Working Together Agreement

What is this?
An agreement about how the National Valuing Families
Forum, National Forum of People with Learning Disabilities
and Inclusion North will work together.

This easy read summary sets out how we will work together
in 6 main areas

The Main Areas

1. How we will work together to stay strong at a
national level
2. How we will work together to stay strong at a
regional level
3. Both forums working well together
4. Who makes the decisions
5. What we will all do if something is not working
6. How we will all communicate

We will all work to this agreement. We will review it

every year in the Autumn usually

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How will we do these things?

1. Work together to stay strong at a national level

The forum members will:

Share information with each other and Inclusion
North. This includes things like stories of the
difference the forum is making or examples of work or
good ideas they know about.
Understand the roles they are taking on, both as
members of the forum and in representing the forum
more widely. They will follow what is in the reps role
description.
Promote the National Forums as widely as possible,
using agreed materials/branding.
Agree a plan of work and action plan to make thing
happen.
Give support to the forum leaders the Co Chairs
Commit to preparing, attending and contributing to the
National meetings (and on occasion leading sessions
in the meetings), and to sharing reports at the times
agreed.
Inclusion North will:
Agree a work plan with both forums. This will be used
to set the meeting agendas and give direction to the
regional work.
Give the Chairs, the national and regional forums
good information so they can do their job.
Give new regional reps an information pack about the
forums and their role so that they can do their job.
Make sure the meetings run well so that peoples
views can be taken to the Learning Disability Board,
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regional networks or wider groups.

Work in a co-produced way. By this we mean that
everyone will work together and make good use of
each others skills.
Run an easy read course or Using the forum website
course (as agreed with forum members) and other
sessions if there is any money so members can
develop skills to use in their local areas.

2. Working together well to stay strong at a regional

level
Regional hosts/reps will:
Have good connections with families and selfadvocates across the region, including their fellow
regional forum and share information from those with
Inclusion North to support the work of the forums
Connect with any self-advocate or family leadership
programme going on in your region
Develop a regional work plan that supports the
national work plan
Share and promote the work of the National forums
across their region
To think about and act on regional work opportunities
or be able to share regional contacts who could take
those opportunities on
Have clear, consistent support in place for the
regional rep/s in the region and at the national forum
meeting.
Regional hosts provide monitoring reports as set out
in the grant conditions.
Inclusion North will:
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Make it clear what it is expected from regional grants

this includes meetings, membership, support to reps
and reporting/monitoring
Review the roles and responsibilities of regional
representatives and co-ordinators, and make sure
they are clear for everyone
Share information from our own contacts, networks
and connections that can support the regional work
Share and promote the work of the regions and
regional work or funding opportunities
Have clear, consistent support in place for the regions
Listen to feedback from regional hosts or reps to keep
trying to make our work with the regions better

3. Both forums working well together

Forum members will:
Understand and promote the shared purpose,
messages and values of both forums
Seek to have a joint voice at the Learning Disability
Board, and around the workplan to influence &
support other groups or organisations
Work together in the regions and be supportive of one
anothers work
Come together once a year for a joint meeting
Be open and honest about any conflicts of interest.
This means saying if there is anything in their lives (at
work or home) that might affect their work with the
forum. Members will do this at the meetings but also
by telling Inclusion North or the Co Chairs between
the meetings if something comes up.
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Inclusion North will:

Support the forums to have a clear purpose, and to
understand joint messages
Support the co-chairs to plan for, attend and feedback
from the Learning Disability Board
Work with regional hosts on local partnerships and
the best way of working together
Facilitate and co-ordinate the joint meeting
Be open and honest about any conflicts of interest.
This means saying if there is anything in their other
work that might affect their work with the forum. They
will do this at the meetings but also by telling the Co
Chairs between the meetings if something comes up.
4. Who makes what decisions
Co-chairs will:
Decide on the final date for national meetings
Decide on the final agenda for the national meetings
Share out to people with interests or the right skills
representative roles of the forum
Provide direction or advice to Inclusion North and
regional hosts/reps when needed
Have the final say on decisions at national meetings if
needed

Regional hosts will:

Decide with their regional network and members how
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their regional grant is used (if they meet, how they

meet, how information is communicated, who supports
the regional rep)
Decide when they attend the national meeting
Decide if they are able to undertake regional work
opportunities or help pass them onto others who might
be better to do it

Regional representatives will:

Vote on behalf of their region at the national meeting
(we would expect that most decisions will be made at
the meeting, but on occasion a decision may need to
go back to be discussed at the region)
Vote for who is Co Chair or Vice Chair

Organisational forum members (NVFF) will:

Decide when they attend the national meeting
Decide what support they can offer to the national
forums/regions

