TARPORLEY DONE ROOM PRE- SCHOOL

COMMITTEE HANDBOOK

Please ensure that you receive a copy of Tarporley Done Room Pre-School Constitution along with this handbook as well as a copy of the most recent Policies and Procedures.

What is a Committee?

Committees are mechanisms for bringing people together to consider problems and make decisions. Committees of some kind head public bodies, voluntary organisations and charities.

Committees need rules, which establish structures and formal procedures. In some organisations these rules are written in constitutions. The rules can be applied in widely different ways. Meetings may work entirely through formal resolutions or may have an informal approach.

A committee has a limited membership, which has been elected or appointed to perform specified functions. The purpose of a committee meeting is:

To decide what action to take

To come to a decision which is accepted as legitimate

To benefit from ideas, skills, knowledge and opinion of the members present

To conduct business efficiently and in accordance with the “Aims” clause of its constitution

The advantages of having a more formal and working committee are really that they can bring together different ideas and points of view, they provide procedure for fair debate and for managing business and they provide mechanisms for accountability.

Committees are essentially groups of people who come together to work on matters of common concern. The focal point of an effective committee meeting should be the chairperson. They will ensure productive meetings through members feeling confident to communicate their views in a constructive way.

Committee members should be nominated for reasons such as:

They are committed to the goals of the organisation

They have the time and the interest to devote to the committee and the responsibilities associated with the committee

They have special talents or knowledge appropriate to the particular committee

They have already actively taken an interest in the organisation and have expressed an interest in joining the committee

Being a Volunteer Committee Member

Being a volunteer committee member is a very special job which carries responsibilities. The role requires meeting the needs of the group, the staff, parents and the children. As a committee member you will be in the forefront of the daily running of the pre-school and will need to be available to all by:

Listening to them

Communicating their needs (be they child, parent or staff)

Encourage them to comment on the way the group is run

Encourage them to work with you

Show that volunteers can make policy and change happen

Identify and meet the needs of your staff, parents and children

You will be an employer and have to respect the needs and wants of your staff. Occasionally some delicate situations can arise that call for tact and diplomacy but if you take time to prepare and obtain the help and support of local organisations then these occasions can be resolved easily and usually without heartache.

Most importantly though is that you will have a say in the way you want your child’s care and education throughout these early years to develop.

Being a “Good” Committee Member

Whatever the organisation certain skills are required of committee members if they are to play an active and meaningful role at committee meetings. To be an effective and “good” committee member is not always easy. It requires commitment and skills that have to be learnt. An effective member is:

Regular in attendance at meetings – arriving punctually

Well prepared

Able to contribute to conversation in a relevant and constructive way

Well briefed and well-informed about the various items on the agenda to be discussed

Assertive without being aggressive

Keeping in mind the “good” of the committee

Supportive to other members of the committee

Listening to all discussions during the meeting

Listening to the views of others

This may sound very formal, but what it means in practical terms is that everyone using the group has a share in it and all decisions are made jointly. In a constituted group the responsibility is shared. Accepting a share of the responsibility can make people nervous but it brings many rewards. Parents have real power in community groups and they have the experience of working together with a group of other adults for the sake of something they all value.

Constitution – What is it?

The constitution of any association is the set of rules, which govern that association. These rules contain a framework for all the decision-making and the management of the association. Constitutions can be adopted from a pro-forma, which has been pre-approved by the charity commission or one that the group writes themselves. These constitutions can be negotiated directly with the charity Commission, who must approve all charitable constitutions. Drawing up, and getting a constitution approved can be time consuming, so groups thinking of doing so need to start work well ahead of the date at which they want their new constitution to be adopted.

All constitutions usually contain points showing clearly:

What the group exists to do

What methods it is allowed to use

What the money can be used for

Who makes the decisions

How the decision makers are chosen

In what ways the elected decision makers are accountable to the group’s members

What happens if the group ceases to exist

The constitution can therefore prevent things from going wrong. If they do go wrong, the constitution can help to put them right.

Please make sure you read our constitution enclosed with this document.

The Legal Responsibilities of the Committee

Charitable trustees (committee members) are required to act responsibly and sensibly in the interests of the charity they represent. In principle, they can be personally liable if the charity gets into difficulties as a result of the actions or inactions of the trustees. However, there should be no risk of this so long as the trustees have worked within their constitution, taken appropriate advice when necessary and acted prudently and reasonably.

