COUNCIL FOR WALES OF VOLUNTARY YOUTH SERVICES CYNGOR CYMREIG Y GWASANAETHAU IEUENCTID GWIRFODDOL

What COUNCIL FOR WALES OF VOLUNTARY YOUTH SERVICES CYNGOR CYMREIG Y GWASANAETHAU IEUENCTID GWIRFODDOL does

CWVYS (the Council for Wales of Voluntary Youth Services, Welsh: Cyngor Cymreig y Gwasanaethau Ieuenctid Gwirfoddol) is the independent representative body for the voluntary youth work sector in Wales. The organization was originally established in 1974 by the Standing Conference of Voluntary Youth Bodies in Wales (itself founded in 1947); following the closure of the Welsh Youth Agency at the end of 2005, CWVYS became fully independent with its own office (Tŷ Baltig, Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff) and administrative staff. It is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee, governed by a Working Committee (Pwyllgor Gwaith) of trustee representatives, with a President, Vice-Presidents, Chair (Eluned Parrott, 2026/27), Vice-Chairs, Honorary Treasurer, and committee members. Day-to-day leadership is provided by Chief Executive Paul Glaze alongside a small staff team (six named staff across CEO, Finance, Regional Coordination, Communications, Business & Projects Support, and Business Volunteering Consultancy functions).

CWVYS's core offerings span sector representation, training, quality assurance, and project delivery. Products include the Voices for Impact survey platform (launched 2026, enabling organizations to support young people aged 9-25 in completing surveys across topics such as society, safety, digital access, environment, health, learning, and transport); the VIBE Youth Wellbeing & Innovation Project (delivered across five schools/colleges with external evaluation); the CWVYS Quality Mark for Workforce Development (a quality framework built on five principles: Youth Work Policy and Practice, Learning Strategy, Learning and Development, Recognition, and Monitoring and Performance Management); Youth Work Training programmes (Level 2 induction through YMCA Wales Community College and Level 3 Youth Support Worker qualifications); and consortium-based Youth Work Projects (e.g., the Paul Hamlyn Foundation-backed community-building project, Feb 2014–Jan 2015). Technology footprint is minimal: a bilingual Welsh/English website, monthly newsletters (General, Funding, International), and an Instagram presence — there is no proprietary commercial software platform, no mobile app, no APIs, and no disclosed AI/ML capability.

Revenue is derived from membership subscriptions paid by national and local voluntary youth work organizations (including Scouts Wales, Boys and Girls Clubs Wales, RAY Ceredigion, Silkfutures CIC, Ty Enfys Family Centre, Motion Control Dance, and others), supplemented by core and project funding from the Welsh Government and grant-makers such as the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. Go-to-market is community-led rather than commercial: reach is built through the bilingual website, three monthly email newsletters, a shared events calendar, regional meetings across North and South Wales, quarterly All Wales Meetings, and co-chairmanship of the Strategic Joint Group for Youth Work with the Wales Principal Youth Officers' Group (PYOG). The organization does not publish revenue figures.

Name

COUNCIL FOR WALES OF VOLUNTARY YOUTH SERVICES CYNGOR CYMREIG Y GWASANAETHAU IEUENCTID GWIRFODDOL

Legal name

Council for Wales of Voluntary Youth Services

Website

https://cwvys.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CWVYS (Council for Wales of Voluntary Youth Services) is the independent representative body for Wales's voluntary youth work sector, providing collective voice, training, quality assurance, and project coordination for member organizations serving over 250,000 young people.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Services / Voluntary Sector Representation

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Business Associations (813910)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

Keywords

• Voluntary youth services
• Youth work training
• Charity membership representation
• Workforce quality assurance
• Youth sector advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Cardiff

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: CWVYS is a membership organization representing national and local voluntary youth work organizations in Wales. Revenue is derived from membership subscriptions.
2. Government Funding: CWVYS received core funding from the Welsh Office (formerly) and continues to receive government funding for operations. A Youth Work Project was funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation from February 2014 to January 2015.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CWVYS is the independent representative body for the voluntary youth work sector in Wales. It represents, supports, and gives a collective voice to national and local member organisations working with over 250,000 young people. It delivers membership services, training and workforce development (including Youth Work Award Level 2 and Level 3), the CWVYS Quality Mark for Workforce Development, collaborative youth work projects, and the Voices for Impact survey platform for young people aged 9-25.

