Draft Terms of reference - About us - Health and Disability NGO Working Group

Draft Terms of reference

These have been amended in early 2010 and will remain as draft until a proposal to amend them is passed by a majority vote of NGOs attending an NGO Forum. The next Forum is planned for October 2010.

1. Purpose
To provide a forum and structure to represent matters of common interest between the Ministry of Health and health and disability Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), including Maori and Pacific NGOs. This will contribute to improving the health and disability services and health outcomes.

2. Background
In 2002, the Ministry of Health and health and disability NGOs agreed a Framework to implement the Government’s Statement of Intentions within the health and disability sector.

The NGO Working Group is a key mechanism in the implementation of the Framework. The Terms of Reference sets out how the NGO Working Group is currently operating in order to achieve this.

3. Objectives
The NGO Working Group has the following three objectives:
1) Build a national strategic policy relationship for NGOs to engage with Government agencies, particularly the Ministry of Health, and District Health Boards (DHBs).

2) To provide platforms and opportunities for NGO’s to engage with the Ministry of Health and establish relationships to facilitate:

• access and influence across the Ministry of Health’s areas of policy development

• relationship building within the sector

• identification of common issues (positives and negatives) to advocate

• dissemination of information within the sector

• consultation and collaboration on policy development, needs assessment, strategic planning, annual planning, workforce and sector development, infrastructure issues and emerging issues.

3) Work with the Ministry of Health in organising the NGO-Ministry of Health Forums.

The NGO Working Group will not:

• intervene in individual contracts between the NGOs and the Ministry of Health and/or DHBs

• replace other existing one-to-one relationships that NGOs may have with Government departments and agencies

• speak for the wider NGO sector without the specific mandate from the wider group to do so on a particular issue.

4. Membership of the Working Group
NGOs eligible to vote for and participate in the NGO Working Group include independent community, and iwi/Maori organisations operating on a not-for-profit basis, receive funding through ‘vote health’.

The NGO Working Group comprises 13 NGO members; from the following subs-sectors: public health (2), personal health (2), mental health (2), disability (2), Maori health (3) and Pacific health (2).

Members of the NGO Working Group are expected to make a commitment to be part of the Group for a minimum of one year, to maintain continuity.

5. Chair of the Working Group
The members of the NGO Working Group will elect a Chair and a Deputy Chair. This will be done every year- after the elections. The Chair and Deputy will have the mandate of the NGO Working Group, and responsibility to:

1. act as spokesperson for the wider NGO sector and the NGO Working Group within the terms outlined in paragraph 3

2. co-ordinate planned activities

3. organise and chair NGO Working Group meetings

4. organise agendas and minutes of NGO Working Group meetings

5. liaise with the Ministry of Health’s NGO Desk.

6. liaise with other peak bodies to promote and agree a shared approach to common issues.

6. Secretariat
The NGO Working Group Secretariat is contracted by the Chair’s organisation and acts as the contact between members of the NGO Working Group, the Ministry of Health and the wider health and disability NGO sector. The secretariat contract will be reviewed every year, and or when there is a change in the Chair.

The role provides planning and administration support for the NGO Working Group.

7. Role of Members
Members of the NGO Working Group are expected to bring knowledge specific to the sector they are working in so that they are able to contribute to the work of the group. They may also act as a conduit of information to disseminate to their sub-sector networks. The primary conduit of information from the group is through the NGO Desk.

• Members are expected to contribute and participate in the work programme of the group

• Members are expected to focus on strategic and regional issues that are common to the sector

8. National Networks
NGO Working Group members will work with existing NGO-Ministry of Health Forums, and at NGO Working Group meetings where possible.

9. Process
9.1 Method for Selecting Members of the Working Group
Members of the NGO Working Group must be nominated by an NGO who receives ‘vote health’ funding, and are elected by NGOs from their sub-sector who are registered to vote for the NGO Working Group.

9.2 Quorum
The quorum of members of the NGO Working Group will be a majority of the total members elected to the NGO Working Group and at least one representative of each sub sector.

Members are expected to attend meetings regularly, if they do not attend for three consecutive meetings they may be asked to resign from the working group.

9.3 Meeting Content – to discuss at the WG meeting
The content of meetings should ensure the objectives of the NGO Working Group are met.

The NGO Working Group is a decision-making entity, but may speak on behalf of the wider NGO sector on a specific issue to offer a representative body of opinion only when requested to do so. However, members may take recommendations back to their organisations, or to the wider NGO networks for approval where appropriate.

The NGO Working Group will liaise with the Ministry of Health’s NGO Desk on its Work Programme and planned meetings.

9.4 Frequency of Meetings
The NGO Working Group will meet for a minimum of 5 times a year (or when required). Meetings will be face-to-face or, where appropriate, by teleconference when required to advance the work program.

9.5 Location of Meetings
The NGO Working Group will decide the location of its meetings. In making these decisions consideration will be given to:

• where members of the NGO Working Group are based the respective costs of travel and resources on members.

10. Review of the Working Group
The wider NGO sector will receive the annual report outlining the work plan of the NGO Working Group annually at an NGO-Ministry of Health Forum and in between forums via the web site and NGO news letter.

11. Linkages
The NGO Working Group will raise the profile of NGOs and build linkages across the health and disability sector – within the Ministry of Health and DHBNZ and also across other relevant government agencies both nationally and locally.

12. Role of the Ministry of Health
The MOH is not be a member of the Working Group, but will attend the Working Group meetings unless requested not to.

The MOH will organise the Forums, however, these will be led by the NGOs through the Working Group. The MOH will attend the Forum and invite other personnel from the MOH to attend when required. This role will be coordinated through an NGO relationship manager at the MOH.

The MOH will not have voting rights on motions put forward to the Working Group or NGO Forum members, including:

the election of the Working Group members
any review of the Working Group discussed in section 9.

However, the MOH may provide advice and suggestions on any matter for the NGOs’ consideration.

The MOH may also:

advocate to raise the awareness of NGOs within the MOH
lead and develop the MOH-side of implementing the work program

14. Amendments
These Terms of Reference may be amended at any time when a proposal to amend them is passed by a majority vote of NGOs attending an NGO-Ministry of Health Forum.

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Page last updated: 16 February 2010