NTA Regional Award Winner, Providing Education and Training; NAVCA
Training in Law Helps Third Sector Organisations

When a charity called Voluntary Action Leicester successfully took up legal proceedings against the City Council it sparked an awakening in the third sector to the possibility of using public law to challenge poor decision-making by public bodies. It was also the catalyst for the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA) to form a partnership with the Public Law Project (PLP) to provide third sector organisations with workshops in dealing with legal disputes.

NAVCA is the national voice of third sector local infrastructure organisations (LIOs) in England. It helps to ensure communities are well served via member LIOs and their work with over 160,000 local groups and organisations. It supports the local third sector nationally by providing members with learning and networking opportunities, information, resources and advice to support success.

The aims of the partnership between NAVCA and PLP were to enable the third sector to become more effective in maintaining sustainable services to disadvantaged groups and in representing its own interests. The overarching aim of the workshops was to improve judgement and confidence when dealing with public bodies.

The organisation developed an innovative and vibrant training programme of one-day workshops aimed at up-skilling development workers, managers and trustees of third sector organisations. No selection criteria was set for the training - organisations were free to put forward those whom they felt would most benefit. NAVCA's Public Law Training Officer, Terry Perkins, delivered all aspects of the training.

A primary objective of the NAVCA programme was to identify an increase in the overall confidence in negotiating with public bodies. To measure this, trainees' confidence in negotiating was assessed before, immediately after training, and again after six months.

The learning was adapted from a programme previously delivered by PLP. The principles of public law are the same regardless of user, so NAVCA took this basic programme and turned it into an interactive, learner-focused one-day workshop. The design used third sector centred examples rather than complex descriptions to ensure ease of understanding. The programme was made up of facilitated discussion, student centred exercises and trainer led delivery.

The workshops resulted in a massive change in the level of confidence among attendees. Direct evidence of change brought about because of the training includes the release of promised extra funding in West Yorkshire, High Court intervention in funding for BME communities in the West Midlands and a chief officer of an LIO in Cheshire challenging cuts and saving over £40,000 in funding. This unique national programme has not only up-skilled the sector but has also influenced change at all levels. Organisations have made legal challenges in the high court and won - as a result making changes possible across the country.

Mrs Ann Jansz, Chief Officer at Stevenage CVS, comments: "I attended a NAVCA/PLP training day in 2007, and found it an excellent introduction to the principles and framework of public law. It improved my judgement and confidence about the subject. This showcase project must continue because the voluntary and community sector needs training to give them better negotiating skills with public bodies on issues such as funding cuts, planning, policy decisions and the provision of services. This training satisfies both organisational and community needs."

NAVCA has taken the Skills Pledge.