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Kaye Colmer
Chief Executive Officer, Gowrie South Australia, Adelaide (SA)
Gowrie SA opened in 1940, part of a Commonwealth Government initiative to establish a model of integrated early childhood education, health and parent services, including demonstration and research functions. The range of services currently provided at Gowrie SA includes preschool and childcare programs, professional development, training and advice services, resources, consultancy and parenting programs. This means we have a diverse client group that includes parents of children attending the Gowrie, those accessing the Gowrie training and resource programs, other children’s services and centres, professional associations, peak bodies, nongovernment organisations and government departments.
My role within the organisation is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with responsibilities of overview of all programs, working to implement the strategic plan, developing new programs and reporting directly to the board. While I take my management responsibilities seriously my real passion is developing leadership within the team and creating opportunities for innovative work, driving improvement of our programs, professional learning and developing new programs and resources. For me, there is a complex overlap of operational, management and leadership functions; meaning that I work directly on some operational tasks while having responsibility for operation of the whole organisation.
Over the past decade I have worked towards creating a distributed leadership model, flattening the hierarchy to strengthen leadership opportunities for children’s program staff and training staff. Leadership opportunities are not restricted to staff in formal leadership positions but are extended to staff throughout the organisation. In 2010, work was undertaken to develop an organisational chart that would reflect both the leadership possibilities but also expectations and responsibilities of Gowrie staff and the board. The aim was to graphically represent to staff points of departure from the confines of a traditional hierarchical structure. Most of all we want all within our organisation to appreciate the bigger picture context of our organisation.
The Gowrie SA Board is responsible for governance of the organisation. We have been very fortunate that our organisation was established with one governance body, initially a management committee but in recent years the organisation’s Constitution was altered to enable a board structure. The value of a board means that the board is able to strategically recruit members for their knowledge and expertise rather than accepting representatives nominated by various groups. The Constitution also allows for up to two parent representatives to facilitate the perspective of a significant client group. The Constitution provides for a board structure of up to eight members including the CEO who has voting rights. Meetings are held every six weeks with an agreed structure that enables discussion of important decisions within an allocated meeting time of two hours. The board elects the Chairperson and Treasurer and can also form working groups to undertake specific tasks.
We have clear delineations between operational and governance matters. The operational matters include management and day-to-day control of functions, leadership and management of staff and maintenance of financial systems and budgets. Governance on the other hand involves steering the organisation and the board is focused on policy, analysis, opportunities, and strategic direction, including thinking about how current decisions might impact on future possibilities. The board also makes strategic decisions including what actions and resources are needed to achieve organisational goals. Both the Chair and Treasurer provide important analytical roles but all board members are expected to be active participants in dialogue and decision-making. As the CEO, it is my responsibility to provide the board with information needed for them to fulfil their functions.
The separation of governance and operational matters is often the most difficult balance to achieve. On the one hand, board members, especially the Chair, provide valuable support to me in my role but I have to be disciplined in not inviting engagement in operational matters which are my responsibility. It is very clearly defined in my job description that my role is the operation of the service and my key performance requirement is to work towards achieving organisational goals. At times when separation between operational and governance matters is not clear, roles can become blurred, leading to confusion and difficulties. If we can ensure that our voluntary board members are passionate about the history and future of our organisation, and focused on steering our organisation through uncertain and changing political landscapes, we expect our organisation to continue to evolve and grow.
Leanne Gibbs
Early Childhood Consultant and experienced
Board Member, Sydney (NSW)
How would you describe the nature of governance in EC settings?
Governance is what holds the EC setting together and is the foundation for quality. If you are paying attention to regulations, and paying attention to your statutory responsibilities and the overarching management, then you can dedicate time and effort to strong leadership and sound practice. A high- quality educational program and practice is founded upon establishing a sound methodical approach to governance.
What are the key components of good governance?
The broad components of good governance include (but are not limited to) the management structure of the organisation; legal responsibilities; strategic and business planning; risk assessment and management of risks; compliance and monitoring of standards; staff performance monitoring and management; and ethical codes and practices. Together, these components influence how an organisation is run. They provide the foundation for quality provisioning in each centre and we need to first get these components set up right.
Why is it important for EC leaders to understand governance matters?
Of all the things that enable us to run an organisation well, the laws and legislation which set up the structural elements in relation to the management, and the style and type of management that is behind the individual service, are of critical importance. This is why whether it’s a community committee, a larger auspicing body, or it’s a private individual or a large corporation, it’s essential that we understand the governance framework and the policy context in which we work as EC educators.
How can a leader contribute to improving governance of EC settings?
