Contents

1.	Kirklees Sure Start Children's Centre Goverance Model - Flow Diagram
2.	Introduction
3.	Sure Start Children Centre Goverance in Practice
4.	Practice Guidance Toolkit
	4.1	Creation, Structure and Operation of Advisory Boards
	4.2	Children’s Centre Advisory Board Charter
	4.3	Terms of Reference for Advisory Boards
	4.4	Advisory Board Planning Cycle
	4.5	KEYS Standard Minutes and Agenda Pro-Forma
	4.6	Idea’s to Help you to Engage Parents with Family Forums and Advisory Boards
5.	Appendix 1: Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill

1. Kirklees Sure Start Children's Centre Goverance Model - Flow Diagram

Click here to view flow diagram

2. Introduction

The aim of Sure Start is to deliver the best start in life for every child, improving life chances for all and closing the gap between the most disadvantaged children and the rest. Sure Start Children’s Centre’s work in partnership with parents/carers and local agencies within the voluntary, private and statutory sectors, including Health, Education and Social Services.

The Department for Children Schools and Families Governance Guidance for Sure Start Children’s Centre’s 2007 underpins the Kirklees Sure Start Children’s Centre’s Governance Framework.

At the core of this framework is the role of the SSCC Advisory Board, which is to ensure that Children’s Centre’s engage with their communities and respond to local needs.

Sure Start Children’s Centre Governance – Statutory Duty

In reviewing the Sure Start Children’s Centre Governance Policy, it is appropriate to include reference to; ‘The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill’ (DCSF 2008 – 09). This Bill provides for the statutory duty to deliver Sure Start Children’s Centre’s. Included in this duty is the requirement for Sure Start Children’s Centre’s to fall within the remit of an Advisory Board.

If the Bill proceeds in accordance with expectations, these duties will be confirmed as legal requirements during 2009. It is therefore recognised that the establishment of Sure Start Children’s Centre Advisory Boards will be fundamental to the statutory duty to deliver Sure Start Children’s Centre’s (see Appendix 1: Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill Part 9 - Children’s Services).

Every Child Matters

The Local Authority and its partners have the responsibility to work together to ensure that the Sure Start key aims are achieved. This includes a specific emphasis on early intervention activities that target the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children in our communities. The aims include:

• Information and advice on family support services
• Drop-in sessions for parents, carers and child minders
• Access to early education and childcare for children under five
• Access to child and family health services
• Links with Jobcentre Plus, further education and training opportunities

Sure Start Children’s Centre’s are working towards the five Every Child Matters Outcomes:

• Be Healthy
• Stay Safe
• Enjoy and Achieve
• Make a Positive Contribution
• Achieve  Economic Wellbeing

Principles of Sure Start Governance in Kirklees

The delivery of Sure Start Children’s Centre’s is based on effective integrated working, where parents and partners work in a mutually respectful environment, equally valuing the contribution of each parent or partner.  All members contribute from the strength and knowledge of their organisation and as parents and members of the community and come together to deliver the Children’s Centre plan through:

• A clear, shared, sense of purpose between all parties.
• Knowledge of who they are there to represent.
• Wide, representative participation.
• A vision that is shared by users and providers.
• Responsiveness to locally identified needs.
• Commitment to Sure Start values and principles
• Open, inclusive and accountable practice.
• Structures that promote partnership working in the delivery of integrated services.

3. Sure Start Children Centre Goverance in Practice

Sure Start Children’s Centre Services are organised into seven localities. All Children’s Centre’s in each locality have a specific catchment area.

Each Sure Start Children’s Centre will develop partnerships with parents and a wide range of services and agencies where each represents the interest of children and parents and the responsible authority.

Framework

Children’s Centre Family Forum:

• The Family Forum should be an informal group of parents, carers and family members who share an interest in the services provided by their local Children’s Centre.
• Family Forums can be established with the support of children’s centre staff, but should aim to be parent led in the longer term.
• The purpose of the forum is to share ideas about community needs, and provide families with a comfortable space in which to raise concerns or issues.
• Special consideration should be given to ensure that those involved with the Forum are representative of the community served by the children’s centre.
• Ideas, concerns, issues and positive feedback raised in the Family Forum can be shared directly with centre staff, at team meetings and with the Children’s Centre Advisory Board.

