5050vision - North West Forum on Ageing
Constitution and Terms of Reference
1. Aims and Objectives
5050vision, the North West Forum on Ageing, is the region's partnership response to the changing demographics of the NW and the potential opportunities this presents. It is a strategic partnership of public, voluntary and private sector organisations and interests.
Its aim is to influence policy and decision makers to act to exploit the opportunities offered by the over 50s and to support their continued contribution to the labour market, to business and social enterprise and to ensure their skills and talent are not lost to the regional pool. Additionally, through progress on these wider determinants of health and through other action, to achieve impact on the inequalities in health experienced by mid life and older people.
5050vision will communicate and promote the issues relating to demographic change and, through collective working and collaboration, encourage these to be taken into account in the formulation of regional and sub regional policies, strategies and action plans.
Particular objectives will be to:
• bring together independent organisations and agencies to ensure that there is a common understanding of trends and of issues which are updated, developed, debated and disseminated.
• provide a means to share ideas and to review and inform regional strategies to ensure consistency of approaches to ageing and older people
• review the impact of demographic change including economic, environmental and social conditions, at regional and sub regional level
• develop collaborative bilateral or multilateral approaches between organisations and across sectors, including dialogue with other communities of interest affected by demographic change
• provide a forum to share, promote and benchmark practice and through this to stimulate innovation and improvement, through research, projects, training, new services and opportunities for older people
• to reflect the voice and needs of mid life and older people, using research, evidence of good practice and, where appropriate, utilise the networks established by partners for direct engagement with older people
2. Structure and Membership
The NW Forum on Ageing (5050vision) will operate as a partnership and as an open network for people and organisations that have an interest in issues relating to ageing in the North West and the priorities of 5050vision in particular. Membership will be voluntary and not remunerated with the exceptions set out below.
The partnership is defined as the members of 5050vision, who have accepted the role outlined in the Partnership Agreement (appended) and who are actively supporting the priorities and infrastructure of the partnership. There are additional bodies or organisations beyond the partnership which are also essential to the delivery of particular components of work and these are generally referred to as stakeholders. Partners and stakeholders are recognised to be critical to the aims of 5050vision which aims to act and work inclusively.
Members bring to the partnership their sphere of influence, an informed perspective, an interest or their expertise and do not represent their geographical area or their singular organisation but the range of organisations with which they may be linked. The generic roles and responsibilities of members are set out in the Partnership Agreement appended. More specific partnership agreements will be reached with funding partners or others to reflect their additional role as appropriate.
The members will meet as an Executive Committee. Paid officer support will be responsible for the management and administration of the Forum's work. The Executive Committee will be supported in its work by a Programme Management Group (PMG) which will be constituted generally but not necessarily exclusively of the funding partners of 5050vision.
The Executive Committee will agree an appropriate membership to reflect its priorities and the relevant organisational or other structures in the region.
Its role is to:
• identify key priorities for work
• ensure that these priorities and their associated objectives are set out in an appropriate business plan or other agreed document
• review progress
• set up Task Groups as appropriate to research issues, direct action or prepare papers as required
• commission research and other work as required for the region
• ensure demographic and other information relating to ageing in the North West is collected and made available to regional agencies
• promote the findings of Task Groups to regional or other agencies and to the partnership and associated networks through publications, seminars, and other forms of appropriate communication including the 5050vision website
• scrutinise regional and national policies as directed and ensure that issues relating to ageing and older people are brought to the attention of policy makers
• Identify sources of future funding for '5050vision', for specific projects identified as priorities, and for publications and events
• receive reports on the budget from the Project Management Group
• play a full part as a member of stakeholder and consultation or other forums as appropriate
• review these Terms of Reference on an annual basis or make proposals for changes as the work of the partnership develops or priorities change
The meetings of the Executive Committee will be deemed to be quorate provided a minimum of 30% of the members of the PMG are present plus 30% of the remaining 5050vision membership, as defined at that point.
Members may provide deputies for meetings on an occasional basis if the need arises or if the meeting would benefit from the particular expertise of an alternative representative. Deputies will be designated to have the same rights and responsibilities as members for the purposes of that meeting.
Resolutions should be reached through informed debate and discussion. Should it prove necessary, a two-thirds majority vote on any matter would be accepted as the view or decision of the forum provided the meeting is quorate.
