Our aims

Aims

To provide governance and leadership in pursuing partners’ shared priorities for the borough through the delivery of the vision for Rotherham, as articulated in the Rotherham Community Strategy
To ensure that partner strategies and plans align with the key priorities of the Community Strategy, ensuring a consistent strategic approach is taken to delivering positive outcomes for people in Rotherham
To lead by example in adopting a partnership ethos that stresses inclusivity and openness in its deliberations and which clearly drives action and improvement as a result of its decisions
To consider strategic issues of key significance to the borough that sit outside of the Community Strategy and to provide collective multi-agency leadership in relation to them
To continue to involve local people in the work of the partnership through a proactive approach to communication and engagement
To advocate for and champion partnership working across the borough, including celebrating achievements
To advocate for Rotherham on a local, regional and national stage, lobbying relevant bodies on behalf of the borough.

Specific responsibilities/objectives of the Rotherham Together Partnership

To demonstrate effective, collaborative leadership on behalf of Rotherham’s citizens, organisations and sectors
To approve and adopt the agreed, shared vision for the borough
To lead and approve Rotherham’s Community Strategy and provide oversight of its delivery within an overarching performance management framework for the partnership
To agree and oversee a Rotherham Together annual delivery plan, which will support implementation of the Community Strategy and associated partnership initiatives
To establish, and set clear parameters for, time-limited task groups, as required, delivering against specific community strategy priorities or other emerging issues
To ensure that partner agencies’ strategies and plans reflect the collective priorities agreed in the Community Strategy
To play a co-ordinating role in ensuring connectivity and complementarity between key strategic partnership-based groups and initiatives (including those local bodies listed
To receive formal and regular progress reports from the chief executives’ group chair, supporting theme board chairs, leaders of task and finish groups and the partnership manager; to enable strategic input and challenge in response
To be advised of emerging strategic issues and challenges by the partnership’s chief executives’ group, and individual members; and to consider collectively their implications for Rotherham, providing collective leadership in response
To periodically review the Rotherham Together priorities, membership, and working practices to ensure they remain appropriate and effective
To ensure that the direction provided by Rotherham Together takes account of the breadth of stakeholder perspectives that exist in Rotherham
To develop a communications and engagement plan that ensures a proactive approach to keeping stakeholders informed of progress and encourages input and feedback from local communities to influence priorities

Membership, representation and conduct

The membership of Rotherham Together is made up of appropriate representatives from across the private, public and voluntary and community sectors in Rotherham (see annex)
The membership reflects the breadth of interests within the borough and the current priorities the partnership is pursuing
The responsibilities of a member include:
- To act in the interests of Rotherham and the Rotherham Together Partnership, leaving aside organisational, personal or sectorial interests
- To attend and fully and positively contribute to meetings
- To provide a suitable deputy in the event of unavailability
- To ensure key decisions taken by Rotherham Together are fully supported within their own organisation
- To fully disseminate decisions taken at the meetings within their own organisation/sector
- To share, where possible, the perspective of their organisation/sector in relation to issues discussed at the meetings
- To act as ambassador and advocate for the partnership and its priorities
- To work with partners in a fair, cooperative and consensual manner
- To declare any conflict of interest
Membership would be for a three-year term.

Meetings

Rotherham Together will meet quarterly. In addition, a summit may be held to mark the start of each annual cycle
The schedule of meetings will be set annually, with meeting dates arranged a year in advance
The position of Chair will rotate annually between: 1) the Leader of RMBC (or appointed government Commissioner, as appropriate) 2) a voluntary sector representative; 3) a private sector representative; and 4) a non-RMBC public sector member. There is no financial remuneration for the Chair role
In the absence of the Chair at any Rotherham Together meeting, the Chair will nominate, wherever possible in advance, an alternative Chair for that meeting, usually from the organisation due to take on the role in the next annual cycle
Minutes of the meetings will be published on a Rotherham Together web page, hosted on the Rotherham Council website
Meetings will be conducted in a respectful and inclusive manner to encourage debate and constructive challenge
A quorum for meetings is two thirds of the total membership, including the Chair
Papers for Rotherham Together meetings will be distributed a minimum of one week in advance. Additional items may be tabled at the meeting in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Chair
All agenda items brought to Rotherham Together meetings need to either clearly demonstrate a direct contribution to delivering at least one of the Community Strategy priorities, or to have clear strategic significance for the partnership
Non-members may attend the meeting with the agreement of the Chair
Decisions are to be taken by consensus. Where it is not possible to reach consensus, a decision will be reached by a simple majority of those present at the meeting
Minutes will be circulated in advance of the next meeting and approved at the meeting. Minutes of the meeting will be posted on the Rotherham Together website
Meetings will take place at a single venue within the borough

Boards/partnership bodies linked to Rotherham Together

Boards with a direct link to Rotherham Together via its membership include:

Rotherham Health and Wellbeing Board
Rotherham Business Growth Board
Children and Young People’s Partnership- final structure to be confirmed
Safer Rotherham Partnership- final structure to be confirmed

The Chairs of the four supporting strategic boards/partnerships will be members of the overarching Rotherham Together Partnership and will provide thematic reports as required to meetings, which will focus on progress against key shared priorities along with areas or activities that would benefit from the wider involvement and support from the Rotherham Together Partnership.

Aims

Specific responsibilities/objectives of the Rotherham Together Partnership

Membership, representation and conduct

Meetings

Secretariat support for Rotherham Together

Boards/partnership bodies linked to Rotherham Together