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Save Multi-agency services: Governance
The Audit Commission defines corporate governance in the public sector as:
The framework of accountability to users, stakeholders and the wider community, within which organisations take decisions, and lead and control their functions, to achieve their objectives.
Good corporate governance combines 'hard' factors, such as robust systems and processes, with 'softer' characteristics such as effective leadership and high standards of behaviour, in particular:
- leadership that establishes a vision, generates clarity and fosters professional relationships
- an open and honest culture in which decisions and behaviours can be challenged and accountability is clear
- supporting accountability through systems and processes, such as financial management, performance management and internal controls
- an external focus on the needs of service users and the public.
What does this mean for leaders of multi-agency services?
Where services are working together in new ways, with new planning considerations and a new environment in which performance is to be measured, it can be helpful to take an equally collaborative approach to governance arrangements.
Experience from existing services suggests that one effective way is to use a steering group of strategic stakeholders who take shared ownership for the service. This may be an existing partnership or it may be a new forum bringing together pre-existing structures.
This model features in a number of extended schools. For example, the evaluation of the extended schools pathfinder projects found that most projects established dedicated management structures, some of which involved reporting to a steering group drawn from participating schools and stakeholders.
It can be helpful to involve the following types of people in a steering group:
- senior managers from all the agencies represented within the multi-agency service
- one or more headteachers/nursery school heads, depending on who you are working with
- a parent representative
- a young people's representative
- LA representatives such as the access and inclusion coordinator or the Early Years development and childcare partnership (EYDCP) officer.
Good practice in setting up a steering group
- In most areas there is a proliferation of multi-agency groups, which can prove time-consuming for senior officials. Consider whether an existing forum can fulfil the function.
- Establish clear reporting procedures for the service.
- Representatives on any steering group should be individuals with the seniority to make decisions and take a strategic overview, but arrangements should be robust enough to withstand the departure of particular individuals.
- Where a steering group is established, the service manager will need to work at sustaining the involvement of senior representatives, by focusing the group on strategic rather than operational issues, enabling it to take decisions and encouraging members to take ownership of the service. If an individual representative's attendance is poor, follow up and find out why.
- If a steering group or partnership board covers a range of different services, an independent chair may offer straightforward objectivity and balance.
- Secure effective involvement of the community and voluntary sector, so that they are included in the decision making processes. Click for more on the benefits of community and voluntary sector involvement.
- Secure effective involvement of children, young people, their families and the community in shaping and governing services. Click for more on participation of children and young people.
As an example, almost all Sure Start local partnerships have at least one representative from each main statutory agency (for example primary care trusts, education and social services). In addition:
- many other statutory agencies are also represented, especially housing and community development
- more than half of partnerships report the inclusion of an EYDCP representative
- health is the statutory agency with the largest number of representatives per partnership, though not always the highest level of day-to-day involvement
- voluntary organisations are represented on all but five programmes; those without them tend to have higher levels than average of representation from the local community
- over 90% of partnerships include community members
- parents contribute to the management of almost every partnership
- mothers are much more likely to be involved than fathers.
Early tasks for a steering group
- Organise a needs analysis and develop a shared vision and philosophy for integrated services which respond to those needs.
- Ensure parents, families and the community are fully engaged in every part of the planning and decision making process.
- Agree the commitment that each agency will make to the new service.
- Agree the direction of the service and producing a business plan for its funding and financial operation.
- Establish management and decision-making processes. Address insurance, health and safety and legal issues.
- Identify key divergences in policy and practice across the services to be integrated and supporting the service manager to harmonise these through dialogue and staff development.
- Identify accommodation needs for the delivery of services in appropriate environments.
- Agree new job descriptions and change of contracts (where appropriate), establishing supervision and support arrangements, and appropriate appraisal systems.
- Identify appropriate training and training budgets to support the professional development of all staff in the holistic delivery of services to children and families; this will include teamwork, child development, techniques for working with children and families, and financial management.
- Review, evaluate and revise policies and practice with a view to continual improvement.
Models of governance
Governance arrangements for children's centres and extended schools will vary from service to service. It will depend largely on the way that services are being integrated:
- For new services, this is likely to emerge from the steering group and may be based on the governance arrangements that underpin the lead organisation.
- Centres developed around nursery schools have tended to extend the remit and membership of their governing bodies to reflect parental, community and multi-agency participation.
- Extended schools can be managed in a variety of ways, for example through the school governing body, through delegation to a sub-committee or local partnership, or through a school company established for the purpose of the running the service. Click for more on governance of extended schools.
- Children's centres can also be managed in range of ways - there is no single model that will suit all circumstances. Local authorities and their delivery partners will need to agree structures, roles and responsibilities. It is likely, in most centres, that a number of pre-existing structures will come together to deliver the full offer for parents and children.
The evaluation of the extended schools pathfinder projects found that some projects built interagency collaboration into the management of the project. For example, in one local authority the coordinator was also the Sure Start manager, who already worked closely with the neighbourhood management team and other agencies.
Other projects developed multi-agency steering groups at an authority wide or district level and/or multi-agency community focus groups. The multi-agency steering group in one area consisted of a range of statutory agencies. The focus of their work was developing a tiered referral system and support network for children and their families.
In another area there was a community focus group with representatives from voluntary agencies, the primary care trust, Sure Start, a further education college, school governors, parents, Children's Fund, a local football team and teachers.
Whichever form of governance is chosen, key elements of its success include:
- a unified structure which works for the centre and the whole range of services to be delivered
- representation by all stakeholders on a decision-making group
- support and training for decision-makers
- unified policies agreed and applied to the whole centre
- shared organisational development, planning and evaluation.
Reading and resources
Corporate governance: Improvement and trust in public services (Audit Commission, 2003)
Describes strengths and weaknesses in current governance arrangements and shows how good governance can provide both the means for public services to strengthen themselves and for regulators to ensure that regulation is proportionate to risk.
Associated documents
Evaluation of the extended schools pathfinder projects
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Last updated on 04/05/2009
