A STRONG commitment to long-term partnership with the third sector has been reaffirmed this week — as plans are set out to strengthen how advice, support and care services delivered in communities are commissioned.
The Integration Joint Board (IJB) heard plans to bring third sector organisations together through a Strategic Alliance, creating a single, shared approach to funding and partnership while protecting investment in the sector.
Dumfries and Galloway Health and Social Care Partnership Chief Officer Gareth Marr said: “We know the third sector is under real pressure, and this approach is designed to provide stability and clarity at a time when many organisations are facing wider uncertainty.
“Through this Strategic Alliance, we are protecting the total level of investment, working ethically and collaboratively, and supporting organisations to plan with confidence.”
The Alliance will bring partners together around shared outcomes for people and communities, replacing fragmented approaches with a more joined-up way of working.
The IJB spends more than £6 million annually with third sector organisations. £2.3m is already committed until at least April 2027 and today’s decision means the remaining £4 million per year will be protected for at least the next three years. This represents a significant safeguarding of investment in the sector at a time of acute financial pressure across health and social care.
Viv Gration, Deputy Head of Strategic Planning and Commissioning, said: “The third sector is essential to how we create health, prevent ill health and support people to live well. This is about strengthening what already works, learning together, and supporting everyone to adapt in a managed and supportive way.”
Alongside this, essential statutory services will continue without interruption, including £710,000 for Carers’ support and £176,000 for independent advocacy, ensuring legal duties are met and vital services remain secure.
A co-design phase will begin immediately, involving third sector organisations, communities and partners in shaping how the Alliance operates, how decisions are made and how outcomes are measured.
The new way of investing will begin to be implemented from April 2026, recognising that change will be phased and not all elements will happen at once.
The IJB also confirmed that transition support will be available where needed, including targeted investment, to help organisations adapt and remain sustainable as arrangements evolve.
To support readiness across the sector, Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway will receive additional funding to provide capacity-building support, guidance and facilitation.
Welcoming the move, Alan Webb, Chief Executive of Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway, said: “It’s about trust and working together. Time is important to help the sector adapt to change and play its full part, especially given the current pressures impacting people and communities.
“The commitment to invest in capacity is welcome and, by providing stability now and supporting thoughtful change at the correct pace, we can build a stronger and more sustainable future for communities across Dumfries and Galloway.”
Statement from Alan Webb, CEO Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway
“Endorsement by the Integration Joint Board to begin to establish a Strategic Alliance for advice, support and care services across Dumfries and Galloway comes at a time when our sector is under significant and sustained pressure.
“This exciting new approach will provide something that has been missing: community-led design, a focus on better outcomes and a long‑term commitment to partnership. More than £6 million per year is currently invested in third sector activity that supports health, wellbeing, prevention and care in our communities. Importantly, £2.3 million of this is already committed until at least April 2027, and the remaining £4 million per year has now been protected for the next three years.
“For most organisations, this safeguarding of investment is critical. It gives the sector a role in planning, to support staff and volunteers, and to continue delivering vital services for people and communities at a time of acute financial challenge across health and social care. Whilst the total level of investment is protected, it will mean change for our sector too.
“The third sector is not an optional extra. Our organisations are essential to creating health, preventing ill health and helping people to live well in their communities. These proposals recognise that contribution and signal a clear intention to work differently — building on what already works and developing a more joined‑up, outcomes‑focussed approach shaped collaboratively with the sector and partners in a placed-based way.
“The Strategic Alliance offers the opportunity to create a whole new way of thinking about and delivering advice, support and care across Dumfries and Galloway. Collaboration will be the method for achieving shared outcomes, supported by collective learning, shared insight and more flexible approaches to funding, while continuing to respect the independence, diversity and unique strengths of individual organisations.
“I also welcome the clear commitment that essential statutory services delivered by the third sector will continue without interruption, including funding for carers’ support and independent advocacy. This provides reassurance that legal duties will be met and that vital support for some of the most vulnerable people in our communities remains secure.
