COPA has existed in different forms since 2001 working under the umbrella of the Welsh Government. As such it has a strong tradition of influencing policy and practice for older people in Wales. The purpose of COPA is to bring together the views, opinions, and concerns of local older people’s forums and groups to the national, all- Wales level, with the aim of strengthening the impact and coherence of the representations made to Government and others. COPA was recognised by Welsh Government as the national group for older people forums in Wales and provided small scale development funding from 2014. They subsequently provided resources for COPA to become a stronger and more democratic organisation and establish itself as a Registered Charity (1174518) from September 2017. At this point, COPA became a genuinely independent organisation – a voice for older people led by older people.
The initial period as a charity for COPA meant that some priority and time needed to be given to put systems and procedures in place to comply with Charity Commissioner governance requirements including the Constitution, trustee appointments, finance, policies, building capacity etc. At an early stage, arrangements were agreed for Age Cymru to become the Secretariat to our charity, which proved hugely beneficial. A published academic article sets out our ambitions for the future direction of COPA. However, a strong focus was placed on engagement with local forums, with 17 Council areas becoming voting members but also in establishing effective working relationships with the Commissioner for Older People and others to raise our profile in the age sector. A formal protocol was agreed with the other national older people’s organisations to make sure we worked well together, avoiding duplication. In this period, well attended Annual Conferences and AGMs were held in Llandudno, Abergavenny and Cardiff that directly involved members of local forums and high-profile speakers. Setting up a website, publication of a series of Policy Position Papers and making representations to Welsh Government Ministers on key issues for older people were important activities at that stage.
During the period of the COVID pandemic, COPA met more frequently on a virtual basis and was able to make good progress. We also established monthly virtual meetings with Forum Representatives which improved communications and still continue. A strategic review of COPA, its purpose and structure were completed, and discussions were taken forward about the future of the charity and its branding and funding. This was informed by research undertaken with Chairs and Vice Chairs of local forums to find out how regeneration of the forums could be shaped and the ways in which COPA could align its priorities to support them. A Forum Development Plan was also published. Importantly, during this difficult period, our charity was able to make an influential contribution to the pandemic response by working closely with the Commissioner for Older People to ensure the voice of the 50+ Forums was heard at the national level in discussions about Covid-19 and information and advice about was disseminated on a very regular basis.
As a result of the Review, a new strategic direction for COPA was agreed in 2022 which prioritised engagement with older people and the Forums. This has also resulted in a new communications and marketing policy, new branding, logo, and website. Through the last 6 years, COPA has continued to make a substantial contribution to the shaping of national policy through the Ministerial Advisory Forum on Ageing and a range of other groups. We have been involved in the development of the Welsh Government’s Strategy for an Ageing Society and subsequent monitoring of implementation of the Delivery Plan. We have focused in particular on key issues such as digital inclusion, cost of living, transport, housing, NHS, and Social Care.
Creating and Age-Friendly Wales has been a key policy imperative for COPA including membership of the Commissioner’s Partnership Group and working with Councils. We lobbied for the creation of Age Friendly Champions at the political level. A Framework for Engagement of older people in developing Age Friendly Communities was published following consultation with Forum Representatives. A statement was subsequently published to reiterate our support for Age Friendly Communities and set out the key principles and expectations for engaging co-productively with older people. COPA has also promoted Independent Representation of Older People/Co-production, and we have developed a key policy on age discrimination and published an article on ‘banishing age discrimination to history’. We have sought to widen our influence through links with the Future Generations Commission, Llais and the Senedd’s Finance Committee and independent commission on the Future of Wales. A key campaign has been to raise awareness of Ageism and Age Discrimination, and we have successfully lobbied for a National Debate on this important issue.
COPA will aim in the next period to change and grow our charity and increase its impact, capacity, and resources. We will seek to achieve a bolder and more effective voice for our charity through the marketing strategy and new brand identity. This will include making improvements to communication in order to raise awareness of who we are and what we do. It is vital that we ensure that older people’s voices are heard through co-production at the planning stages of national policies and legislation. Our priority focus will be on engaging in and improving communication with all the local 50+ forums across Wales and continuing our high-quality representation to the Welsh Government and other public organisations.
Cymru Older Peoples Alliance
December 2024