Recommendations published on improving quality of charity leadership

All charity staff and volunteers should receive 40 hours of professional development a year, according to recommendations published by the Leadership 20:20 Commission, at a reception of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Civil Society and Volunteering. The recommendations identifies five areas of improvement:

• Redressing inequalities
• Strengthening networks of emerging leaders
• Better staff and volunteer development
• Greater recognition of leadership among funders
• Encouraging mobility across sectors.

Specific ideas within the recommendations include:

• The proposal for 40 hours of professional development
• A national directory of mentors and mentees
• Pairing established leaders with emerging ones
• More sharing of good practice with the private and public sectors.

The commission also calls for charity employees to be exempt from student loans for five years after completing their studies, as well as that charities and recruitment agencies should provide candidate shortlists that are representative of the wider population. A monitoring panel, chaired by Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, the commission's president will aim to implement the recommendations. A group of organisations will be appointed to oversee progress in each of the areas identified for improvement, including Skills - Third Sector, which will aim to create a national framework to develop staff and volunteers. To download the full list of recommendations visit www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/sites/default/files/L2020_Recommendations.pdf.