What Makes A Good Early Years Setting Committee?
For a community or charity-managed setting to work well, you need a capable managing committee. James Hempsall OBE explains how to get things off to a good start…
Many early years settings are managed by voluntary organisations. Some are unregistered, others are registered charities or community interest organisations. In all cases it takes constant effort and a raft of actions to work well.
We’re often asked, what makes a good management committee? Firstly, it’s essential all members are aware of their individual and collective roles and responsibilities. They should be allocated specific tasks to help ensure all bases are covered effectively and provide a focus to the individual members – something that’s essential for legal compliance, and for business and Ofsted success.
The best committees share responsibility, improving communication and keeping members interested and accountable. The officers of a committee include the chair, secretary and treasurer. We also recommend having a vice-chair (for cover and succession planning) and officers responsible for personnel, marketing, health and safety, fundraising and Ofsted compliance.
Leading roles
Chairing any management committee is a key role. The chair ensures the committee functions properly, everyone takes part in meetings, all relevant matters are discussed, effective decisions are made, and actions are carried out. The role can be time-consuming – it may involve working between meetings and with the staff team.
The role of the secretary is to support the chair in ensuring the committee functions smoothly, while the treasurer must maintain an overview of the organisation’s financial status and the proper financial records. In small organisations, the treasurer may be more involved in the day-to-day finances of the organisation.
This role is often the most time- consuming, so it may be shared between co-treasurers or a paid administrator, or a payroll service commissioned from a local accountant, council for voluntary services (these offer a competitive rate for registered charities) or community accounting scheme. Remember that final responsibility for financial matters always rests with the committee as a whole.
It’s also important that the committee is well informed about the work of the organisation. This understanding can be better achieved with:
• Clear written role descriptions when recruiting
• Clarity regarding committee/staff roles
• An appreciation of governance/ management, including the difference between employer/staff roles
• An effective induction programme
• A training/development strategy for committee members
• A committee members’ information book
• Members’ understanding of the collective nature of decision- making
• A sound succession plan
• Good communication with parents about how the setting is managed, so it doesn’t come as a surprise when their support is required.
James Hempsall OBE is the director of Hempsall’s training, research and consultancy; for more information, visit www.hempsallconsultancies.com or follow @jhempsall