Children’s Centre Advisory Board

The Children’s Centre Advisory Board aims to bring together the key children’s centre stakeholders within a mutually supportive partnership. Quarterly meetings that reflect the planning and performance management cycle are a minimum requirement. Consideration should be given to a fully inclusive approach that offers additional support to members as required e.g. literacy difficulties, English as a second language. Also see Working with Interpreters Procedure.

Integrated Working Group

Each of the seven Kirklees localities has a multi-agency Integrated Working Group whose membership includes as a core: Sure Start Locality manager, Community Health Service Locality Manager, Health Visiting locality lead, Public Health locality representative, Midwifery locality representative, Job Centre Plus representative, Sure Start Family Support manager, Sure Start Early Learning manager, Early Years Consultant. The purpose of the group is to provide locality leadership in the delivery of integrated services to meet the Every Child Matters Outcomes for children aged 0 - 4 and their families. The Locality Integrated Working Group reports to the Children and Families Integrated Working Board

Integrated Working Board

The Integrated Working Board is a strategic multi-agency group with representatives from Kirklees Community Healthcare Services, Mid Yorkshire Trust, Calderdale and Huddersfield Trust, Job Centre Plus and The Local Authority. The Board provides strategic leadership in the development and delivery of integrated services for children aged 0 – 4 and their families. This Board will report to the Improving Outcomes for Children Board.

Improving Outcomes for Children Board

This Board is under development. It will comprise a strategic multi-agency group led by the Local Authority Children and Young People’s Service.

4. Practice Guidance Toolkit

4.1 Creation, Structure and Operation of Advisory Boards

Terms of Reference

Terms of reference have been developed to guide the implementation and ongoing management of Sure Start Children’s Centre Advisory Boards.  Adopting shared terms of reference will enable effective governance across the wide variety of centres, and will promote shared understanding and CONSISTENCY between centres and localities.

Membership

The Centre Manager should identify the core partners who need to attend Advisory Board meetings on an ongoing basis. However they should also feel able, in conjunction with the Chair, to invite additional individuals to attend a specific meeting in order to discuss a specific issue, where this seems appropriate (in which case those individuals need not attend the whole meeting).

The Chair

An independent Chair – in other words, any of its members except the Children’s Centre Manager – should chair Advisory Board meetings. The Chair may be nominated by another member of the group at the first meeting each year, and where there are multiple nominations, a simple majority vote will confirm the Chair. Where there is the possibility for a parent to chair the group, this should always be the first choice.

Working Groups

From time to time it may be appropriate to form a separate working group to examine or explore specific issues that are pertinent to the development or evaluation of the Children’s Centre.

Agendas and Minutes

Once objectives for the Centre have been agreed, these would form ideal agenda items in themselves. In the interests of time management, dealing with matters arising from the previous minutes, and introductions from members, should be kept to a minimum.

Minutes of previous meetings should be sent to members no later than two weeks after a meeting has been held, in order to allow members to action any points they have agreed to. Minutes of the previous meeting should also be circulated to members along with the agenda of the next one – no later than two weeks in advance of the meeting date.

Clear Language

All members should bear in mind that the membership is diverse and that the people attending come from different backgrounds. With this in mind, meetings should be kept jargon free, with acronyms or agendas always carefully explained in language appropriate to all members. Where appropriate, parent members should have the opportunity to be ‘mentored’ by a ‘professional’ member. This system will enable parents to have discussions before, after and between meetings with their mentor.

The Role of the Advisory Board Representative

What the Representative Needs to do:

• To know what their organisation/group thinks and is concerned about.
• To share those views in Advisory Board meetings
• To keep their organisation/group up to date with what is happening at the Advisory Board.

