Current Consultations

"Beyond Boundaries" (The Beecham Review), an indepth exploration of the way in which public services are delivered in Wales was published in 2006. The Review emphasised the need for the NHS and local government to work in partnership to deliver services effectively and efficiently and set out the direction for future services in Wales. Wales has adopted the "Citizen Model" rather than the "Customer Model" adopted in England. In a Customer Model services are improved as a result of citizens expressing dissatisfaction with services by not using them, whereas in a citizen model changes and improves as a result of comments made by people who use those services. Particularly within Social Care services there is a move towards co-production of services where there is a dynamic shift from public service delivery being the domain of professionals and managers, to a state where communities and users co-produce facilities and activities that benefit and are valued by society as a whole.

This presents a challeng to statutory sector organisations, but citizen participation is now embedded in policy at all levels of government within Wales and so must be the driving force for service improvement locally and nationally.

Participating in initiatives leading to the planning of services is a worthwhile activity for the third sector, and offers an opportunity to influence the outcomes for service users. Voluntary and community groups can also be a useful conduit for people to make thier wishes and feelings known. For major consultations on policy and development impacting on the work of the sector locally, AVOW generally prepares a response on behalf of the voluntary sector, following discussions at members meetings. However organisations are encouraged to respond directly from thier perspective of specialist knowledge and expertise, and if possible copy AVOW into the response to keep us informed of opinions of the sector locally.