Product overview

CWVYS is a nonprofit organization representing the voluntary youth work sector in Wales. It provides a unified portfolio of services including the Voices for Impact survey platform for youth voice, the VIBE Youth Wellbeing & Innovation Project, the CWVYS Quality Mark for Workforce Development, youth work training programs, and collaborative youth work projects through member consortiums. The organization represents and supports national and local member organizations in their work with over 250,000 young people in Wales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Voices for Impact Platform A survey platform that enables young people aged 9-25 to share their views on topics including society, safety, digital access, environment, health and wellbeing, learning skills and work, and public transport. Used by youth, community, voluntary and statutory organisations in Wales to engage young people.
• VIBE Youth Wellbeing & Innovation Project Youth wellbeing and innovation project delivered across five schools and colleges, focused on relationship-based, trust-focused youth work approaches. Externally evaluated to demonstrate the value of relationship-based practice in youth work.
• CWVYS Quality Mark for Workforce Development Quality assurance framework for member organisations established on 5 key principles: Youth Work Policy and Practice, Learning Strategy, Learning and Development, Recognition, and Monitoring and Performance Management.
• Youth Work Training and Development Training programmes including the CWVYS Induction Programme 'Stepping Towards Youth Work' (Level 2 accreditation through YMCA Wales Community College), Level 3 Youth Support Worker qualifications, and professional development opportunities for staff and volunteers of member organisations.
• Youth Work Projects (Member Consortium) Consortium programme of 10 CWVYS member organisations working together to build stronger communities through youth-led community activities delivered through collaborative working, involving approximately 40 young people in 4 project partnership teams.

Quantifiable outcome

• CWVYS member organizations serve over 250,000 young people in Wales

Named customers14 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WISERD (Welsh Centre for Educational Development Research)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2018CWVYS and WISERD co-organized workshops in May 2018 to re-engage national discussion on evaluation, impact and outcomes in youth work in Wales. The workshops produced an executive summary on evaluation approaches.
• Centre for Youth Impact (UK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Centre for Youth Impact collaborates with others to test, learn and build momentum behind the impact agenda across organizations working with young people. Bethia McNeil, Director, presented at CWVYS workshops.
• The Young FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExtensive research conducted by the Young Foundation identified and described 7 clusters of outcomes from youth work, with related evidence of their impact on social outcomes.
• Welsh GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCWVYS works in partnership with Welsh Government agencies promoting good youth work practice. The government provides funding and policy framework for youth work in Wales.
• Wales Principal Youth Officers' Group (PYOG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCWVYS co-chairs the Strategic Joint Group for Youth Work with PYOG. This group provides a cross-sectoral approach with CWVYS Trustees and PYOG members attending.
• Plant Dewi Family CentresminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTy Enfys Family Centre is part of Plant Dewi Family Centres network across Carmarthenshire, providing local family services.
• Third Sector Partnership CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished in 2007 to work effectively with the Third Sector. CWVYS participates in strategic forums that influence Welsh Government policy.
• VIBE Youth (Wellbeing and Innovation Project)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVIBE Youth Wellbeing and Innovation Project was externally evaluated, demonstrating the value of relationship-based practice in youth work across five schools and colleges.
• Local Authorities in WalescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCWVYS works with local authorities and the voluntary sector to deliver youth work services in Wales, in alignment with the National Youth Work Strategy.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Welsh Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA): WCVA is the umbrella body for the entire voluntary sector in Wales, providing broader representation, training, and policy support beyond youth-specific work. CWVYS sits within the WCVA ecosystem as a specialist youth-sector counterpart.
• Centre for Youth Impact: Centre for Youth Impact is a UK-wide organization focused on evaluation and impact measurement in youth work. CWVYS partners with it directly and shares an emphasis on outcomes frameworks, positioning it as a specialized peer in the standards/measurement sub-domain.

Direct peers

• Youth Action Northern Ireland: Youth Action Northern Ireland is the umbrella body for the youth sector in Northern Ireland. Its membership representative model, policy advocacy role, and training function closely mirror CWVYS's role for Wales.
• UK Youth: UK Youth is a UK-wide membership charity supporting youth organizations with training, advocacy, and quality programs. It operates at a broader UK scale than CWVYS but serves overlapping youth work audiences with comparable training and standards offerings.
• National Youth Agency (NYA): NYA is the equivalent national body for the youth work sector in England, providing training, quality standards, and policy representation. CWVYS performs the same representative function for Wales, making NYA its closest structural peer across the UK.
• YouthLink Scotland: YouthLink Scotland is the national membership body for the voluntary youth work sector in Scotland. It offers analogous representative, training, and policy advocacy services to CWVYS, serving as a direct UK-jurisdictional parallel.
• British Youth Council: British Youth Council represents young people and youth organizations across the UK with a focus on youth voice and participation. Its mission around amplifying young people's views overlaps with CWVYS's Voices for Impact and representative work in Wales.

Emerging players

• The Young Foundation: The Young Foundation conducts research and develops social innovations related to youth outcomes, including the 7 clusters of youth work outcomes cited in CWVYS materials. It functions as a research and methodology peer within the same youth-sector evidence ecosystem.

Regional players

• Children in Wales: Children in Wales is the national umbrella body for children's services in Wales, covering broader children's policy and service delivery. It overlaps with CWVYS's youth-focused constituency and shares Welsh Government and member-based funding dynamics.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/mcd_ance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/council-for-wales-of-voluntary-youth-services-cyngor-cymreig-y-gwasanaethau-ieuenctid-gwirfoddol

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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