In order to maintain high standards in public life, individual membership of the 5050vision partnership (and therefore the Executive Committee) may be suspended or terminated by the Executive Committee, or the PMG acting on their behalf. This would be carried out in line with good practice adopted by other organisations and the code of conduct from the Standards Committee for public life in England. Suspensions or terminations of membership would be considered in the event that, for example, a member or their organisation is convicted of a criminal offence or by virtue of their inappropriate conduct as a member or by bringing 5050vision into disrepute.
Members will be deemed to have terminated their involvement with 5050vision by repeated absence from meetings without deputising arrangements on more than 3 occasions in succession unless they have reached a specific agreement about maintaining their support or interest in 5050vision in a different way.
3. Honorary Officers
The position of (working) Chair of 5050vision will be agreed by the Executive Committee on an annual basis. She/he will chair meetings of the Executive Committee and other events as appropriate. The term of office of the Chair will be limited to 2 years.
The Executive Committee will also elect a Vice Chair on an annual basis. The term of office of the Vice Chair will be limited to 2 years. The Vice Chair will support the (working) Chair in fulfilling that role and deputise for him/her in their absence. The post holder will not automatically assume progression to the role of Chair.
Task Group Chairs will be appointed by their membership (ie of the Task Groups) on a similar basis. Those chairs will be included in the membership of 5050vision (if they are not already) for their period of tenure on the same terms as above.
The importance of retaining the experience and commitment of ex Chairs of the Committee of Task Groups, or their Vice Chairs, is recognised as an important consideration to retain knowledge and talent and sustain the partnership.
These roles are non-executive but the payment of an allowance or reasonable agreed expenses may be determined by the PMG.
In exceptional circumstances, similar arrangements for payment of an allowance or expenses may be made for any member who acts on behalf of the partnership in a specific and designated capacity, for example where their expenses for so doing will not be met by their employer.
4. Management
A Chief Officer (or other agreed appointee) will be appointed on a paid basis to lead and support the work priorities agreed with the Executive Committee, to establish and manage Task Groups, to be accountable for progress including reports and monitoring and to provide the administrative support for meetings of 5050vision. Other staff may be recruited as appropriate within the finances available and at the direction of the PMG.
The Chief Officer (and/or other appointee) will be accountable to the partnership via the Executive Committee and employed by Age Concern Blackburn with Darwen, or other accountable body agreed by PMG. Financial support to the partnership and secretarial support to the Chief Officer will be provide by Age Concern Support Services North West (ACSS NW) or such other body as may be appointed by PMG.
The Executive Committee and the Chief Officer shall be advised and supported by a Programme Management Group (PMG). The PMG will be constituted generally but not necessarily exclusively by the funding partners of 5050vision. The PMG will include the Chief Officer, the employing organisation and a representative of ACSS NW or the body appointed to provide financial management support.
The PMG will ensure that:
• regular progress and other reports are provided to the Executive Committee on a regular basis
• the financial affairs of the partnership are conducted with probity
• regular financial statement and projections are presented to the Executive Committee
• the Chief Officer or other appointees are supported by the peer organisations of 5050vision to undertake the role
5. Task Groups
Task Groups shall be set up on specific topics by the Executive. The Chairs will be co-opted onto the Executive for the duration of the Task Group if they are not already Executive members. The lifespan of each Task Group will normally be 6 -12 months. Their work programme will be specific, well defined and action orientated. Any funding requirements will be subject to PMG approval. Membership will consist of specialists from the membership and outside it to encourage participation, sphere of influence and spread of expertise.
Appendix
5050vision Partnership Agreement
1. Overview of the partnership agreement:
5050vision, the North West Forum on Ageing, is the region's partnership response to the changing demographics in the North West and the potential opportunities this presents. We are a strategic partnership of public, voluntary and private sector organisations and interests. We work by influencing policy and decision makers to act to exploit the opportunities offered by the over 50s and to support their continued contribution to the labour market, to business and social enterprise and to ensure their skills and knowledge are not lost to the regional pool.
Employment and enterprise, and skills and lifelong learning, are known to be part of the "wider determinants" of health. This is because of the contribution they make to, for example, an individual's sense of purpose, their socialisation, their ability to participate in society and their mental health. Through progress on these wider determinants of health, we also want to address some of the inequalities in health experienced by mid life and older people.