Before Meetings

• Read the agenda for the meeting and minutes of the last one in good time to discuss with their organisation/group properly.
• Contact the people or groups they represent where appropriate.
• Find out their views on the items on the agenda when needed

At Meetings

• Put across the views they have collected.
• Make notes for themselves, and so that they can pass on relevant information.
• Not allow themselves to be forced into instant decisions on matters that they have not been able to discuss with those whom they represent

After Meetings

Report back to those they represent.

Inbetween Meetings

• Keep in touch with their organisation/group and the Advisory Board
• Build up links between their organisation/group and the partnership
• Be willing to take up matters that people want to see discussed by the partnership

* ‘Group’ may be parents forum.

4.2 Children’s Centre Advisory Board Charter

Advisory Board Charter The purpose of the Advisory Board is to provide advice and assistance to ensure the effective operation of the children’s centre and with respect to matters within the areas of their experience and expertise. External members will: Join the Advisory Board in April and serve for a minimum one full year – 4 meetings, maximum of 2 years. Attend each meeting as scheduled, or provide alternate representative. Follow through with board work assignments. As appropriate, provide updates on issues of concern. Members should set aside individual agendas or agency allegiances and work towards shared goals bringing expert knowledge to serve the community of the Children’s Centre Notional Catchment Area. Board members will acknowledge that they are responsible for promoting high ethical and integrity standards and that the language, attitudes and actions of Board members affect the integrity, ethics and values of the children’s workforce culture. Members of the Board agree that in the exercise of their duties as Members, they will act in good faith and in an open, honest, professional and courteous manner. Members should bring together a variety of relevant understanding about local community needs, thereby enabling the Centre to provide the best possible service, and to support all children in achieving the five Every Child Matters outcomes. Parent members of the Advisory Board shall be reimbursed by the Children’s Centre for reasonable expenses incurred by them in connection with their Advisory Board services.

4.3 Terms of Reference for Advisory Boards

The Advisory Board has no legal liabilities, and no responsibility for budgeting or recruitment. Due respect and consideration will be given to all advice and guidance from the Advisory Board.

Key Objectives

• Contribute community knowledge and expertise to identifying local needs to support Children’s Centre delivery plans.
• Agree the objectives for Children’s Centre service delivery plans.
• Engage in the quarterly review of centre activities towards agreed objectives.
• Support the evaluation of the activities, including through the quarterly and annual Self Evaluation process.

Specific Functions

• Advise on all aspects of policy and programming within the centre;
• Ensure that the voice of local parents and families is heard;
• Offer support to, and advise the Children’s Centre in responding to local needs.

1st Quarter

• Use community knowledge and expertise to agree the most appropriate objectives for the children’s centre, and advise the Centre Manager in prioritising them – effectively creating a delivery plan;

2nd Quarter

• Monitor ongoing progress against these objectives at each meeting, and offer challenge, advice and support and guidance to the centre staff in working towards them.

3rd Quarter

• Monitor ongoing progress against these objectives at each meeting, and offer challenge, advice and support and guidance to the centre staff in working towards them.

4th Quarter

• Evaluate progress once a year at an ‘annual review’, supporting the self evaluation process of the Centre.

Membership

• 4-5 professionals (e.g. Centre staff, Health, Family & Children’s Information Service, etc);
• 4-5 community members (e.g. schools, faith groups, youth organisations, child care providers etc);
• 4-5 parents, carers or family members from the catchment area of the centre
• In the event of a member wishing to leave the Advisory Board, they should inform the Chair as soon as possible. The Chair and the Children’s Centre Manager should then jointly identify and approach a suitable replacement.

The Chair

• An independent Chair  will chair the meetings
• The Chair may be nominated by another member of the group at the first meeting each year, and where there are multiple nominations, a simple majority vote will confirm the Chair.
• Where there is the possibility for a parent to chair the group, this should always be the first choice.
• The Chair should keep the meeting to time and topic, facilitating discussion and ensuring everyone has a say.
• The Chair should also make good links with both the Centre Manager and the Locality Manager
• The Chair will ensure that minutes are taken by one of the group members, typed and approved.

