“Committed to improving and increasing inclusive education and training opportunities by the voluntary sector in Redbridge”

Purpose of LEAD Training Network

The overall purpose of LEAD in Redbridge is:

• To provide LEAD in Redbridge member organisations with an understanding of both the available progression routes for further training and education and employers needs with regard to the education and skills it needs in its workforce
• To build its member organisations’ capacity to deliver quality assured training and education and tender for mainstream funding and in so doing increase the sustainability of its member organisations’ training and education provision.
• To identify and maintain a record of the training needs of the member organisations in order to facilitate building their capacity to deliver quality assured training and education and to tender for mainstream funding.
• To attract higher levels of funding for the direct provision, and activities that support the provision, of quality assured education and training by its member organisations.
• Increase joint working between training providers serving the borough of Redbridge.
• To provide a single point of contact for those seeking to contact member organisations; to raise awareness of this aspect of this role of LEAD in Redbridge with outside agencies; and to distribute any communications to and from member organisations in a timely fashion.
• To promote a sharing of expertise and experience between the member organisations so that each may learn from the other.
• Negotiate with outside suppliers to provide preferential rates for the supplies of goods and services to member organisations.
• Provide information resources that support member organisations in completing funding applications (see objective 10 below).

Objectives of LEAD in Redbridge

The objectives of the LEAD in Redbridge given below will be prioritised in response to an increasing understanding of the needs of the member organisations: The objectives are:

• To keep up to date with available courses and further training opportunities and their requirements through contact with mainstream and other education and training providers.
• To keep up to date with the skills required by employers both for current and predicted future employment through contact with employer forums.
• To ensure that all member organisations are aware of what is involved in, and are equipped with the knowledge to be able to participate in discussions, of funding issues through the development of information materials.
• To provide a forum for its member organisations to discuss and plan how to attract greater levels of funding and to maximise the chances of success of funding applications for the purpose of providing education and training to the people who live and work within the borough of Redbridge and their workforce. Note: this will often result in the development of partnerships between member organisations for the purpose of specific bids.
• Wherever possible, and in order to maximise the chances of a funding application’s success, by avoiding duplicate and competing bids from member organisations, where LEAD in Redbridge member organisations decide to submit a bid they will seek to submit only one partnership bid for a specific funding stream.
• To invite representatives of funding bodies to LEAD in Redbridge in order for them to present to the member organisations their criteria for funding and their application and decision making processes.
• To identify training needs within the member organisations that need to be met in order for them to be in a position to be eligible to bid for funding from, and improve the success rates of bids to, funding bodies and to use this information to keep an ongoing record of training issues and general capacity in the sector.
• To run training seminars/workshops to address identified training needs of member organisations.
• To provide feedback on positive and negative responses to funding applications and build capacity and share good practice.
• To develop and maintain a list of useful resources for use by member organisations, including but not limited to:
• A list of trainers and/or training organisations together with their areas of expertise and any recommendations from member organisations as to how good their service was.
• A list of relevant statistical and other qualitative research information that may be used by member organisations (e.g. as supporting information on levels of need in the borough when writing bids).
• A directory of LEAD in Redbridge member organisations working in the borough together with contact details and details of their area(s) of activity.
• To ensure that any forms issued by LEAD in Redbridge to its member organisations are as short as possible and when sent out to existing members that they are part completed with the existing data on the organisation held by LEAD in Redbridge and wherever possible that any such forms are available for completion on-line.
• To collate the views of member organisations in response to information requests or opportunities to be consulted on issues relating to the provision of training and education into a single response from LEAD in Redbridge. In doing this LEAD in Redbridge will ensure that the diversity of the views of its member organisations are reflected in any responses it submits. Note: this in no way precludes individual member organisations from submitting their own response in addition to contributing their views to a collective response.
• To distribute any communications (e.g. consultation documents and invitations to bid for funding) to member organisations in a timely manner and in a format that is accessible to the organisation. Note: Aside from LEAD in Redbridge newsletter and in order to keep costs down this will principally involve email communication supported by telephone, fax or letter communication for those organisations without access to I.T.

These objectives will be principally met through:

• The regular meeting of LEAD in Redbridge.
• The development and implementation of a Quality Audit Tool to identify member organisations’ training and organisational needs.
• The output of the Quality Audit Tool, which will be a time-delimited agreed action plan that prioritises areas to address.
• The development of a database to hold information on LEAD in Redbridge member organisations and resources that can be used by them.
• LEAD in Redbridge newsletter.
• Meetings with external stakeholders.

LEAD in Redbridge Membership Criteria

Membership of LEAD in Redbridge is open to all voluntary sector, not for profit organisations and social enterprises (where any profit raised is ploughed back into the organisation to further develop its work in this area) that provides or wishes to provide training or education that will enhance employability and / or advice and guidance on employability to people living and working in the borough of Redbridge.

All member organisations must commit to use the Quality Audit Tool and must actively commit to addressing any areas raised by the use of the Quality Audit Tool within the timeframe specified by the Quality Audit Tool.

All members agree to abide by LEAD in Redbridge’s Equal Opportunity Policy.

