Shadow Social Justice Minister and North Wales MS Mark Isherwood has called on the Welsh Government to do more to support and involve Third Sector organisations providing vital services across Wales.
Speaking in the Welsh Parliament last Wednesday, Mr Isherwood expressed concern that despite repeated claims by Welsh Government Ministers that they are working with Third Sector organisations, many of them, including a charity which supports disabled people across North Wales, are being denied public funding and meaningful engagement.
Questioning the Minister for Social Justice, he said:
“I have sat here for 19 years listening to Welsh Government Ministers telling me how they work in partnership and co-production with Third Sector organisations to achieve Social Justice in Wales. However, I'm a Patron of a Charity that supports disabled people across North Wales, but which, despite most of the over 100 new referrals they receive weekly coming from Public Bodies in North Wales, receives no public funding from any of them.
“I'm contacted weekly by Third Sector organisations battling to support people denied by Public Bodies the voice over their care and support that is their right under the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014.
“When I questioned Age Cymru in Committee last week about engagement with Regional Partnership Boards, regarding integrated Health and Social Care servies, they replied:
'What we're hearing back from some of the regional organisations is that the level of involvement of older people representation isn't as good as they would like it to be, and through the development of Regional Partnership Boards we'd like to see more meaningful engagement of more older people, and their representatives being involved in those developments'.
“Of course, they've been saying that since Regional Partnership Boards first began. So, how and when will you therefore turn words into deeds, by designing the system backwards with people and Third Sector Organisations?”
In response, the Minister said:
“I can assure you that the funding is available, and you know that, in terms of funding not just the CVCs, the Wales Council for Voluntary Action, and support for safeguarding, the third sector change fund, support for volunteering, the partnership capacity fund—these are all substantial sums of money coming through our third sector grant scheme. Also I think the community facilities programme is very important to the third sector and, I'm sure, to many of those that you represent, because that's £4.8 million in 2020-21, and it remained open throughout the pandemic, and indeed is open now.”