Charity trustees should behave towards the charity’s affairs as they would towards their own:

Make sure insurance levels are high enough to cover any eventualities

Keep the law, both the country and the constitution

Don’t enter into a contract which the charity does not have enough money to meet. This includes contracts arising from the employment of staff.

An elected committee runs a charitable organisation. When you are elected to the committee you become a trustee. The trustees hold the organisation and finances in trust for the beneficiaries of the charity, who are the children.

The trustees are responsible for what goes on in the group and for ensuring that, as a charity, it keeps the law and works towards achieving the aims set out in its constitution. Although the committee probably delegates much of the overall work to the staff and volunteers who run the group on a day-to-day basis, the committee still retains overall responsibility.

Here is a list of things the committee needs to be fully aware of:

Premises and leases

Registration with OFSTED (Office for Standards of Education) – following the EYFS Framework Standards for the appropriate type of group (Done Room is full day care.)

Financial Management – viability and sustainability

Good Practice within your setting (as recommended by Ofsted)

Working to a Constitution

Inland Revenue Obligations

Fundraising

Insurance – Public Liability, Buildings Insurance, Contents Insurance, Personal Accident, Outings.

Management of staff

Keeping Records

Managing for Quality – Curriculum, Safety, Policies, Procedures

Making Connections – links with parents, links with the community and the outside world

Policies and Procedures – written, adopted and implemented by the Committee

All settings should think very carefully about their own policies and procedures. They must make sure the policies agreed are relevant and appropriate to their setting and to the needs of the group. Pro-forma’s are there to help this process, but should never be adopted in this basic form.

The committee needs to review the policies regularly, annually is the general recommendation. They need to be read and discussed as a committee and any amendments should be made if necessary. The policies and procedures will then need to be adopted by the committee and signed by the chair after a full discussion and a vote is taken.

All parents, especially new parents, staff and students should be given or shown copies of all the policies and procedures. By accepting a job at your setting a staff member is agreeing to promote and abide by the agreed setting’s policies. By bringing children to the setting the parents are accepting them as your procedures and that they may affect their child.

A full copy of all Policies and Procedures can be found in the Parents information basket located in the main entrance hallway.

Ofsted and Early Years Professionals will ask to see the setting’s policies and procedures during their visits as they are the back bone of the setting’s operational plan. Similarly they are required by the administrators of the EYFS funding (Government Voucher Scheme).

OFSTED (

Every committee must ensure their setting is adhering to the statutory requirements of the EYFS. The chair and the supervisor hold the EYFS Documentation describing the standards and their categories please ask to see them.

To work within the EYFS and the Ofsted framework the committee must ensure that they have obtained and submitted the following documents regarding employees:

EYFS form to Ofsted of involvement in the registration of a day care provider.

DBS

Ofsted will ask the committee to nominate a suitable person for interview – this will normally be the chair, although it is not compulsory. At Tarporley Done Room the Manager is the Nominated Person. This person is the “Nominated Person” put forward by the committee to act as the point of contact with Ofsted for the registered committee body.

The three main officers of the committee (chair, treasurer and secretary) will also have to fill in the following forms as they have a responsibility of being the registered committee and have the responsibility for the day-to-day running of the setting.

EY2 to Ofsted.

DBS

OFSTED Inspections

OFSTED will inspect every setting because they are the regulatory body. It is the committee’s responsibility to make sure they are abiding by the EYFS statutory requirements. To show evidence of this the committee need to produce, review and update the following documents regularly:

Prospectus (Welcome Pack)

Administration/Application Forms

Medication Forms

Parents Consent form

Contract of Employment Policies and Procedures

Job descriptions

Staff appraisal procedure

Risk assessments

Insurance

All settings must ensure that they have adequate insurance cover and are working within the law. It is the committee’s responsibility to make sure it is renewed annually. The committee should have an inventory to assist them to estimate the exact amount of equipment cover required and you may be restricted by lease agreements, which could dictate public liability levels needed.

The categories of insurance cover must include:

Public Liability

Employers Liability

Equipment Cover

NB Insurance certificates must be displayed at all times, within the setting. An insurance company will only accept a claim from a committee if they can prove that they have been working within the law and the conditions of cover.

Risk Assessment

It is the committee’s responsibility to ensure all “Risks” are identified and examined to access the severity of the considered hazard. Risk assessments are an Ofsted requirement and will be requested at an inspection if considered necessary. Some insurance companies give out Risk Assessment forms with their annual insurance renewal.

