Commentary on Chapter 4

This chapter provides a useful background to the development of voluntary social work in Denmark that echoes the experience of other European countries over the last 20 years. It documents the shift from periphery to centre stage of voluntary and community organisations in the provision of social care and welfare services. This has meant new roles for volunteer-led social work organisations and social enterprises in providing services directly and in supplementing existing public sector services. The appreciation and centrality of the sector was marked with the Charter of Co-operation between the voluntary sector and government (similar to the Accord in Canada and the Compact in the United Kingdom) followed by the development of infrastructure organisations, joint committees and policy forums and calls for what la Cour and Hø´jlund describe as ‘more integrated forms of cooperation between the voluntary sector and the public sector’ (pp. 87–111, final paragraph).