Voluntary Sector Scheme

This sets out the statutory relationship between the sector and the Welsh Government and requires the Welsh Government to report on the Voluntary Sector Scheme annually and keep it under review. This means that the sector has a formal mechanism for its engagement with the Welsh Government which includes a third sector partnership council administered by WCVA and regular Ministerial meetings with representatives from the sector. The Welsh Government strategy and action plan for its relationship with the sector which sets out how the scheme itself will work is called "The Third Dimension" and runs until 2010/11.

The "partnership" arrangement between the Welsh Government and the sector means that the sector:

• has an equal say with the Welsh Government about the arrangements by which the and the voluntary sector will work together
• will contribute at a formative stage in informing the development of policy and programmes across the Welsh Government and has its proposals assessed against the same criteria as the public sector
• contributes its views on the procedures for the administration of resources and priorities for the distribution of resources for the voluntary sector
• has access to its own information, training, and capacity building services and resources
• has opportunities to lead in those areas where it is best placed to do so.

As part of the voluntary sector scheme each Welsh Government Minister is committed to meeting with representatives from the voluntary sector twice a year. These meetings are facilitated by WCVA and the sector representatives come from the various third sector policy networks. Other important mechanisms for organisations to use when influencing the Welsh Government are providing responses to formal consultation documents and building relationships with individual Ministers, civil servants and special advisers.