Best Start Conference Partnership in Practice Positive Leadership in Best Start

1
Best Start Conference Partnership in
PracticePositive Leadership in Best Start

• Presentation by
• Phil Conrick CEO Broadmeadows UnitingCare
• March 2007

2
About Broadmeadows UnitingCare (North West
Childrens Services)

• Universal Early Childhood Services
• Cluster Manager 18 Kindergartens
• 5 Long Day Childcare Centres, 1 Occasional
  Childcare Centre
• North-West Region 202 Children with a Disability
  in Kindergarten Inclusion Support Program
• Pre-School Field Officers

3
About Broadmeadows UnitingCare (2)

• Family and Community Services
• Emergency Relief and Material Aid
• Financial Counselling
• Asylum Seeker Welcome Centre
• Family Support Services/Innovations
• Broadmeadows Best Start Project
• Broadmeadows Communities for Children Project

4
Broadmeadows Best Start Project

• Broadmeadows Best Start Demonstration Project
  2003-2005
• Consortia Partners Dianella Community Health
  (Lead Agency Fundholder), Broadmeadows
  UnitingCare (Facilitating Partner) and the City
  of Hume.
• Only one of 2 Best Start sites where NGOs have
  taken a leadership role.
• 28 Partners from 17 Organisations

5
Some Ideas about Leadership

• Leadership Theories, Approaches and Styles.
• A leader is only as effective as the ability to
  bring out the effectiveness of a group. In other
  words, leadership is less about an individual
  than group process, so the boss ability to
  change an organisation depends more on the nature
  of the organisation than the boss personality.

6
Partnership Formation

• Partnership Formation
• Participation and Inclusion
• The Challenge of developing Cross Sectoral
  Relationships
• Clear Processes and Timelines

7
The Partnership

• A Shared Early Years Vision
• Linking the Early Years Vision to the core
  business of each partner
• Service System Silos and Fragmentation
• Opportunities and Risks

8
Partnership Consolidation

• Understand complexity of multiple agendas of
  service providers
• some for more funding some to build on previous
  work some worry they will be left out and some
  want to watch only
• Allow time for partners to develop ownership of
  objectives
• Recognise that progress, at times, may be very
  slow.

9
Leadership Partnership Structures

• Leadership Executive Group
• The Best Start Partnership Community Leadership
  
• Strategy Working Groups
• Project Partnerships

10
Community Leadership

• New Projects and Service Improvements
• Refocusing Existing Services
• Reduced Fragmentation Improved Co-ordination
  better outcomes
• Evaluation and Local Research
• New Funding Opportunities

11
Parents as Leaders

• 8 Parents employed as bilingual storytellers
• 8 Parents trained in Parent Leadership Program
• Parent-led playgroups
• Parents experiences of early years services and
  activities to be described in a DVDs Learning
  Starts at Birth for the Arabic and Turkish
  speaking communities

12
A Culture of Leadership

• Transparency
• Trust
• Taking into account each others needs and
  aspirations
• Sharing the Glory
• Celebration

13
Concluding Comments

• Leadership is only as effective as the ability to
  bring out the effectiveness of the Best Start
  Partnership
• The purpose of all of this is that there is
  lasting benefits for our children and
• Creation of longer term sustainability of
  supports to families who care and nurture their
  children