Overall Aim
To enhance the capacity of service providers, working with children and families in the Northern Beaches area, within an early intervention and prevention framework of Families NSW.

Objectives

A. Communication

1. To facilitate and provide communication across the sector by disseminating information to/and from other interagencies, PMG and SOG.

2. To provide a common platform to disseminate articles, raising practice issues, providing forums for worker support.

3. To facilitate access to a wide range of options and services within the local area, that meets the needs of children and families.

4. To develop an information communication technology strategy, to promote services to each other and the service users.

B. Networking and Relationship building

1. To have adequate representation and participation from all service providers working with children (0-8) and their families and carers in Northern Beaches (NB) area.

2. To strive for participation from small, locally based or theme based interagencies based in NB area.

3. To harbor partnerships and collaborative projects with a possibility to attract joint funding

4. To support and assist isolated service providers or services for example, by providing them a voice through representation at the Network.

C. Planning and Advocacy

1. To identify emerging issues, gaps and barriers in service provision and develop joint responses to these issues.

2. To empower families and children by highlighting their needs and attracting and allocating resources to the area to meet those needs.

3. To enhance strategic planning, communication processes and service coordination across children and families services.

4. To provide significant opportunity to develop collaborative responses to address specialist needs by utilising the range of expertise available across the network (Government, Non-Government and Community sector).

D. Training Support and Professional Development

1. To assist in filling the existing skills gap between Service workers and the Government strategic planning activities.

2. To provide all members joint training and professional development opportunities.

Membership

Representation from:

1. Government
   a.     Local
               i.    Councils
   b.     State
         i.    Department of Ageing Disability and Home care           ii.  Department of Community Services
                 §   Families NSW
            iii.   NSW Department of Housing
            iv.   NSW Department of Education and Training
              v.   NSW Department of Health
   c.     Federal

2. Non-Government

3. Community
   a.     Aboriginal community
   b.     CALD community

Membership will be reviewed regularly and decisions to invite new members to the Network will be made during each meeting.

Secretariat and conduct of meetings

Office Bearers: Chairperson and Secretary

Annual Chair and Secretary
There will be annual election for Chairperson and Secretary for the Network in the planning meeting each year for the following year.

Annual Chair
Team Leader, Children’s & Youth Services, Warringah Council, will chair the meetings for year 2008.

Secretary
The Regional Network Facilitator will hold the responsibilities of the Secretary in 2008.

·         The Secretary will be responsible for organising speakers for the Network in consultation with the members, assist in annual planning and distributing the minutes and reports.

·         The minutes will be undertaken by members of the Network on a rotating basis.

·        Responsibility for minute taking will be determined at the end of each meeting for the next meeting, which will be based on the predefined roster.

·        The responsibility of minute taking will move to the next person in the list, in absence of the assigned minute taker for that day.

·         A standard template for recording the minutes will be used to ensure the quality of minute taking.

·         The assigned minute taker will be responsible to send the minutes to the secretary (for distribution to the members), a minimum of 4 weeks before the next meeting.

·         The presentations and information to be attached with the minutes shall be sent to the Secretary ASAP after the meeting, to ensure them going out with the minutes.

·         A standard agenda will be used, updated and sent out by the Secretary to all members at least 4 weeks before the following meeting.

Representative for PMG: Election for an NGO representative to PMG. Julie Pearson elected on 5th March 08.

Frequency and location

To enable members to plan their attendance well in advance and ensure consistency and sustainability of the network, frequency and location are essential to be confirmed for the year in advance.

Frequency
The network will meet on quarterly basis on 1st Wednesday of every 3rd month, 1.30pm-4pm.

Location
Dining Room, Dalwood Spilstead, Dalwood Avenue, Seaforth (to be reviewed at the first network meeting in 2009).

Accountability Relationship and Governance

·        To develop a work plan for the financial years 2008-2011.

·        The work plan will focus on the topics like planning, communication, service coordination, joint working partnerships, projects and working agreements. It will be based on the response document produced by the Network for Families NSW 08-11 planning for the Region.

·        The work plan will be facilitated by Families NSW Regional Network Facilitator for 2008-11. The work plan to be finalised in the first network meeting in 2009.

·        Review of work plan to be done on a yearly basis.

·        Northern Beaches Network will receive support, and guidance from Project Management Group, and the Senior Officers Group.

Review of the terms of reference is to be undertaken on a yearly basis.