Acting today for a better tomorrow: Information from the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales
It is almost a year since the Well-being of Future Generations Act came into force and the foundations for our public bodies in Wales to work towards the aspirations of the Act are being laid. The Welsh Government have published their objectives and Public Service Boards and public bodies are in the process of publishing their well-being assessments and agreeing their well-being objectives.
As Future Generations Commissioner my role is to both support and challenge public bodies to meet their obligations under the Act and to be an advocate for future generations. The breadth of the Act is exciting but challenging and, alongside the support I will continue to provide and develop for public bodies, I want to focus on driving change on the issues posing the biggest challenges for the well-being of our future generations.
In the year since my appointment, I have met all 44 public bodies covered by the Act and engaged with hundreds of organisations. These conversations have helped me to define how I can add most value within the scope of my powers and responsibilities under the Act as well as the issues which pose the biggest threats and opportunities for future generations.
I believe that I can most effectively fulfil my functions under the Act by:
- Highlighting the big issues, challenges and opportunities facing future generations
- Supporting and challenging public bodies to think about the long-term impact of the things they do
- Working with others to drive the changes needed
- Walking the talk – being the change we want to see in others
Continuing the conversation
I am now in the process of developing a strategic plan and policy priorities to focus the work of my team on the areas where we can make the most difference. I have listened to many people about the challenges we need to work together to solve, which you can read more about in this report. These conversations have also helped to set my first draft strategic plan which is available for comment.
In keeping with the core role that involvement plays in the Act, I will be continuing the conversation I have started. It would help me greatly if you would complete a short survey to help me shape these priority areas and the work of my office.
I am trialling an innovative tool called SenseMaker to record your views as well as holding conversation events across Wales. I will also be collecting views from the well-being assessments in each area and data and analysis available on future trends.
How you can get involved
Take the SenseMaker Survey – it’ll take less than 10 minutes and you can tell us as much or as little as you want.
Share the SenseMaker Survey – we would be grateful if you could send the survey out through your own networks and social media channels.
We are also holding a number of conversation events with people over the next few months. If you would like to get involved, please contact us
We’re encouraged by the many organisations who have already agreed to work with us and I’m looking forward to continuing the conversation and hearing your views on the most important issues for you, your families, communities and organisations – now and in the future.
