Supporting voice and influence in the third sector
Third sector organisations, and the people they work with, are directly affected by both local and national government policies. So it’s really important that the views of the Third Sector are reflected in decision making.
To support this we have a number of different forums and networks in Leeds to help the third sector have ‘voice and influence’. By bringing people and organisations together that have a common interest, we can work collectively to advocate on a range of important issues and topics.
Networks & Forums
Discover some of the key groups advocating on behalf of the third sector in Leeds
Forum Central
Forum Central is a network of health and social care third sector organisations in Leeds delivered by the partnership of: Leeds Older People’s Forum and Volition (the Mental Health, Physical and Sensory Impairment and Learning Disabilities Forum). Their mission is to be a collective voice for the health and care third sector in Leeds and combined membership currently stands at around 300 third sector organisations, large and small, all across Leeds.
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LeedsACTS!
LeedsACTS! (Academic Collaboration with the Third Sector) is a unique partnership between Voluntary Action Leeds and the three Universities in Leeds: Leeds Beckett University, Leeds Trinity University and the University of Leeds. It builds relationships between researchers, charities, voluntary and community organisations to foster joint working for the benefit of the communities of Leeds.
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Leeds Crime Reduction Network
The Leeds Crime Reduction Network brings together organisations working to support both the victims and perpetrators of crime to help create safer communities by discussing shared problems and finding shared solutions. The network is funded by the Violence Reduction Unit and is facilitated by Voluntary Action Leeds.
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Leeds Voices
This project is now on hold.
For information about volunteering to support key health messages in the local community, take a look at the Community Champions Project.
Leeds Voices is funded by the NHS Leeds CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group) to help the people and communities of Leeds have their say on new and existing health services in City. This is achieved with the help of partner organisations and volunteers all across the City. Leeds Voices reaching out to a wide range of people including hard to reach communities and full time workers as well as the general public.
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Third Sector Leeds
TSL is the forum in Leeds that promotes, represents and advocates for not-for-profit groups and organisations (known as the ‘Third Sector’) in Leeds. Working closely with large organisations that set the direction for the city, including the Council and the Leeds Health and Care Partnership (the NHS) to ensure that as many third sector organisations as possible, particularly the smaller ones, are involved in discussions on city-wide challenges and solutions.
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Young Lives Leeds
Young Lives Leeds is the primary point of contact for partners to engage both strategically and locally with third sector organisations and groups who support children, young people and their families. It does this by giving organisations the voice, information and advice they need to be involved in the development of better services for children, young people and families.
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Women’s Lives Leeds
Women’s Lives Leeds is an alliance of women’s centred organisations in Leeds. It is the leading voice for women, young women and girls across the city and has established two networks: The Women’s Hub, and the Girls Hub (Vocal Girls) that aim to provide collective places for women and girls to talk, challenge and campaign about issues that matter to them in Leeds
Find out moreKey Policy and Strategy Documents for Leeds' Third Sector
At the heart of the third sector’s voice and influence work in Leeds is the group Third Sector Leeds (TSL). TSL engages with Leeds City Council, the NHS and other public and statutory sector partners to advocate on behalf of third sector organisations.
This Third Sector Partnership has developed and adopted a number of key policy and strategy documents that outline the commitments of the third sector in Leeds.
These are public documents which you can view and download.
In different ways each of these documents seeks to set out a course that partners can follow to develop the third sector and achieve the best results for communities.