The process of Risk Assessment is:

To examine the workplace

To evaluate the outcome and the likelihood of the risks

To make a record of the risk and continue the assessment procedure

To take action to reduce the risk

To review the risk assessment and revise as necessary

A risk Assessment could include the following categories but each setting is different so the assessments must be based on the areas considered to be of risk:

Windows, Doors and Floors

Heating and Lighting

Food and Drink

Storage

Outdoor Play area

Certain Activities

Outings and Visits

Record Keeping

Fire Procedures

Staff Health and Safety whilst at work

Children’s Health and Hygiene

First Aid and Medication Administration

Procedures for children entering and leaving the premises

The Committee as Employers

The Committee is responsible for the management of all the staff and the recruitment of new staff members when required. This section provides some of the information needed to carry out the role of Employer

The following lists are the documents needed to support the recruitment process.

Application forms (in relation to person specification)

Reference forms ( in relation to person specification)

Job descriptions – Manager/Deputy/Admin and Assistants

Terms and conditions of employment – sometimes referred to as the “Contract of Employment”

Medical forms/Permission forms/DBS Tracking

Checklist below is the Employees Statutory Rights

Minimum wage (for current rates contact the Government Employment Department)

Itemised pay slip

4 weeks paid holiday

Unpaid time off work for public duties

Maternity leave

Time off for ante natal care

Statutory sick pay – only if N.I. contributions are paid by the employee

Work in a safe environment

Not to be discriminated against on the grounds of race, sex and disability

Dependents leave – if requested

NB Reference – DDA 2005

The Employment Rights Act 1996

Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

Children’s Act 1989

Race Relations Act 2000 and Equality Act 2006

Sex Discrimination Act 1986

Equality Act 2010

Other rights apply once the worker has completed a certain length of service, which is called the “Qualifying Period” they are as follows:

Written statement of terms and conditions of employment – Qualifying period 12 weeks

Maternity pay (more information available from the Citizens Advice Bureau)

Parental Leave

One weeks notice of termination of employment – Qualifying period 1 month

Redundancy pay – Qualifying period 2 years

These rights are the minimum entitlements if the setting would like to offer better terms then this can be done. The terms and conditions set down in the written Contract of Employment are then binding to both parties. The above employee’s rights are not a statement of law. If any assistance is needed then it is recommended that advice is sought. This could be from ACAS the “Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service” please contact Public Enquiry Point on 01252 811868.

Advertising Vacancies

Here are various ways of placing an advertisement for a staff position:

Local Newspaper

Library

Newsletters

Local Shops (also local GP Surgery)

Schools notice board

Job Centre

The advert should include the following information:

Name of setting – including Charity No.

Location

Job Title

Hours of Work

Essential or desirable qualifications

Where to obtain further information

Closing date for applications

Include setting commitment to “Equal Opportunities”

Committee-run registered childcare

Each registered childcare provision has what the law calls a registered person. The registered person can be either one person or an organisation that is responsible overall for the childcare. The registered person is responsible, for making sure the provision keeps to the requirements of the Early Years Register or Childcare Register, any legal regulations and any conditions of registration we impose.

If registered childcare is run by a committee, the committee is the registered person. If we decide to take action against a registered person who fails to meeting their legal requirements, this can include taking action against individual committee members of the organisation.

Registered Person – Committee

Nominated Person – Chair /manager

Suitable Person – Manager

The Nominated Person

We expect all organisations, including committees, to choose one person – the nominated person – to represent the organisation when dealing with us. If the organisation is a committee, we expect a member of the committee to be the nominated person. This prevents us from having to speak to all committee members separately whenever we need to get in touch. The nominated person is responsible for making sure the whole committee knows important information about the registration. However, the committee as a whole will still be responsible for the registration, not the nominated person.

Apply to provide childcare

The chairperson or another appropriate person will represent you and sign the application to register. For registration on the Early Years Register we interview the nominated person to see if you, as a committee, know and understand your responsibilities in relation to the Early Years Foundation Stage. We also check that all committee members are suitable to provide childcare by carrying out a check with the DBS. We only grant registration if all members of the committee are suitable and the nominated person can show that you can meet the requirements for the registration.

What if the Committee changes?

For registration on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register, we make a decision about whether each committee member is suitable to have contact with children. You must let us now about anychanges to your membership, not just changes to the chair, secretary and treasurer. Each new committee member must send a declaration and consent form to us to allow us to carry out the checks we need to on their suitability, unless we have already carried out these checks within the last three years.