Timescale and Frequency of Meetings

• Meetings should be held on a quarterly basis, at a time and on a day deemed most suitable to secure the attendance of members.
• Meetings should fit appropriately into the Locality Planning and Performance Management cycle
• Meetings should be carefully planned and kept focused. Ideally they shouldn’t run for longer than an hour and a half, with an optional additional half hour set aside at the end for networking and information sharing.

Agendas and Minutes

• Agendas should be agreed in advance jointly by the Chair and Children’s Centre Manager following the Performance Management Cycle
• Minutes of previous meetings should be sent to members no later than two weeks after a meeting has been held, in order to allow members to action any points they have agreed to.
• A designated member of Children’s Centre staff should be responsible for typing and distributing the minutes, although the Chair will approve them.
• Minutes of the previous meeting should also be circulated to members along with the agenda of the next one – no later than two weeks in advance of the meeting date.

Reporting and Communication

• In addition to circulating minutes to members of the Advisory Group, the Children’s Centre Manager, in conjunction with the chair, should identify an ‘Advisory Board distribution list’.
• Individuals should have the option to opt in and out of the list as they wish.
• Locality Managers should be invited to attend one meeting a year – usually, the ‘annual review’.
• In the event of concerns about the Centre, or the effectiveness of the Advisory Board, the Chair should discuss these directly with the Locality Manager.
• Locality Managers are responsible for feedback into the Locality Integrated Working Groups, where appropriate.
• Parent members and the Children’s Centre Manager will communicate items discussed at Advisory Board meetings to other parents – through the Centre’s Family Forum, and the distribution of minutes to parents who wish to receive them.

Conflicts of Interest

• When the Advisory Board is discussing the commissioning of specific services, such as childcare or parenting support, any member with an interest in providing that service (whether in the public, private or voluntary sector) needs to declare their interest and withdraw from the debate.
• Providers of commissioned services may become members of the Advisory Board, but must be aware of the rules regarding conflicts of interest.

Working Groups

Separate working groups will be developed to examine or explore specific issues that are pertinent to the development or evaluation of the Children’s Centre.

• Working Group Terms of Reference
• Such groups should have a ‘working title’
• Should explore issues more fully that cannot be addressed in the Advisory Board meeting.
• Should have a specified lifetime i.e. ‘Task and Finish’
• Should agree how they will report back to the main Advisory Board. 
• There should always be at least one member of the Advisory Board on a working group.
• Membership should be appropriate to the issue to be addressed and can be drawn from appropriate parents and agencies.

4.4 Advisory Board Planning Cycle

1st Quarter - April to June - Use community knowledge and expertise to agree the most appropriate objectives for the children’s centre, and advise the Centre Manager in prioritising them – effectively creating a delivery plan. Book venue for year end locality event.

Actions prior to meeting: CCM - Assemble data (Organisational priorities, TIP, Business Plan, Satisfaction survey results, monitoring reports and any other information Completed SEF and SEF challenge) CCM with Locality Manager - Analysis of all data and identify priorities. Agree CC budget and expectations. CCM with team – (CC and Locality) Identify priorities, set objectives, develop action plans, update service plan. At meeting: CCM with Advisory Board – Review of data.  Scrutiny and challenge of plans, contribution of local knowledge and specialist data. Agree action plans, review and agree budget setting. Report to Board by LAFO - budget allocation ‘Looking back - going forward’ Following meeting: Quarterly SEF Report to IWG by Locality Manager.

2nd Quarter – July to September - Monitor ongoing progress against these objectives at each meeting, and offer challenge, advice and support and guidance to the centre staff in working towards them.

Actions prior to meeting: CCM with Locality Manager - Review of progress with service/action plans. Analysis of monitoring and activity data, any other relevant data. Troubleshooting. Complete Aide Memoir. At meeting: CCM - with Advisory Board: As with Locality Manager: Scrutiny and Challenge: Agree direction for next quarter. Report to Board by Family Support Manager. Contribution of FST to outcomes for each CC. Specific team/service developments contributing to outcomes. Following meeting: CCM – with team (CC and Locality): Review of progress and direction set for next quarter. Quarterly SEF can be completed at any point during this process. Report to IWG by Locality Manager.

