Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ

The Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖhas made a long term commitment to the development of the Third Sector in Wales. It recognises the need to support community and grassroots organisations to grow and develop which, in turn, will support a fair, just and inclusive society where communities can build capacity in individuals to tackle poverty, skills, unemployment and sustainability.

The Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖrecognises that these organisations require support and it commits to maintaining a joined up infrastructure. This support is delivered by an integrated support structure known as ‘Third Sector Infrastructure’ which comprises Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA), County Voluntary Councils (CVCs) and Volunteer Centres (VCs). Moving forward, it is expected that the Infrastructure will develop in line with new models of public services and structures to support national, regional and local working, taking full account of the principles set out in Chapter 4 of this Scheme.

This infrastructure covers all of Wales and is widely recognised, within Wales and beyond, as a strength of the Third Sector in Wales, providing an agreed set of core services which are accessible to very many people and organisations throughout the country. The infrastructure bodies are in regular contact with not only their own members, but also many other groups in the sector through their services and networks. Through them, they reach out to every community and many thousands of individuals. An essential characteristic of the infrastructure is its membership and accountability to the sector. Infrastructure organisations have a broad and inclusive membership, open to any type of third sector organisation; and trustees elected by their members. This ensures that their services and activities are accountable to and reflect the needs of the Sector.

The Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖrecognises that this Infrastructure’s role is in:

• enabling other Third Sector organisations to grow and develop
• supporting individual volunteers and collective voluntary action
• promoting good and safe governance across the Third Sector
• supporting Public Service design and delivery
• providing voice and representation for the wider sector
• sharing good practice and innovation

The overall approach to support local, regional and national working includes a commitment by Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖto supporting WCVA, the national infrastructure body to represent a range of voices within the Third Sector. WCVA’s role includes working with the Third Sector Partnership Council and providing services which are appropriate at a national level, for example engagement and representation; provision of online and other information resources for the sector; managing the national volunteering database and resources for volunteer-involving organisations; research; training; governance and trustee support; and involvement in managing the Infrastructure grant and other funding schemes.

As well as the infrastructure bodies that make up the generic infrastructure there are other third sector umbrella bodies support specific parts of the sector, which have specialist policy expertise in a given area and offer support to the sector in different ways. Some of these are supported by the Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ Government, and where this is the case such support is expected to complement the core services of the Infrastructure bodies and facilitate the delivery of Government priorities.

The Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖwill also support the Third Sector through its Third Sector Team, which will promote knowledge and understanding of the Third Sector in Wales and will:

• work cross-departmentally to share information with other Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖdepartments, with particular attention to those policies and priorities that relate to the Third Sector
• maintain inter-governmental relations to keep abreast of wider third sector issues
• support and monitor the working of the engagement structures set out in this Scheme and co-ordinate the preparation of the Annual Report on the Scheme

The Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖdesignates the First Minister to have overall responsibility for the Third Sector Scheme and a Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ Minister to have specific responsibility for the interests of the Third Sector.

In consultation with the Third Sector, Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖwill develop and maintain mechanisms to monitor the performance of the Scheme effectively.

The Third Sector Partnership Council will consider and make recommendations on the measures needed to improve the performance of the Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ Government, its agencies and sponsored bodies and the third sector. Examples of good practice will be promoted.

The implementation and impact of the Scheme will be assessed annually and a report will be laid before the National Assembly for Wales.

The Third Sector Partnership Council will attempt to resolve disputes between the Third Sector and the Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ Government. Complaints will be referred to the Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ Government’s complaint procedures.