterogeneity theories, our analysis points to the role of public institutions as key driving factors of Italian TSOs development. It specifically suggests that public authorities may shape the development of TSOs through three different, albeit interconnected, institutional dimensions: (1) control of corruption—that is, design and implementation of policies and regulations to prevent corruption and strengthen trust in the relationships between public authorities and TSOs; (2) rule of law—that is, creation of stable legal frameworks to reduce the uncertainty faced by TSOs when collaborating with the public sector and to limit arbitrary decisions by politicians and bureaucrats; (3) government effectiveness—that is, improving governments’ credibility and administrative capacity to provide grants and funds to TSOs for social and public services delivery.

BackgroundThe third sector is becoming a more common provider of social and health services, but little is known about how third sector organisations (TSOs) evaluate their activities. Past research has reported that the third sector is under increasing pressure to evaluate its impact and performance by government and other commissioning bodies. However, in responding to this increased pressure to undertake evaluation, research suggests that many TSOs struggle to evaluate their activities following the principles of evidence-based practice (EBP). Yet, there has been no systematic effort to investigate why the third sector is struggling to provide good quality evidence of its effects.MethodsThis systematic review is reported following the PRISMA guidelines. Ten interdisciplinary databases were searched using a search string developed following best practice and in consultation with an information systems expert. Included studies were primary research of any research design investigating barriers to and facilitators of the evaluation process of TSOs as identified by practitioners. All studies were quality appraised, and the results were synthesised as a thematic summary.ResultsTwenty-four studies were included, which mainly investigated TSOs working within health and social services. The thematic summary identified the main barriers for TSOs to undertake evaluation to be related to the (1) lack of financial resources, (2) lack of technical capability and evaluation literacy and (3) challenges around identifying relevant evaluation systems and outcome indicators. Key facilitating factors involved (1) getting the appropriate support, (2) having an organisational culture that supports evaluation and (3) the motivation to be accountable to stakeholders. These findings were robust to study quality.ConclusionsThis review constitutes the first systematic effort to synthesise existing literature on factors supporting and preventing evaluation by TSOs. The prevalence of factors revolving around the lack of support, resources and clarity on appropriate outcome indicators suggests that many of the identified challenges may be met by applying evidence-based and stakeholder-inclusive strategies to develop shared evaluation requirements. Future efforts should address the application of EBP as part of the commissioning process of TSOs.

Introduction:The transition from hospital to home is a critical clinical juncture marked by significant risks. Third Sector Organizations (TSOs) are well-positioned to support these transitions through volunteer-based programs. Given the increasing complexity of patient needs and the push for reduced hospital lengths of stay, the integration of community resources into transitional care becomes vital.Objective:Study objectives were i) to identify where TSOs are engaged in supporting post-hospital transitions, ii) to document the characteristics of transitional care models delivered by TSOs, and iii) to characterize the clients participating in these volunteer-supported programs.Methods and Results:Forty-eight articles that reported on a community-based program delivered by a third-sector organization supporting adults transitioning from hospital to home were included. Study results suggest that TSOs can fill critical gaps in transitional care by leveraging local knowledge and providing personalized, practical, and psychosocial support. TSOs leveraged volunteers to offer personalized, community-based support that addressed both practical and psychosocial needs during care transitions; however, significant variability in program structure and limited evaluation data hindered the assessment of effectiveness and transferability. All programs were time-limited, engaged volunteers in service delivery, and provided home-based and community-based services.Conclusions:This review highlights the importance of integrating volunteers and TSOs into health systems to develop a more comprehensive approach to transitional care. However, the scalability of volunteer and third-sector-facilitated programs may be challenged by a lack of consistency in programs and reporting, which can undermine transferability and evidence-based practice.

Literature in the field of employability and the third sector has focused upon the impact of marketisation on third sector providers, elaborating how commissioning processes have led to a contraction of (smaller) third sector organisations (TSOs) and an expansion of larger private sector bodies. Extant research does not however explore the role of third sector organisations in the employability of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. Therefore, our paper explores this gap by adopting a qualitative approach via a total of 36 interviews involving migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and managers of third sector organisations, alongside a categorisation of TSOs. Our findings reveal that TSOs are the primary (and for asylum seekers perhaps the only) providers of integration support services and training or education services. We found that only a limited number of organisations provide formal employability services or skills development services which seem to be only residual in terms of the range of activities that TSOs can organise. Thus, perhaps the main function that TSOs perform that enables integration into the UK labour market is providing a safe and trusted environment that people can use to increase their confidence, improve their well-being, broaden their social circle, learn the language or increase their work experience.

Although previous studies have investigated trends in unmet health care and dental care needs, most have focused on specific groups, such as patients with chronic conditions and older adults, and have been limited by smaller data sets. This study aims to investigate the trends and relative risk factors for unmet health care and dental care needs, as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on these needs. We assessed unmet health care and dental care needs from 2009 to 2022 using data from the Korea Community Health Survey (KCHS). Our analysis included responses from 2,750,212 individuals. Unmet health care or dental care needs were defined as instances of not receiving medical or dental services deemed necessary by experts or desired by patients. From 2009 to 2022, the study included 2,700,705 individuals (1,229,671 men, 45.53%; 673,780, 24.95%, aged 19-39 years). Unmet health care needs decreased before the COVID-19 pandemic; however, during the pandemic, there was a noticeable increase (βdiff 0.10, 95% CI 0.09-0.11). Unmet dental care needs declined before the pandemic and continued to decrease during the pandemic (βdiff 0.23, 95% CI 0.22-0.24). Overall, the prevalence of unmet dental care needs was significantly higher than that for unmet health care needs. While the prevalence of unmet health care needs generally decreased over time, the β difference during the pandemic increased compared with prepandemic values. Our study is the first to analyze national unmet health care and dental care needs in South Korea using nationally representative, long-term, and large-scale data from the KCHS. We found that while unmet health care needs decreased during COVID-19, the decline was slower compared with previous periods. This suggests a need for more targeted interventions to prevent unmet health care and dental care needs.