3rd Quarter October to December - Monitor ongoing progress against these objectives at each meeting, and offer challenge, advice and support and guidance to the centre staff in working towards them.

Actions prior to meeting:  CCM with Locality Manager: Review of progress with service/action plans. Analysis of monitoring and activity data, any other relevant data. Troubleshooting. Complete Aide Memoir At meeting: CCM - with Advisory Board: As with Locality Manager. Scrutiny and Challenge. Agree direction for next quarter. Report to Board by Early Learning Manager. Contribution of EL, CCT and P&LW’s to outcomes for each CC. Specific team/service development. Following meeting: CCM – with team (CC and Locality): Review of progress and direction set for next quarter. Quarterly SEF can be completed at any point during this process. Report to IWG by Locality Manager.

4th Quarter January to March - Evaluate progress once a year at an ‘annual review’, supporting the self evaluation process of the Centre.

Complete Annual SEF and SEF Challenge process CCM with Locality Manager and Board : Review of progress with service/action plans. Analysis of monitoring and activity data, any other relevant data. Troubleshooting. Complete Aide Memoir Year end locality event: Feed back of SEF to full team and partners and Senior Management Team; Thank you to family forum and board; Leavers and starters from Family Forum and Advisory Board. Thank you to team; Celebrating achievements; Preparing for next year – consultation opportunity.

4.5 KEYS Standard Minutes and Agenda Pro-Forma

Title of Meeting

Date and Time of Meeting

Venue for Meeting

Minutes

1.	Attendance Apologies for Absence	Action
2.	Minutes of Last Meeting and Matters Arising
3.	Title
4.	Title
5.	Title
6.	Title
7.	Title
8.	Any Other Business
9.	Date and Time of Next Meeting

4.6 Idea’s to Help you to Engage Parents with Family Forums and Advisory Boards

Encouraging Parents to Come to a Family Forum

• Make a Family Forum a part of your normal activities timetable open to all parents as and when they wish to attend.
• Don’t throw parents in at the deep end by asking them to join your Advisory Board –unless they’re already keen and confident. Try starting them off by inviting them along to a Family Forum – grandparents, carers and aunties welcome too!
• If necessary, explain what a ‘forum’ is – a group where everyone is equal and gets to have their say!
• Make your Family Forum meetings welcoming occasions: hold them in a room that parents feel comfortable in, offer lunch or tea and cakes, and make sure there’s an informal atmosphere.
• Think about the best time to hold your Forum meetings – not so early that it will put parents off attending, but not too late that it will clash with meal or bath times, or Mosque visits.
• Provide crèche facilities throughout the duration of the Forum meeting, so that parents can concentrate on the discussion, and can see it as ‘me time’ – without having to worry about the little ones.
• Consider producing a simple ‘what’s in it for me?’ sheet which you can give to parents when you’re encouraging them to join the Forum. Promote benefits such as increased confidence, making friends, having your say, improved literacy skills, a boost for the CV, and above all improving things for the children who use the Centre.
• Encourage parents to recruit other parents. Just make sure they have a good supply of ‘what’s in it for me’ leaflets to give out!
• Encourage your frontline staff – especially Community Link Workers, Family Support Workers and Play & Learning Workers – to talk about the Forum with parents and explain how it works and why parental representation is an important thing. This might be on a one to one basis, or at one of your open access sessions where lots of parents come along.

