Volleyball England
Working Groups
Terms of Reference
Version 5 October 2017
1. Background/Context
Volleyball England has been developing a new governance structure to ensure the long -term sustainability of the sport through the development of a highly skilled and motivated workforce. This workforce is made up of Volleyball volunteers, being supported by a small, but dedicated staff team based at The Hub in Loughborough and members of the Board.
The aim of this new structure is to involve volunteers in the development and delivery of projects and programmes as part of our overall strategy.
Governance Structure
The Board
The ultimate decision makers for Volleyball England are the Board. They will meet up to 5 times a year. The Board is made up of up to 12 members with an Independent Chair, the Board provide strategic leadership in the development, implementation and sustainability of Volleyball England projects, programmes and strategies.
Each member, except the Chair and Vice Chair, have a specific remit for a portfolio area. The Board will provide agendas and minutes of their meetings, on the website to ensure members understand the direction of travel and how strategic decisions are made.
The Sub Groups
The Board has given delegated responsibility to each of the Sub Groups to identify issues and develop programmes or projects to ensure effective and efficient delivery of our strategic objectives.
Each of the 4 Sub Groups is chaired by a member of the Board
1. Core Market – Liz Clarke
2. Technical and Talent – Jefferson Williams and Steve Matthews
3. Finance and Strategy – Finance Director (TBC)
4. Marketing and Commercial – Ian Wall
In addition to the nominated Chair each Sub Group will also have other Board members (who can also be Project Sponsors) Delivery Leads, relevant staff and at the invitation of the chair, experts to attend the meetings.
Each Sub Group has a Terms of Reference which is available in the Governance section of the website in the Framework document.
It is the responsibility of the Chair to call the Sub Group meeting and ensure the right people are round the table to inform and input in to the strategic and operational discussions. The Sub Group meetings will need to take place 4 weeks in advance of a Board meeting so papers, recommendations and proposals can be collated and sent out in time for the Board to consider the options and make decisions based on accurate and timely information.
The Sub Group will monitor identified and emerging risks and advise on their prevention, mitigation and management.
The Delivery Leads
The Sub Group Chair or other nominated Board member will be the Project Sponsor for each project or programme to be developed or delivered, they will also provide delegated responsibility to the Delivery Lead to ensure the project or programme is delivered efficiently and effectively, within scope and within budget.
It is the role of the Delivery Leads to bring together a group of willing and skilled individuals that facilitate the development and delivery of this work.
It will be the responsibility of the Delivery Lead to ensure the working groups follow the guidance outlined in the Working Groups Terms of Reference and ensure that the Project Sponsor is kept informed of progress through minutes of meeting, project plans and regular meetings, either face to face or virtual. It is the Delivery Leads responsibility to ensure all information is agreed by the Project Sponsor before being shared with the wider Volleyball community via the Volleyball England website.
The information provided by the Delivery Lead on each project will form part of the update the Project Sponsors will report to the board.
The Working Groups
The Working Groups will be made up of a number of skilled volunteers led by the relevant Delivery Lead or another suitably skilled individual nominated by the Delivery Lead and agreed by the Project Sponsor to chair the Working Group.
It is the function of the Working Group to support the development or delivery of projects and programmes, this could include the delivery of events or competitions, updating resources, delivering workshops, business support to name but a few areas.
The Working Groups will have a SMART targets to achieve.
S –Specific
M – Measureable
A – Achievable
R – Realistic
T – Time limited
All projects will have a project plan to follow, all project plan will use the same agreed format.
Pool of Experts
All working groups will be supported by individuals with the relevant skills from the Pool of Experts.
Individuals are able to apply to join the Pool of Experts providing information about their volleyball background and their professional expertise.
The members of the Pool of Experts will be invited to join a working group, their participation will be on a time limited basis and once the project is completed the individual returns to the Pool.
2. Roles and functions of the {insert name of project} Working Group
The {insert name of project} Working Group will:
· provide advice, support and assistance in the implementation of the Volleyball England projects and programmes in line with our strategic objectives.
· Ensure all work delivered promotes and reflects the vision, values and culture of Volleyball England
· Ensure all project and programmes are delivered equitably
· {insert any additional roles/functions as necessary}.
3. Role of individual group members
The role of the individual members of the {insert name of project }
· attending regular meetings as required during the lifespan of the project and actively participating in the group’s work
· representing the interests of Volleyball England, as appropriate
· a genuine interest in the initiatives and the outcomes being pursued in the program
· be an advocate for the program’s outcomes
· being committed to, and actively involved in, pursuing the projects outcomes
· {insert any additional roles as necessary}.
4. General
4.1. Membership
The {insert name of project} Working Group shall be comprised of:
· {list names of group members, including their titles /roles, if necessary}
Other members may be included in the group as required.
4.2. The Chair
The group will be chaired by {insert name/title of Group Chair}. Meetings will be convened by the Chair and supported by the relevant member of staff from the Hub {insert name/title of Hub staff}.
4.3. Agenda items
All agenda items will be forwarded to the relevant member of the Hub team staff by close of business eight working days prior to the next scheduled meeting.
The agenda, with attached meeting papers, will be distributed at least five working days prior to the next scheduled meeting.
4.4. Minutes and meeting papers
The minutes of each {insert name of project} Working Group meeting will be prepared by {insert name here}.
Full copies of the minutes, including attachments, will be provided to the Project Sponsor and all (insert name of project) Working Group members no later than five working days following each meeting. Once agreed by the Project Sponsor, Delivery Lead and Working Group the minutes will be placed on the Volleyball England website.
By agreement of the group, out-of-session decisions will be deemed acceptable. Where agreed, all out-of-session decisions will be recorded in the minutes of the next scheduled meeting
4.5. Frequency of meetings
The {insert name of project} Working Group will meet {insert agreed frequency}.
4.6. Proxies to meetings
Members of the {insert name of project} Working Group will not be able to nominate a proxy to attend a meeting if the member is unable to attend.
4.7. Quorum requirements
A quorum will be half the regular membership plus one {adjust as necessary}.
4.8. Review
The effectiveness and membership of the {insert name of project} Working Group will be reviewed after {x} months by the Project Sponsor, Delivery Lead and Project Chair.
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