Becoming a member of this strategic partnership entitles the member organisation/body to nominate an appropriate representative to join the 5050vision Executive Committee (the full membership body).
In doing so, the member organisation and it's representative agree to help determine the collective priorities and objectives of 5050vision and to actively support their implementation. This active support is articulated in more detail in this agreement. Essentially, support means the action and activity that the member organisation/interested body and its representative will undertake to further the agreed priorities and agenda of 5050vision in:
• the development of their own strategies, both customer or external facing and internal, in particular as employers (where appropriate)
• their planning and objective setting
• in their day to day activities
In return, 5050vision agrees to use the collective expertise of members and its infrastructure to help organisations clarify and focus on the relevant issues affecting the over 50s and to support the work of member organisations wherever there is a convergent agenda.
5050vision for its part has certain obligations to members which are also set out in this agreement.
2. The basis of the Agreement - the responsibilities of all Member organisations and their representatives:
Members agree to offer their expertise, experience and knowledge to the benefit of the collective partnership and to other individual members of the Executive Committee (the full membership body) as appropriate.
The Executive Committee will agree an appropriate membership, made up of representatives from regional organisations or appropriate constituencies or interests
Members will assist the partnership to determine its priorities and objectives and appropriate action plans
Members will actively support the agreed priorities and objectives of 5050vision by ensuring that the business activities of the organisation(s) or interests they represent take account of relevant demographic and inclusion issues in their strategy development, planning and other activities.
The role and potential contribution of member organisations as employers is accepted and members agree to actively promote best employment practices to recruit and retain the over 50s amongst their personnel teams and managers (where this applies). Members will promote the business case for inclusion of the over 50s and encourage workforce diversity.
Membership is specific to the Business Plan and funding period April 06 - March 08. Any future role for the partnership and the priorities that are agreed as the basis for that will, in turn, determine future membership.
Members are free to withdraw their membership at any time. Members may be asked to withdraw or to change their representation, after discussion, by the Chief Officer or the Chair.
Where a member organisation wishes to receive papers and to be part of the formal network but not attend Executive Committee (full member body) meetings it will make this clear.
Participation in and contribution to discussion at meetings (if attending) will be expected.
3. The basis of the agreement - Responsibilities of 5050vision
5050vision will bring together organisations operating at regional level or within the region to identify and promote issues relating to demographic change and, through partnership working, to encourage these to be taken into account in the formulation of regional strategies and policies.
We will ensure that there is a common understanding of trends and issues which are updated, developed, debated and disseminated amongst the membership.
Forum meetings and informal communication channels will offer members a means to share ideas and to review and inform local/regional strategies to help ensure consistency of approaches to ageing and older people.
Collaborative bilateral approaches between organisations and across membership interests will be encouraged and supported wherever possible.
The Chief Officer and the honorary officers of 5050vision (the Programme Management Group) will ensure that the Executive Committee is supported in managing its business agenda and communication and that meetings are properly serviced and supported.
The Programme Management Group will ensure that the partnership is properly informed of the 5050vision budget, that it receives regular financial statements and will ensure transparency and proper practice in any financial transactions undertaken on behalf of the partnership. PMG will be specifically supported in this role through an agreement for the provision of qualified financial advice and support (currently through a management services agreement with Age Concern Support Services North West).
We will set up Task Groups to act on behalf of the membership as directed or to research issues and prepare papers, involving members and stakeholders as appropriate. We will promote the findings of Task Groups to regional agencies and to the Forum network through publications, seminars, electronic means and any other form of appropriate communication.
The partnership will commission research and other work as assessed and agreed, provided that funding is made available.
We will help to ensure that regional strategies and policies are scrutinised, and that issues relating to ageing and older people are brought to the attention of policy makers via our membership.
We will support member organisations to develop effective systems of communication and debate with older people themselves and local organisations representing their interests, in order to ensure that older people can engage with and influence the policy making process.
We will seek sources of future funding for the core activity of 5050vision, for specific projects identified as priorities, and for publications and events.
We will review our performance against the Business Plan and any milestones we have agreed with partners.
With members, we will review our future workstreams and priorities beyond 2008 and seek the support of current or new members and stakeholders and seek an appropriate investment programme to underpin any future role of the partnership.
5050vision Partnership Agreement - generic February 2007