Getting your voice heard – A Day for Third Sector Representatives

On 23 January, in partnership with Learning to Inspire, Cardiff Third Sector Council (C3SC) held  a successful session to explore third sector representation across the new Integrated Partnership model and devise a new model of representation - to ensure influence, accountability and action for third sector representatives sitting on Programme Boards and Workstreams (new groups that sit under the Integrated Partnership Board - IPB).

The day was a great success, with fifteen third sector organisations in attendance, including some existing representatives as well as those interested in the role and wanting to find out more about the IPB.

A ‘Mastermind’ session with C3SC's Emily Forbes in the hot seat and a specialist subject of ‘Integrated Partnership Model’ kicked off proceedings. Participants also had the opportunity to ask questions relating to the model.

We explored the current third sector representative arrangements in place across the seven programmes of work that sit under the IPB.

Participants worked in two groups to look at the benefits and disadvantages of different models of representation and a new hybrid model was agreed on – A pool of third sector representatives ratified through C3SC membership. This means that when vacancies for representatives become available, C3SC will seek nominations and then interview, induct and deploy representatives to the most appropriate workstream, depending on their skills and experience.

This pool of selected representatives will form a Partnership Representatives Council to meet regularly and ensure peer accountability in representing the voices of the third sector in Cardiff.

The Chief Officer of C3SC will also sit on this group to ensure communication with the wider C3SC membership and third sector across Cardiff.

Representatives may be required to attend Network meetings to update others and share information pertaining to their particular workstream. We will set up a small working group to look at criteria and skills required for effective leadership and representation as well as providing a programme of leadership training with Learning to Inspire.

C3SC will take this proposed model of Third Sector Representation to the Integrated Partnership Board and hope to select representatives using this process by the end of March 2012.

If you're interested in finding out more, please email Emily Forbes at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it