Leaders perform an important role in governance in ensuring the service is compliant in Quality Area 1. They must be an authority on the NQS and the EYLF. This ensures that leaders are a central point of interest, and information for management, and this means making themselves absolutely indispensable with their knowledge, and as an advocate for high standards in their service. Sometimes EC leaders might say, ‘Oh, I don’t have anything to do with the governance’ but in actual fact they perform this absolutely key role in the governance of a service. Other areas of the NQS are more broadly understood by people who are driving the business, or who are managing the business or driving the strategy. Knowledge of the EYLF is critical professional knowledge and it must be present in order for every service to fulfil their mission in promoting children’s learning.
What are some of the challenges of governance that you have encountered in EC settings?
I’ll focus on challenges and opportunities within governance for community management. There are incredible benefits in community management and these contribute greatly to the EC landscape, but some say that is an outdated form of management because governance has become quite complex. I think that’s a great shame because the value in having community management provides experience for peoples’ civic contribution, for exercising influence, and for running and operating a community- based business. The challenges of complexity could be alleviated through professional development offered at an affordable fee, and offered by peak organisations or through funded government support in recognition of the largely un-costed contribution made by parent-led committees of management on a voluntary basis. It is also the responsibility of the managing committee to stay up to date on governance matters and take up every opportunity to explore resources and undertake professional development.
How are good governance and quality linked, and how does this impact on children and families?
When we have good governance we free ourselves to perform the important work that we do with children and with our team. Rather than being sidelined or side-tracked by governance matters, we can focus on the important work of relationships and of the programs and practices. Efficiency of governance allows people to have that time. Just as an example—if you have good processes in a service, even around something like paying fees, and it’s understood and managed well, that means a family, a parent or a carer may not come into the service and wonder how they could pay their fees, and divert someone to provide that information. Instead, that is clearly understood and actioned seamlessly, and everyone is satisfied.
Another example is a director who wants to think about developing their people really well within the service. Good governance will free up time and the funds, because good governance saves money. Well-managed budgets, well-administered services, can in turn ensure that services are on track and retain a strong focus on the core business of EC settings—the pedagogy and programs for children’s learning. It frees up funds for professional development and allows the director more time to be in a mentoring and coaching role with staff. It also ensures that a service is operating legitimately with a legal framework. When they’re doing that there’s less stress, less crisis management, and services will be focused on the mission of achieving positive outcomes for children and families.
I believe good governance is absolutely essential. It is intricately linked with quality and you just cannot have equality without having really strong governance in the service.
Karen Roberts
Manager Children’s Services, City of Canterbury, Campsie (NSW)
How is this council involved in running children’s services within this municipality?
Children’s Services in this municipality come under the division of Corporate Services in our council. There are two other divisions, City Works and City Planning. The council owns and operates four children’s centres, one occasional care centre, a family day care scheme with about 55 carers, three outside school hours centres and an early childhood intervention team.
The General Manager (GM) of the council is the licensee of our children’s services and holds the governance responsibilities on behalf of the council. In practice, however, the everyday responsibilities within our council are implemented as follows: the Director of Corporate Services reports to the GM; and my position reports to the Director of Corporate Services. The centre directors and coordinators of children’s services report to me, and their staff report to them.
The council also leases buildings to a small number of community-based children’s services providers and they are also included on our maintenance schedule, while the council does not have any children’s program related work responsibilities in connection with these services. However, my role as the Children’s Services Manager for the council does include providing advice on early childhood matters to all other service providers and developers in the local government area.
Can you describe the key functions of your job in terms of leadership roles expected of you as the manager of children’s services for the council?
I established a management team comprising these centre directors and coordinators of our council services. I mentor them by providing advice, support, information and professional development including facilitating leadership opportunities. I also ensure that everyone in this management team is proactive in providing advice and support to their own centre staff. Building relationships with all staff is essential so they also know they can approach me and feel comfortable asking for any advice and guidance from me. My job also involves working in the local community, including providing information and training opportunities for other service providers in our local government area (LGA); meeting with developers to advise on development applications; and providing information and advice to families both within our services and in the wider community. In terms of council owned and operated services, I’m responsible overall for ensuring the implementation of high-quality, well-utilised and cost-effective early and middle childhood services within our LGA. My work also includes the development and management of an overall budget for our children’s services; and the design and monitoring of goals and strategies for these services within their own operational plan and within the council’s city plan and social plan guidelines.
What does the word ‘governance’ mean in terms of your work as a manager of children’s services in a local council?
In our council, governance is part of the Corporate Services division. This role is largely related to policy development and compliance within all areas of the council. Council staff manage delegations, property, risk, servicing of meetings for the council and its committees, Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 and conflict/s of interest. It involves utilising knowledge of the relevant Acts, and in particular the Local Government Act, to inform sound and ethical decision-making and ensure effectiveness and efficiency of operations.
