Transcript
ELLEN
It's six months now since the Regional Parenting Partnership kicked off and yet again I've spent the morning discussing which organisation delivers which pairing programme in which locality. The meeting ended with a lengthy discussion about when to meet next and where and who will chair and what the agenda should be. Thank goodness there was time for a quick lunch with Sally, the manager of the parenting project in the next county, which was good and we quickly agreed to share staff training so that we can both offer the new programmes in next year's contracts.
We also agreed to meet for coffee every month to explore how we continue to work together. It is not just about delivering the programmes, but also influencing the regional partnership, which looks like it is here to stay for all its seemingly endless bureaucracy. A quick sandwich, and I'm back on the motorway heading for the office.
The administrator waylays me on my way in with a list of questions, so it's actually another hour before I sit at my desk. I must finish the monthly report for tomorrow's trustee meeting, and I'm struggling to concentrate with the photocopier alongside me humming its way through hundreds of copies of the annual report. I'm also struggling because I know the trustees are anxious about the amount of time I spend on the regional partnership and want me to spend more time back at base with the Family Time team.
How can I convince them? Should I even tell them that I've been asked to be chair of the council's Family Support Forum next year? It's a great opportunity to promote Family Time, but it's yet more time spent collaborating with other organisations rather than managing the staff team. And, of course, Family Time is a key member of the Locality Interagency Planning Group, so I need to keep time for that too. I need to think carefully about how I say all of this to the trustees, actually.
When I reflect on how collaboration with other organisations has impacted Family Time's work, it has been a roller coaster. In just four years, Family Time has gone from an independent, locally-funded and supported project to an organisation which is heavily influenced by government policy and dependent on government funding. I tried to influence the regional partnership, but it's dominated by the big players.
All I can do is try to make sure I get to know everyone. Those contacts might be useful in the future, and at least I now realise that the challenges I face are similar to other people, a problem shared and all that. It does feel vulnerable, though, and all so dependent on me.