The Third Sector Partnership Council in Wales:Clear mechanisms for dialogue between all parties

Barbara Locke, National Development Manager,

CSV RSVP Wales

The Statutory Position

• The Government of Wales Act 2006 requires the Welsh Assembly Government to have a Third Sector Scheme setting out how WAG will, in the exercise of its functions, promote the interests of relevant voluntary organisations.

The Third Sector Scheme sets out:-

• the general principles of the relationship between the WAG and the Third Sector

• arrangements for working in partnership through mechanisms for dialogue and information sharing

• consultation procedures that enable the sector to play a role in policy development and policy change.

• a policy for promoting volunteering • a policy for promoting community development

Formal mechanisms for dialogue

The partnership working aspect of the schemeprovides two formal mechanisms for dialoguebetween the third sector and government:

1. Third Sector Partnership Council 2. Bi-annual meetings between representatives

of the third sector and each Assembly Government Minister.

Third Sector Partnership Council (TSPC)• TSPC is key mechanism for maintaining regular

dialogue between the Third Sector and the Welsh Assembly Government

• Main purpose of TSPC is to make sure that the principles set out in the Voluntary Sector Scheme are put into practice

• TSPC provides an opportunity for the sector to raise key issues of interest or concern.

• TSPC does not discuss issues that relate to only one area of interest

• As a national body, TSPC is deals only with issues that affect all of Wales.

Third Sector Partnership Council (TSPC):-• is made up of 25 representatives of third sector

networks in 25 key areas of third sector activity plus• 3 representatives from Wales Council for Voluntary

Action (WCVA)• meets four times a year in different venues across

Wales• is always chaired by a Minister (currently the

Minister for Social Justice & Local Government, Carl Sargeant AM)

TSPC- Third Sector ‘key area’categories • Advice and Advocacy• Animal Welfare• Arts, Culture and Heritage• Asylum Seekers &

Refugees• Children & Families• Community• Community Justice• Disability• Education & Training• Employment• Environment• Ethnic Minorities• Gender

• Health & Social Care• Housing • Intermediaries• International• Older People• Religion• Sexuality • Social Enterprise• Sport & Recreation• Volunteering• Welsh Language• Youth• WCVA

Election of the 25 Third Sector members • Elections every two years, facilitated by WCVA

through a ballot of its membership• All members are invited to nominate a network to

represent the sector under each of the 25 categories of interest.

• If more than one network is nominated, WCVA negotiates with interested parties to achieve an acceptable solution or facilitates a ballot

• The network will then decide who is to be its representative at the TSPC, and who will act as deputy representative.

Ministerial meetingsTwice yearly meetings between each Assembly Ministerand representatives of the relevant Third SectorNetworks to :-• review the operation of the Voluntary Sector scheme • level of consultation and discussion that has taken place

between the sector and the Assembly government.• review past activity• anticipate forthcoming issues • consider resourcesOne of the meetings is tied in with the Assembly budgetplanning round and focuses on funding issues.

Funding and compliance sub-committee

A Funding and compliance sub-committee has beenestablished to

• advise on the implementation, monitoring and review of the Voluntary Sector scheme

• investigate any breaches or complaints.

The membership is drawn from the TSPC and consists ofboth Third Sector and Assembly members.

A representative’s perspective• Representative for ‘Volunteering’ interest group for 18

months; Chair of Wales Volunteering Policy Network (31 organisations)

• Attended ministerial meetings (eg Minister for Heritage on Welsh language measure)

• Direct influence and setting of agenda• Action on recession (eg BLF quick response fund)• Pursuit of WEFO funding issues • Code of Practice on funding (LAs must “adopt or justify”)• Review of funding of third sector (eg ‘Funded Nationally,

Delivered Locally’)• Joint paper on review of public services • Monitoring of third sector action plan• Future of TSPC