Dividing the Work to Meet Your Goals!
by Family Councils Ontario
So far in ‘Getting Back to Basics’ month we’ve discussed what a Family Council is and why a LTC Home should have one, and how to turn your goals into actions. This week, we’re going to talk about leadership models, how to divide the work to ensure you can meet your goals, and how to convince people to join your Council.
Some people may be reluctant to join a Council because they feel that it could be too much work. That’s an understandable feeling; caregivers are incredibly busy people. Caregivers face various claims on their time including work, time with family, visiting their loved one living in LTC, hobbies, and time for themselves. So, how can you convince busy people to join your Council? You can start by explaining what a Council does and its benefits, talk about your goals and activities, and be clear about what Council members are expected to do and what the time commitment is. Some people think belonging to the Council is more work than it actually is! Invite them to a meeting and let them know they have no obligation to take on any work at this stage. Then you can find out what their skills, interests, and availability are, matching those later on with pieces of work. The first step is simply having them attend a meeting!
Dividing the work of the Council equitably among members is the best way to ensure that the work gets done and members feel involved, respected, and honoured for their abilities and contributions. It’s essential to get to know your members and identify their skills, interests and abilities. Then you can match them with a piece of work they can take on. For example, if one of your Council members is skilled at making posters or brochures, ask them to develop or update your materials. Appealing, informative materials help you to advertise and promote your Council’s work. Developing effective materials is an important task that helps you to achieve your goals; having one of your members take on this piece of work shows that they are a valued member of the team, that their work is appreciated, and that you value their skills and contributions. Get to know what your Council members are good at and ask them to contribute their talents to your Council!
Commonly asked questions are: what leadership model should we use? Do we need to have a chair, co-chair and secretary? Is this the only model we can use? Can we share positions? The answers are: you can use whichever model works for your Council; you don’t need to use the formal officer model as long as the tasks are taken care of and your members agree on the structure; no, you can use a formal officer model if that’s what works or your Council or you can use a shared or committee model; and, yes you can share positions if that is what works for your Council.
The main leadership models are Traditional Office Model and Shared/Committee leadership. The Traditional Officer Model includes the following positions:
Chair/President:
- Presides over meetings, including setting the agenda in advance of the meeting
- Understands Council’s Terms of Reference and Code of Conduct, ensuring they are followed
- Facilitating the meetings, maintaining impartiality
- Coordinates Council activity and tasks
- Coordinates communication with Home staff
Co-Chair/Vice President:
- Fills in for the chairperson in his/her absence
- Other duties as negotiated
Secretary:
- Takes notes at meetings, records and files meeting minutes
- Ensures Council documents are available at meetings including Terms of Reference, Code of Conduct, and previous meeting minutes
- Maintains Council correspondence, possibly including items such thank-you notes to speakers and others, Council email account, Council bulletin board
- Notifies families of upcoming meetings (other members could be assigned this task)
You can also adapt the Traditional Offer Model and share positions. Sometimes Council members are hesitant to accept particular roles, but may be willing to share the role with another member. Two Council members may choose to share the role of Chair and share the responsibility of facilitating meetings, coordinating activities and communicating with the Home’s Administrator or Staff Assistant. Or for example, in one Family Council, a mother and daughter share the office of secretary and take turns performing the duties involved.
If you choose to elect Council leaders, elections should be held regularly thereafter, as specified in the Council's Terms of Reference. For more on elections, see Chapter 4 of Your Guide to Starting and Maintaining a Family Council.
The Shared/Committee leadership model can be used to share responsibilities in creative ways, thereby easing fears about taking on too much work; this model helps to distribute work more widely. This is an example of Shared Council Leadership. You can adapt this to the needs of your Council.
Example of Shared Council Leadership |
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|---|---|---|
|
Position |
Duties During Meetings |
Duties Between Meetings |
|
Meeting Volunteer |
Leads meeting according to the planned agenda. Facilitates discussion so all have a chance to be heard. Ensures Council procedures are followed (voting on decisions, etc.). Recognizes the efforts of others. |
Draws up the next meeting agenda. Communicates with the staff liaison and other Long-Term Care Home staff as needed. Coordinates the work of other members by seeing that needed tasks are being done and making suggestions when problems arise. |
|
Records Volunteer |
Takes notes or tapes the meeting for minutes. Reads the minutes from the previous meeting. |
Writes or types minutes from notes or tapes. Handles Council correspondence. |
|
Communications Volunteer |
Reports on any news from the Home, other Councils, the Family Councils’ Program, the legislature, the Advocacy Center, etc. Distributes printed information on matters of importance to members. |
Posts or distributes minutes and notices of future meetings. Maintains the Council bulletin board and/or newsletter column. |
|
Welcoming Volunteer |
Introduces new families and anyone attending a first meeting. Reports on welcoming/ orientation efforts. |
Obtains information on new residents or families from the Home (if possible). Chairs the welcoming or orientation committee. |
|
Program Volunteer |
Reports on future meetings (dates, times, speakers, etc.). |
Arranges for speakers, films, etc., on topics chosen by the Council. |
|
Outreach Volunteer |
Presents concerns and suggestions from members not present. Reports on progress made in dealing with past concerns. |
Coordinates efforts to increase participation in the Council. Responds to concerns/ requests for information on the Council. |
Whichever leadership model you use, it’s important that all members support the structure and have a role to play. An open discussion on how to divide the work and lead the Council is important in achieving consensus and having buy-in from members. Check in regularly with your fellow members to see if the model is working; if yes, keep using it. If not, discuss what changes need to be made. Next week we’ll discuss the importance of regular evaluation and how to evaluate for success.
For more information on how to start a Council, including details on the steps you need to take and how to move from a planning team to a full fledge Family Council, join us for next week’s Family Council 101 webinar! For more details, click here.