An alternative to CLACs and CLANs for Wales? Feasibility study asks questions

STOP PRESS, JUNE 2011

A report by consultants DG Legal for the Welsh Government, completed in late 2009 but not published has been obtained following a freedom of information request by a friend of the advice sector in Cardiff. See below for background information. Download the report below.
 
The report recommends a 'sustainable commissioning model' as proposed by AdviceUK and references our work around 'failure demand' (see BOLD project).
 
We will be reapplying pressure on the Welsh Government to pursue some of the recommendations in the report.

Background

The Welsh Assembly Government has been engaged in discussions with the Legal Services Commission (LSC) in relation to improving the provision and quality of advice in Wales. A policy document known as ‘Making Legal Rights a Reality in Wales’ which set out a joint strategy was published in September 2007. This can be downloaded from the LSC website

A key element of the joint strategy is the concept of joint commissioning of legal advice services by the LSC and local councils. In implementing this strategy, the LSC published a specification for a Community Legal Advice Network which was planned to open in October 2009.

However, the Welsh Assembly Government recognised that concerns had been increasing about the possible loss of investment in third sector organisations and their potential closure as a result of the proposed new joint commissioning arrangements. Towards the end of 2008 the Minister for Social Justice and Local Government held a round of discussions with the key agencies involved to see if there was another way forward.

The Welsh Assembly Government has instructed DG Legal, a consultancy company, to prepare a feasibility study to establish whether there could be an alternative advice services commissioning model for local authority and Assembly Government funding that would meet the aims of “Making Legal Rights a Reality in Wales” without compromising the future of third sector providers.

The feasibility study will:

• establish if there is a viable, legal alternative to the jointly commissioned CLAN model taking into account current procurement law and regulation

• develop detailed proposals for an alternative model

• identify the most effective model in terms of local authority funding (sole authority; cross‐authority)

• consider appropriate governance and reporting arrangements

At the end of July 2009, DG Legal held a number of consultation workshops and issued a discussion paper setting out and examining different options for commissioning advice services in Wales.

The paper may be downloaded from the DG Legal web site. Click here to visit the DG Legal web site.

A number of organisations have responded to this initial consultation, and the deadline has now passed. You can read AdviceUK's response by clicking on the link below. DG Legal will be submitting a final paper with recommendations to the Welsh Assembly Government in mid October.

To find out more about AdviceUK's views on CLACs and CLANs, click here.

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