“Crucially, this change will not happen overnight. A co-design phase will begin immediately, involving third sector organisations, communities and partners in shaping how the Alliance will operate, how decisions are made and how success is measured. Implementation of the new investment approach will begin from April 2026 and will be phased, recognising that not everything can or should change at once.
“Time matters. Supporting organisations to transition to new ways of working — while recognising the need to change quickly — is essential if we are to bring the sector with us. The commitment to provide transition support, including targeted investment where needed, is therefore particularly important.
“Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway will also receive additional funding to support sector readiness. This will enable us to provide capacity‑building support, guidance and facilitation, helping organisations to engage confidently with the new approach and positioning the sector collectively to attract further investment into Dumfries and Galloway.
“This is a positive and constructive step forward for the majority of third sector organisations in our region. It is built on trust, partnership and a shared ambition to improve outcomes for people and communities. By protecting investment now, embedding longer‑term commitments and supporting thoughtful, well‑paced change, we have the opportunity to build a stronger, more sustainable third sector — and stronger communities — across Dumfries and Galloway.”
DG Collective and Invest DG: our sector-led route to participation in the Strategic Alliance
A key mechanism for the third sector to actively contribute to the Strategic Alliance will be through DGCollective and InvestDG concepts, designed for our sector to come together to take collective action on shared interests and outcomes for people, place and policy. Through ‘Collabs’, groups and organisations can shape their contributions to better place-based, community-led working and our shared outcomes for Dumfries and Galloway.
Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway will increase the pace on the enabling elements we have previously set out, in particular enabling technology and the groundwork to attract more external investment through InvestDG.
Find out more and sign up www.dgcollective.org.uk
Quick facts about what the proposed Strategic Alliance means for the third sector.
Big picture
- More than £6 million per year is currently invested in third sector organisations delivering advice, support and care in our communities.
- £2.3 million of this funding is already committed until at least April 2027.
- A further £4 million per year has now been protected for the next three years.
The total level of investment in the third sector is being safeguarded, at a time when many services across health and social care are facing cuts or uncertainty.
What is changing?
Partners are proposing a new Strategic Alliance that brings third sector organisations together around shared outcomes for people and communities.
In simple terms, this is about:
- Moving away from lots of separate, fragmented funding arrangements
- Working more collaboratively across the sector
- Focusing on the difference services make for people in their communities with better place-based, community-led design, rather than solely whole-region activities or contracts
It is not about removing the independence of organisations or forcing everyone to work in the same way.
What is not changing?
- Essential statutory services delivered by the third sector will continue, including carers’ support and independent advocacy.
- Commissioners will retain their decision-making and investment roles, albeit the approach will be collective rather than contractual in many cases.
Will some organisations be affected?
Change can create anxiety, and it is honest to say that not every organisation will experience change in the same way. However, the commitment is to:
- Protect the overall level of investment in the sector
- Phase change over time, starting from April 2026
- Provide transition support, including targeted investment, where organisations need help to adapt and it’s understood that their work remains aligned with priorities
For the majority of organisations, this approach offers greater long-term stability, clearer direction and more opportunity to plan ahead.
How will the sector be involved?
A co-design phase is starting now. This means:
- Third sector organisations will help shape how the Alliance works
- Decisions about funding, governance and outcomes will be developed together
- Learning and feedback from the sector will influence how the model evolves, in particular storytelling and local insights
How will Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway support you?
Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway will receive additional funding to:
- Provide guidance and practical support
- Build capacity across the sector
- Facilitate conversations and collaboration
- Help organisations engage with the new approach confidently
- Create models to attract greater cross-sector funding to Dumfries and Galloway
We will be working alongside organisations to make sure voices are heard and concerns are addressed.
In summary
This is about:
- Recognising the third sector as essential to health creation and prevention
- Protecting investment at a very challenging time
- Supporting organisations to change in a managed and supported way
- Working together to improve outcomes for people and communities
If you have questions or concerns, we encourage you to engage in the co-design process and to get in touch with Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway. This is a collective journey, and one to be navigated together.