Simcoe County Child Youth and Family Services Coalition
Memorandum of Association

January 2010

Purpose The Simcoe County Child Youth and Family Services Coalition (CYFS) is a collaborative entity designed to increase the effectiveness of the service delivery system in Simcoe County for children, youth and their families. As an unincorporated entity, the Coalition has no binding power over its members but exists to better coordinate their collective efforts to serve children, youth and their families. Council derives its influence from Coalition members and works through persuasion and consensus. It is essential that Coalition members continue to invest in the mission of the Coalition and to see their own interests and those of their clients well served by Coalition initiatives.

The purpose of this Memorandum of Association (MOA) is to clearly define the structure, decision making authority and scope, fiscal responsibility and membership rules of the Coalition. Legal counsel has advised that the Coalition should clarify these issues in an MOA if it chooses to remain an unincorporated entity.

Mission To maximize the capacity, effectiveness and cultural uniqueness of the child, youth and family services system through collective efforts. 

Structure

 
Decision Making, Scope of Authority
Coalition Council (approximately 35 members) Made up of members of the Coalition who support the Coalition mission, pay annual sliding scale fees, and designate an executive staff person to represent them at monthly Council meetings. Primary decision-making body re. policy, planning and budgeting. Takes guidance from Secretariat, Infrastructure and Planning which it has empowered to research, discuss and make recommendations in the areas noted below. Provides oversight & leadership to Coalition, ensuring alignment of Coalition with its overall Strategic Plan. Approves and monitors annual budget. Creates a forum for information-sharing, networking and education/inspiration of members.

Secretariat (8 members) Made up of the Coalition Chair, Vice Chair and Past Chair; and two Co-chairs from both Infrastructure and Planning Tables. Directs traffic within the Coalition, determining where issues should go for research, discussion and recommendations. Provides executive leadership through co-chairs of Tables and Council, and guidance for the work of the Coalition Council and Tables. Ensures appropriate communication and referral to the Coalition Council and its community stakeholders. Ensures on-going leadership of Tables by making recommendation for Table co-chairs to Council annually. May undertake decisions on behalf of Council when designated by Council to do so (for example, over the summer break).

Planning Table (approximately 15 members) In the context of the Coalition Strategic Plan, encourages integrated planning and coordinates Coalition projects including:
-Identifying unmet needs of children, youth and families in Simcoe County
-Identifying opportunities for collaboration and encouraging proposal development
-Receiving proposals from new projects and assessing their alignment with Coalition priorities
-Encouraging realignment of Coalition projects to better serve children, youth and families by making realignment recommendations to Council
-Encouraging realignment of Coalition members’ work to maximize their joint impact
-Ensuring initiatives are based on best practices and realistic outcomes
-Monitoring projects and ensuring transition to on-going program status where applicable
-Making recommendations for increased capacity in the system
-Providing effective liaison with the Best Start network, the COMPASS network, the Children’s Treatment Network, and with various Task Groups of the Coalition related to its area of responsibility.

Infrastructure Table (approximately 12 members) Supports the work of the Coalition in alignment with the Strategic Plan by providing:
-Streamlined and efficient processes to support the work of the Coalition and its members
-HR functions of recruitment, interviewing, recommendations for retaining contract staff
-Efficient budget and financial management systems
-Review of member applications from prospective members and recommendations on acceptance to Council
-Effective communication system including web based communication, management of the logo etc.
-Facilitation of Coalition members’ access to additional shared resources such as links for Coalition members to sources of community social data, shared training opportunities etc.
-Effective liaison with Task Groups of the Coalition related to its areas of responsibility (e.g. LEAD)
-Archiving of Coalition records by the Executive Assistant.

Fiscal Responsibility (See Appendix A Fiscal Trustee) Since the Coalition is not an incorporated body, it cannot own property, undertake contracts, sue or be sued, or protect its members or Council from personal liability in the unlikely event of a law suit. With regard to fiscal responsibility, the Coalition must work with a member organization which is willing to act as a trustee for any funding it receives or any contracts it undertakes, including arrangements with contract staff.

Within this context, the Council has responsibility for the adoption and monitoring of an annual budget developed by Coalition contract staff in consultation with the Infrastructure Table. Staff is responsible for bookkeeping and reporting to Infrastructure and Council, in consultation with the Fiscal Trustee. The Trustee organization will receive, manage and disburse funds, and undertake contracts, on behalf of the Coalition.

Membership Eligibility
-eligible Coalition members are non profit or public organizations that serve children, youth and their families (no for profit organizations or individuals), apply to Infrastructure for membership, support the CYFS mission, pay sliding scale fee ($100-$8,000 based on portion of budget devoted to children & youth services in Simcoe County)
-representatives from non member organizations can sit on CYFS Task Groups but not on Tables or Council
-funders are invited to sit as full members on Council, pay fees and may vote as well as signing this MOA
-coordinators of key initiatives that are aligned with the Coalition’s top priority goals may be invited to sit on Council for the duration of the initiative (no fees and no vote).

Membership Expectations
Membership in the Coalition carries both obligations and benefits. Benefits include the opportunity to:
• work together to improve outcomes for children and youth
• receive free membership in to the Simcoe County Data Consortium which provides access to Statistics Canada enhanced reports (a $2,000 value)
• have your organization’s name and link to your site posted on the Coalition website and included on Coalition promotional materials
• participate in collective assessment of community need in relation to programs and services to help you build relationships and find new partners
• garner community support for new initiatives that your organization may wish to move forward.
• work together to advocate for services
• create synergy of actions and continuity of service where mandates relate or overlap
• fulfill mandate and influence programming across the region.
Obligations include:
• prompt payment of annual member fees
• commitment of a senior staff person to prepare for and attend monthly Council meetings
• active participation in Coalition strategic planning, policy development, initiatives and activities by member organizations
• to represent the Coalition perspective and speak with one voice on issues of importance to the whole. Member organizations support and advocate for positions that have been developed by the Coalition.
• to be willing to support others in advocating for specific programs, positions or issues of relevance to that member organization alone.