Inclusion North will:

Decide on the venue for the forums
Decide how best to co-ordinate and facilitate the
meetings
Decide on the agenda that goes to the co-chairs
Decide how expenses are claimed and when
Decide what monitoring information is required and
when
Decide on an election process for the co and vice
chair roles of the national forums
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Decide when minutes, agendas and other information

is communicated (as laid out in How we will work with
you)
Guide you on how forum branding should be used
5. What we will all do to make the Forums work
better or if something is not working
Forums members, reps, supporters, coordinators
or hosts will
Say if they are unhappy or worried about something to
do with how the Forum is running.
They will tell someone as soon as they can and if they
can say what they think will put it right
Everyone will try to work together to solve problems
They will tell Inclusion North or the Co Chairs by
phone or e mail or letter if they have ideas for what
could make the forum stronger or work better.
If things are not working well, please talk to Inclusion
North. You can talk to Lucy on x or to Angela on x. Or
you can fill out a complaint form on the forum website
the link is here x

Inclusion North will

Listen to and act on all feedback the good and the
bad.
They will explain the decisions they make or why they
have done something if they cannot act on all the
good ideas

They will take seriously any worries or complaints

Forum members have about Inclusion North or their
work. They will try to sort them out or will investigate if
it is a serious issue and look at what they need to do
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differently.
Try and help Forum members (including co and vice
chairs, supporters and organisational reps) sort out
problems with the Forum or with other members of the
Forum.

Family carers and people with learning disabilities

each bring their own experiences to the forums.

We will listen to each other and respect each other's

views.

We will work and support each other so that people

with learning disabilities can have good lives.

6. How we will all communicate

What is this?
An agreement about how members of the National Valuing
Families Forum, the National Forum of People with
Learning Disabilities and Inclusion North will share
information in the Forum and with other people.
Inclusion North will:
Send out the dates of the next meetings for 2016/17
to all members
Send out agendas and papers at least two weeks
before the meeting
Send out minutes within two weeks of the forum
meetings
Regularly communicate with members, sending out
easy read information about the latest news, work
opportunities etc.
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 Produce an easy read money report three times a

year which we will share with the forum
Produce monitoring information three times a year for
the Department of Health
Update the forums website and social media at least
once a month
Reply quickly to requests that come in for the forums
for example we would expect to usually reply to
people within 2 working days to say we have the
request at least
Share ideas, networks and connections that may help
strengthen and develop the forums regionally and
nationally
Tell people about the forum and its work
Regional representatives/co-chairs and vice chair will:
Prepare regional reports (regional reps) and national
updates (co and vice chairs) at the agreed times to
share with forum members
Feedback to their regional members about the forum
work and regional updates within 4 weeks of the
meetings or getting updates
Make sure that their own information (contact details,
emergency contact, forum website profile) is up to
date
Tell people about the forum when they can

Regional host organisations/co-ordinators will:

Share information from the forums, minutes, updates,
papers, regional work opportunities etc. usually within
4 weeks of getting it to all members/networks across
their region
Ensure that their own information (contact lists,
contact details etc.) is up to date
Support regional reps to prepare regional reports in a
timely manner to share with forum members
Tell Inclusion North about any problems with the
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regional network as soon as possible

Get agreement with and share contacts/network
details with the National Fora
Tell people about the forum and its work when they
can
National organisation representatives will:
Prepare organisational reports and national updates
(if representing the NVFF on national groups) in a
timely manner to share with forum members
Feedback to their members about the forum work and
updates
Ensure that their own information (contact details,
information on the forum website) is up to date
Tell people about the forum and its work when they
can

The rules we will all work to around branding

The National Forum of People with Learning
Disabilities and the National Valuing Families Forum
each have a separate logo.
The logos can only be used by members of the
forums with the line member of
Inclusion North will share with all of the members the
logo and branding which we have all agreed to use

The rules we will all work to around social media

(Facebook, Twitter)
We understand social media is an open and quick way of
sharing information and talking with people.
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Commented [S1]: What does that mean? Communicate with

who? Do you mean Tell Inclusion North about any problems with the
regional network as soon as possible
Commented [S2]: Sorry I dont understand this

We do not want to have rules that stop any of us using

social media to connect to more people and do the forums
work.
At the same time we want to ask everyone to not do
anything on social media that might confuse people or
make them think anything bad about the forums.

We suggest everyone works to these rules

There will only be 1 official account for each forum on
Twitter, Facebook or other social media. Only these
official accounts will use the logos or names of the
forums.
Inclusion North and the agreed forum rep will be
responsible for updating the forums own social media
on behalf of the forums
The Forum would be really glad if members will share
updates on their personal or organisations pages to share
information and promote the fora

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