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TSPC and the voluntary sector representatives
Remit of the TSPC
The main purpose of the Third Sector Partnership Council is to make sure that the principles set out in the Voluntary Sector Scheme are put into practice. It also provides an opportunity for the sector to raise key issues of interest or concern. It generally does not discuss issues that relate to only one area of interest (these can be taken up through biannual Ministerial meetings) and as a national body it is concerned with issues affecting all of Wales.
The Partnership Council meets four times a year in different venues across Wales and members of the public are encouraged to come to the meetings.
Role of voluntary sector representatives
The role of the voluntary sector representatives on the TSPC is to represent and promote the interests of the voluntary sector, as well as to facilitate dialogue between the Assembly and voluntary sector. In fulfilling this role, the objectives of the voluntary sector members are to (be):
- Accountable by providing evidence of a clear mandate from voluntary organisations to represent the sector within the category of interest at the Third Sector Partnership Council and providing evidence of a clear mechanism to demonstrate accountability to a wider constituency;
- Proactive by identifying and raising issues on behalf of the nominated network and the wider voluntary sector;
- Represent effectively and accurately the views and interests of their network and the wider voluntary sector, through the TSPC and other mechanisms outlined in the Scheme;
- Raise awareness within their networks of their own role as the network representative, and promote the purpose and role of the Third Sector Scheme, including the tSPC and Ministerial meetings and its relevance to all voluntary organisations in Wales;
- Communicate with their network and where possible the wider sector through providing regular, relevant and reliable information about the Scheme, including the TSPC and Ministerial meetings;
- Facilitate genuine dialogue to ensure that the views of the network are canvassed, that consensus is sought where possible, and that these views are presented effectively on behalf of their network or individual member organisations;
- Open about which groups within the category of interest are represented through the network, identify constraints or limitations on the ability of the representative to represent the entire category of interest and where appropriate take steps to ensure the needs of the broader category of interest are accommodated openly and without bias through the most appropriate forum, (for example, a Joint Liaison Committee);
- Transparent by providing bi-annual reports on how they have fulfilled their objectives which are available on request to Third Sector Partnership Council members;
- Lateral by facilitating working between categories of interest across the sector and between sectors where appropriate.
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