All members shall ensure they are “Active Members” (see the Code of Conduct below for the definition of Active Membership).

LEAD in Redbridge Application for Membership Process

The guiding principles of the process below are to be fair, open and to reduce the time spent by LEAD in Redbridge at its meetings in discussing membership applications.

• Prospective members will complete an application form.
• Completed application forms will be submitted to an officer at RCVS.
• The officer will check the application form and liaise with the applicant organisation regarding any queries or missing required information on the form. Note an on-line form could also be used to facilitate this process and at the same time enable a database of member organisations to be built-up.
• The completed application form will be submitted to LEAD in Redbridge by the officer along with a recommendation as to whether the applicant organisation meets the membership criteria.
• LEAD in Redbridge will decide whether or not the applicant organisation meets LEAD in Redbridge membership criteria.
• Applications for membership will be a standing item on the regular LEAD in Redbridge meeting agenda. At this point in the meeting LEAD in Redbridge will consider any application forms. It would normally be expected that the meeting would endorse the Officer’s decision given that they would have scrutinised the application. However, it is important that the whole LEAD in Redbridge be given the opportunity to see and vote on membership applications. This arrangement should help to minimise the time LEAD in Redbridge meeting has to spend away from its principle business.
• The applicant organisation will be informed in writing of the decision of LEAD in Redbridge regarding its membership including the reasons for refusal of membership where appropriate.
• Where an applicant organisation’s membership application is unsuccessful there is no appeal. However, they may submit a new application for membership once the areas raised in relation to their previously rejected application have been addressed.

Length of Membership

This shall be 3 years and will be renewable on the anniversary of the organisation joining. Prior to membership renewal a review of the organisation eligibility for membership will be undertaken. The review will take into account any changes to the following since the organisation joined or the last review of their membership:

• The organisations activities.
• The organisations status.
• LEAD in Redbridge protocols.

In addition to the above the review will also examine progress made in addressing any areas listed in the action plan that was the product of the organisation using the Quality Audit Tool.

Membership Fee Structure

Membership of LEAD in Redbridge is free.

Members Benefits

• Regular LEAD in Redbridge meeting.
• Single point of contact for outside agencies to contact LEAD in Redbridge member organisations.
• Dependent upon resources available the use of a Quality Audit Tool to identify organisational and training needs and develop an agreed action plan to address these.
• Access to LEAD in Redbridge information resources.
• LEAD in Redbridge Newsletter.
• Opportunity to develop collaborative approaches to solving common issues.
• Opportunity to share skills and knowledge between members (e.g. through presentations on different topics of interest by member organisations).
• Opportunity to negotiate block rates for services required by member organisations (e.g. training) from providers.

 

LEAD in Redbridge Code of Conduct

Conflict of Interest

Where a member organisation or one of its representatives has a conflict of interest when taking part in any business of LEAD in Redbridge this must be declared at the point it becomes known to the member organisation or individual concerned. Where a conflict of interest has arrived the affected party may depending upon the wishes of the other LEAD in Redbridge members involved and the nature of the business be required to:

• Withdraw from any further involvement
• Abstain from discussion
• Abstain from voting
• Agree to a policy of non-disclosure

 

Continuing Eligibility for Membership

Member organisations shall inform LEAD in Redbridge of any changes to their organisation or the services that it provides that would render the organisation ineligible to be a member of the Network and in so doing resign their membership.

 

Active Membership

Member organisations shall send a representative to at least two meetings per year.

Member organisations will respond to any requests for a response to any consultations they receive via LEAD in Redbridge. In the case of the member organisation having no comment to give this must be indicated - a simple phone call or email to this effect would suffice.

Member organisations agree to share good practice or do at least one presentation to LEAD in Redbridge meeting per year on a topic of interest to LEAD in Redbridge on which they have experience and expertise if requested to do so.

Fees

Any fees due from a member organisation to LEAD in Redbridge will be paid by the date they are due.

Two reminders for overdue fees will be issued one 28 days after the initial invoice and a second final reminder 28 days later if the fee remains outstanding.

Capacity Building

Member organisations are committed to utilising the Quality Audit Tool with a view to identifying any areas within their organisation that need to be addressed in order to make their organisations eligible to bid for funding from funding bodies.

Member organisations agree to take active steps towards addressing any areas that are highlighted as in need of development by the use of the Quality Audit Tool in accordance with the mutually agreed action plan produced as a result of using the Quality Audit Tool.

Bidding

Wherever possible LEAD in Redbridge member organisations will use their best endeavours to try to avoid submitting more than one bid for a funding stream that focuses in full or in part on the Borough of Redbridge by informing LEAD in Redbridge of any intention to bid.

Where it is not possible to submit a single bid LEAD in Redbridge member organisations will use their best endeavours to ensure that the bids being developed are sufficiently different in their approach and/or targets and/or beneficiaries so as to avoid being duplicate bids.