Governance in relation to children’s services involves staying up to date with and ensuring our services comply with specific children’s services regulatory requirements, broader legislative requirements such as Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S), privacy and confidentiality; and other directives from the council such as thorough and accurate record keeping. Failure to do so is regarded as a breach or non-compliance and can have serious legal implications. More importantly, as educators, we are all ethically bound to uphold our ‘duty of care’ responsibilities to the children and families we serve.
As the Manager Children’s Services I have the responsibility of ensuring that all council services maintain licensing standards and other legislative requirements on behalf of the council and the GM. Depending on the particular breaches, there can be financial penalties to an individual staff member and/or to the council (licensee). In the case of a serious incident, such as injury or death, all layers of staff and management would be investigated to determine whether responsibilities had been properly undertaken.
What are the key benefits of children’s services coming under a local council?
Working for a local council as an early childhood educator has many benefits. Most of all you can count on a reasonable level of support from management in terms of budget and funding contribution as well as professional development. Children’s Services are run as a community service largely but not solely to the residents who live and/or work within the LGA. All of the centres can access internal support services available through the council including: information technology (IT) resources, building maintenance, record keeping systems, libraries, and the council bus to transport children and families on excursions or various outings such as museums or animal parks, depending on the children’s interests. The council also has advisory committees concerned with Aboriginal affairs and multicultural community matters. Children’s Services can tap into resources and events organised by these committees and in that way promote early childhood matters from a broader community perspective. It also provides children’s services staff a network of support from peers across services such as collaboration on policy development, shared resources and visits to other services. For instance, we established a focus support group to work on the Early Years Learning Framework (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, 2009). Staff from each centre meet once a month at the council to discuss implementation of the EYLF, with guidance and leadership from one of the directors or coordinators.
Sally Whitaker
Centre Director, Leederville Early Childhood Centre (WA)
Governance to me means the smooth running of the centre adhering to the laws and regulations that apply to us in the EC sector. We are a community-based service overseen by a management committee made up of parents. This committee is the centre’s governing body and the assistant director and I are responsible for the day-to-day running of the centre. The management committee, including 11 parents, is responsible for the ‘bigger decisions’ such as employing the centre director. They sign off on the fee rate and accept the budget that the treasurer, bookkeeper and I have prepared. They approve large purchases such as a new oven, new guttering, internal painting—anything really over $5000. I circulate the quotes via email so that people can come prepared to discuss them at the meeting.
We are licensed for 64 children and are currently at 98 per cent utilisation. My role is to adhere to the national laws and regulations, including Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) laws. I believe in honesty and transparency, and I believe this shines through in the way things are done at our centre. Committee meetings are held between 7 and 9 pm, which is after working all day, so it is a long day. Not everyone can make it to meetings every time and people do drop out for whatever reasons through the year too. We usually have about seven people there, with myself and the assistant director attending too. If the assistant director is away, the educational leader comes in her place (and if I am away, she accompanies the assistant director).
We have monthly staff meetings where things are discussed and the educational leader has team leader meetings where issues around curriculum are discussed. Any issues around governance are usually discussed at staff/committee meetings. To be honest, it depends on what the issue is as to when it is addressed. If it is really serious, it would be addressed immediately. The assistant director is heavily involved in the centre. She works full-time in the office, alongside me, managing enrolments. The educational leader is off the floor and leads the curriculum throughout the centre. She also assists in mentoring new educators and students within our centre. Both the assistant director and I manage the staff team of 28.
I have a good relationship with the committee. I can contact them via phone or email at any time. The chairperson comes in twice a week for a brief catch up about staff and any general matters. I also report on unusual big purchases, and have contact with the regulatory unit and any ‘serious’ matters that I feel need to be discussed in person rather than by email or phone. The treasurer and I meet once a week as she sights and signs all paid invoices and this means we can discuss any budgetary issues. It is just good for them to know what is going on. I also work closely with my assistant director and sometimes it is useful to chat with someone else who is one step removed.
Committee meetings are held once a month and I distribute the agenda and my report one week beforehand. I feel I have a lot of autonomy regarding my role. I am responsible for all the employment of staff and their subsequent performance management. I deal with complaints and staffing issues, but if it becomes serious, I get the committee involved. So, for example, we have had a staff member involved in some conflict with other staff which resulted in that staff member walking off the job (casually employed gardener). Now, I dealt with that myself and then just reported to the committee that he had left. Parent complaints are also dealt with by myself and the assistant director. If anyone was unhappy with a decision, then I would refer them to the committee. Parents do complain to me, but it might be around little issues like shoes that are lost or that a parent didn’t like the way someone spoke to their child.