At the Family Forum

• To start with, your Family Forum could be led by the Children’s Centre Manager or any other member of frontline staff who parents know and trust. Introduce a clear format so that everyone understands what the Forum is for and how it works. Your longer term aim however, should be to let the group be entirely parent led.
• If parents are struggling to grasp the scope of a Family Forum, think about making the discussion more specific. Rather than tackling big concepts like ‘local needs’ or ‘representation’, try asking them if they have any ideas for new play sessions, or brainwaves about getting dads more involved, or if they can think of any ways of improving the appearance of the centre itself. Once they have the confidence to share ideas, you should be able to broaden the discussion.
• Try to ensure that when parents come up with ideas in a Forum, they’re actioned where possible. There’s nothing more off putting than giving your time and energy, but seeing little result. Think about ‘quick wins’ which you can put into place.
• Be careful to manage expectations; it’s important not to agree to possibilities of new projects if these can’t really happen in reality. Don’t promise what cannot be delivered!
• Consider creating a display board in your foyer to highlight the Forum, with friendly pictures of the parents involved and details of how parent led ideas have made a difference. The more parents see that they can really influence the way things happen at the Centre, the more they will take ownership of it and get involved. So if you’ve supported a new activity as a result of an idea from a parent, or even just moved something around so it’s safer or used better, make sure everyone knows!

Encouraging Parents to Come to an Advisory Board

• Once the Family Forum has got going, start to consider how you could introduce some informal training to support the family members to join the Advisory Group. This could be done through, games, role plays, filming activities1:1 support and mentoring, interactive exercises etc. It could cover area such as; speaking out in a group, getting your point of view across, assertive communication, active listening, roles and responsibilities of those involved at the centre and beyond, integrated working and you could even tackle ‘chairing skills’… Remember the eventual aim is that you have a parent to chair the Advisory Board! Consider inviting trainers to deliver these sessions.
• Once it’s been up and running for a while, and parents have become more confident in expressing ideas and opinions, see if there’s anyone in your Family Forum who might be interested in attending the Children’s Centre Advisory Board. Talk to them about the way the Advisory Board works and who sits on it.
• Make sure crèche facilities are available for parents attending Advisory Board meetings. And throw in some food and drink!
• If you think you might need to, send parents a reminder before they’re due at the next Advisory Board meeting. This might be by post, phone, or text message. Or give your parents representatives their own diaries, so they can put the dates of meetings in.
• As with any groups parents attending Advisory Boards for the first time might need some preparation and active support. You could do this informally, or consider setting up a ‘buddying’ scheme, where you pair each parent up with a member of your Advisory Board. Buddies could talk through how meetings work, look at the agenda together in advance, and remind each other who everyone is!
• Similarly, try and prepare your Advisory Board if you have parents coming along for the first time. Encourage everyone to cut out jargon (especially acronyms), and not to refer to things which have happened previously without explaining them. Remind your Chair to openly query anything which parents might not be able to follow. And make sure members of the group chat to parents, make an effort to be welcoming, and above all, listen to what they have to say.
• Think about ways in which you could introduce a basic skills offer for parents when they attend meetings. Could you link with a local college and encourage the parents to get something more out of helping with the minutes, or the typing, or looking at the budget for a special event?
• Chat with other Centre Managers and staff about ways in which they’re engaging parents. If you like the idea of something you’ve heard about somewhere else, try to find out more, and think about introducing it in your  group.

Appendix 1: Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill Part 9 - Children’s Services

5C Children’s Centres: advisory boards

1. This section applies where arrangements made by English local authority under section 3(2) include arrangements for the provision of one or more children’s centres.
2. The authority must make arrangements to secure that each of the children’s centres is within the remit of an advisory board.
3. A children’s centre is within the remit of an advisory board if it is specified in relation to the board by the responsible authority.
4. An advisory board must provide advice and assistance for the purpose of ensuring the effective operation of the children’s centres within its remit.
5. An advisory board must include persons representing the interests of:
   1. each children’s centre within its remit;
   2. the responsible authority;
   3. parents or prospective parents in the responsible authority’s area.
6. An advisory board may also include persons representing the interests of any other persons or bodies that the responsible authority thinks appropriate.
7. In exercising their functions under this section, an English local authority must have regard to any guidance given from time to time by the Secretary of State.
8. The guidance may in particular relate to:
   1. the membership of advisory boards;
   2. the organisation and operation of advisory boards.
9. The “responsible authority”, in relation to an advisory board in respect of which arrangements have been made under subsection (2), is the Authority that made the arrangements.

End