Genesis of the project

WCVA identified that changes in governance both at national and local levels provided significant challenges for the third sector and the people and places it assists.

The Government of Wales Act 2006 and A Shared Responsibility: Local Government’s contribution to improving people’s lives: A Policy Statement from the Welsh Assembly Government (March 2007) have created new opportunities for the third sector to ensure that marginalised voices can be brought into the heart of policy-making, by ensuring effective engagement in new processes of scrutiny and legislation, and by increasing skills in campaigning.

WCVA identified a consensus about the need for a new kind of third sector engagement - one that brings the experience of citizens, communities and service users to legislative and scrutiny processes. Through a range of consultation processes WVCA determined that this consensus is shared between all political parties, expert commentators and the sector itself.

It was also identified that there is a major gap between the need and the ability to respond to the need. The gap has arisen because, in general, the third sector in Wales lacks (and has never previously needed to develop) knowledge and skills in scrutiny and legislation.

Since the inception of the Assembly, WCVA has almost exclusively concentrated its resources on the sector’s relationship with the Government through the various structures and the Voluntary Sector Scheme. However, the new Act has radically changed the powers and functions of the Assembly and created greater opportunity for policy change, ideas and scrutiny, and it became obvious that work was needed in this area. WCVA did not have, nor was it funded to provide knowledge and skills in scrutiny and legislation. This prompted the successful bid to the Big Lottery Fund for the three year Voices for Change Cymru project - to enable organisations to acquire new skills to enable them to bring grassroots experience into the legislative and scrutiny processes.