The voluntary sector is an essential provider of health and social care services in the county, involving 138 voluntary organisations.

Their aim is to sustain and improve the services they provide and so benefit the health and wellbeing of those who use the services.
The Planning Team helps facilitate the co-ordination of the sector's representation in the planning process, to ensure the sector has a voice in the production of strategies and so ensure that the services provided address the needs of users.

• Youth Planning Facilitator
• Health Social Care & Well-being Facilitator
• Carers Development Worker
• Voluntary Sector Broker

A major element of the team's duties is the facilitation of the Health and Social Care Joint Planning Forums. There are currently 6 forums which are open to service users, carers and representatives of voluntary organisations. Forums represent the views and interests of service users and voluntary sector providers, which feed into the planning of strategies in Pembrokeshire. This happens via the Joint Implementation Groups, where representatives from forums can express the relevant forums' views on strategic matters to the statuary service providers.

Events are held quarterly and are open to Voluntary Sector adult health and social care organisations working in Pembrokeshire, people using health and social care services and their family/ carers.

During the whole day event the following Forums meet:    

    Learning Disability/ Parents and Carers

    Mental Health Forum*

    Older Persons Forum

    Palliative Care Forum

    Physical Sensory Impairment Forum

In addition to Forum meetings, updates are provided on a range of current developments locally, including feedback from the Voluntary Sector, Carer and Lay Representatives on the Local Health Board.

The day also provides excellent opportunities to network across various agencies. We hope to hold another Question/ Answer session with the Director of Social Care and Housing, Pembrokeshire County Council along with the Chief Executive Officer of the NHS Trust and Director of Service Innovation, Pembrokeshire Local Health Board.

There are currently about 150 Forum members and we welcome new members, so if you are interested in the development of health and social care services in the County please contact enquiries @pavs.org.uk 01437 769422 for further information.

*The Mental Health Forum is facilitated by West Wales Action for Mental Health (WWAMH). Telephone: 01437 769442 for further information