It is recognised that there may be times where it is not possible to submit a single bid or avoid duplicate bids that are in effect in competition with each other. Where this is the case member organisations agree to the following:

1. No member organisation may bid as both an individual organisation and as a member of a partnership for the same funding application.
2. No organisation may belong to more than one partnership bid for the same funding application.
3. All participant organisations in a partnership agree to abide by a policy of non-disclosure of any information in relation to the development of the bid from the point the partnership commences except where the purpose is to further the chances of success of the bid. This includes, but is not limited to:
1. The content of the final or any draft bids
2. Any information in any format exchanged between members of the partnership developing the bid (i.e. what was said at meetings or in phone conversations or sent via emails etc).

The point at which the partnership commences shall be defined as the time of the first meeting of the partnership’s members to begin work on their partnership bid.

1. Any organisation leaving a partnership bid continues to be bound by the non-disclosure policy concerning the bid they were formally involved in developing and my not participate in another partnership’s bid for the same resource or bid for it as an individual organisation unless they have the permission of all their former partners to do so.
2. Where two or more individual member organisations and/or partnerships of member organisations decide after starting to prepare separate bids that they now wish to collaborate on a single joint bid this shall be permitted.
3. Where a partnership breaks down, that is to say ceases to exist for the purpose of preparing and submitting a specific bid, before a bid is submitted each individual member organisation of the former partnership shall be permitted if they so wish to join another partnership or submit an individual bid

Fund Management

Member organisations when in receipt of funding from a successful bid will manage the funds in accordance with any restrictions placed on the use of the funds.

Representation

No member organisation shall claim to represent the views of LEAD in Redbridge as a whole except when they have been instructed to do so by LEAD in Redbridge and in such cases only for the purpose for which they were instructed to do so.

Where a member organisation is acting in the role of a representative of LEAD in Redbridge they will not use the platform to market their own services or pursue their own agendas.

Officers employed directly, or on contract to, LEAD in Redbridge shall be deemed as having permission to claim to represent the views of LEAD in Redbridge.

Termination of Membership

An organisation’s membership of LEAD in Redbridge may be terminated if any of the following apply:

1. It is shown that the organisation no longer meets the criteria for eligibility.
2. It is shown that the organisation has breached the code of conduct.
3. The organisation has failed to pay any fees due after two reminders have been sent.

Complaints and Appeals

Where someone wishes to raise a matter that could lead to the termination of a member organisation’s membership of LEAD in Redbridge they must write in to LEAD in Redbridge Steering Group with details of the issues they wish to highlight.

Within three months the Steering Group will appoint a sub-group of LEAD in Redbridge members and a chair for the sub-group from the Steering Group to investigate the complaint and reach a decision regarding what action needs to be taken.

Where the sub-group decides that an organisation’s membership should be terminated the organisation shall have the right to appeal this decision to the whole Steering Group. If an organisation wishes to appeal the sub-group’s decision they must register their appeal by writing to the Steering Group within one month of receiving the sub-group’s decision.

The Steering Group must hear the appeal within three monthsof receiving it.

The decision of the Steering Group regarding any appeal is binding and no further appeal is allowed.

Whilst an organisation is the subject of an investigation by a sub-group or appealing a decision of the sub-group they will retain their membership of LEAD in Redbridge.

Accountability of the Steering Group

The Steering Group shall comprise of 5 members and may include members from outside the member organisations of LEAD in Redbridge (e.g. the LVSTC or representative of funding bodies).

The membership term of the steering group lasts for one year.

At the end of each one year period all positions in the steering group shall be decided upon by a ballot of the entire LEAD in Redbridge membership using a simple one organisation one vote methodology.

Process for Reviewing the Protocols

These protocols are to be reviewed under the following circumstances:

1. A period of three years has elapsed since the last review. This would trigger an automatic review
2. Any changes in the Law that when they come into effect would necessitate a change in the protocols to comply with the Law.
3. A majority vote at two successive LEAD in Redbridge meetings requests the protocols be reviewed. This would be in the following format:

• The reasons the protocols are being requested to be reviewed including any specific areas the review should cover are raised at the first meeting by one or more proposers.
• A vote is taken on whether or not to recommend the review be undertaken to the entire LEAD in Redbridge membership by those present at the meeting.
• The minutes, containing details of the reasons for and scope of the proposed review, of the meeting are circulated to all LEAD in Redbridge members.
• At the next LEAD in Redbridge meeting those members who attend the meeting, or who have submitted a postal vote to the meeting in advance, vote on whether to endorse the review as proposed or amended by that meeting.

Protocol issues are to be included as a standing item on LEAD in Redbridge and LEAD in Redbridge Steering Group Meeting’s agendas. This is to be used as a mechanism to record any issues relating to the protocols between each review of them.

Once a review has been triggered it will be undertaken by LEAD in Redbridge Steering Group within three months.A draft of the revised protocols should then be circulated to all LEAD in Redbridge members two weeks before the meeting at which they are to be discussed and accepted as written or as amended by that meeting.

Note: the term “funding stream” used in this document should be understood as meaning the most specific level at which the invitation to apply for funding permits. To use an example a funding organisation may have general headings under which are sub-headings and even further nesting of sub-sub headings etc. In such a case “funding stream” would refer to the lowest sub-heading.