1. Managing effective partnerships
“FLAGs ON THE MOVE: the second wave” FARNET Seminar for FLAGs Sofia March 2010
Managing effective partnerships
Good morning ladies and gentlemen
I am Susan Grieve and I am here to talk to you today about Managing Effective Partnerships
Farnet Support unit has developed the ‘Catching Up’ guide to help to give you information that you will need as you start down the journey in your FLAGs. In the section on Managing effective partnerships I have tried to look at some of the practical aspects of Managing Partnerships, things that you will need to consider when you start your partnership and further on down the line as your partnerships develop
The meaning and value of partnerships
Why a Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG)?
The FLAG partnership is . .
How the Partnership works
Managing involvement of the partners
Making the Programme work
Conclusions
Susan Grieve

2. The Meaning and Value of Partnerships
‘. . the partners aim to achieve something they could not do alone, by pooling skills and other resources. To do this they need a shared vision of their goals, and a way of working together which realises this ambition. This may involve a long term formal structure or a shorter-term agreement.’
D Wilcox: A Short Guide to Partnerships
Partnership working is done in many places throughout the world with broadly similar principals
Why Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAGs)
FLAGs are fundamental to the delivery of EFF Axis 4;
They link people and places – they are area based;
Specific to local conditions - one of the strengths of Axis 4 model
They empower ‘bottom up’ decision making;
They add value to the development process;
They need to be balance and include a road range of Partners – fisheries sector, Public, private and wider community
They have been chosen as a delivery method because there is practical evidence that this approach works; and
Their effectiveness is of great importance to the success of Axis 4 locally and overall.

3. The FLAG Partnership is . .
The first two objectives of the FLAG go hand in hand
development of area based strategy
identification of Partners on the FLAG
Take time to get the strategy and the partners right
. . . it’s really worth it in the long term
A FLAG is not just a partnership it is very specific and has specific requirements and responsibilities under EFF Axis 4
Getting buy in from partners at the beginning is critical and will make all the difference to how your whole programme runs
Private sector involvement is a key element of good partnership and Peter will speak more about this later

4. How does the FLAG Partnership work?
FLAG comprises of:
Members
Staff
Lead Partner or Accountable Body
and they need to all work together for the good of the FLAG
Members – who represent various local interests – very important vital contacts with community – aim for broad range of local knowledge – motivated – who will spread the word – good networkers – very helpful if members are sufficiently senior to hold influence and have delegated authority to make decisions on behalf of their organisation - be aware of challenges for voluntary members – do it in their own time – time is very precious
Staff – who are responsible for the management and administration of the project – detail of staff roles and number of staff will vary - but being able to animate involvement and help build projects from bottom up is an essential function in all cases – evaluation evidence is very clear – good staff are key – so recruiting, managing, developing the staff is an important partnership role.
Lead Partner or accountable body who have over all financial responsibility for the programme – varies considerably between member states and FLAGs – may also employ and line manage the staff team on behalf of the FLAG

5. Managing the Involvement of Partners
Set the ground rules
Outline parameters of the new relationship
Be aware of the challenges
FLAG capacity and capacity building
Set the ground rules – how the partnership will operate – define what is expected from each other – the dynamic within the FLAG may be affected by inconsistent attendance, insufficient meetings or dominance of a few members or sectors.
Clear definition of roles at the outset – it may take time for cultural differences across industry sectors to co-exist
Outline parameters – common understanding of aims and objectives – i.e. what there is to do and how it is going to be done – make sure FLAG members understand that they must act in the interest of local programme – informed and transparent decision making adds great value and credibility to the programme.
Challenges - Be aware that the complexity of dealing with new rules and regulations and bureaucracy may cause challenges initially
a whole new process
local loyalties
seeing the big picture
working on equal basis – public and community
Capacity building
It is like any new group, it will take time for everyone to get to know one another and learn how to work together – so structured team building can be helpful to build relationships and trust. It’s also a way for the members to gain a greater insight into what each one can contribute in a neutral way. Better working relationships helps better decisions being made and making the most of the experience around the table to get better projects
Involve all stakeholders – communicate – press release, web site, workshops, awareness raising events

6. Managing the Involvement of Partners
Governance
FLAG meetings
Governance - FLAG needs to be strategic as well as administrative
One of first things to decide - Will whole FLAG be involved in project assessment process – or a smaller group with delegated authority –if small group must still be balanced and representative of the area
Sub groups can be an important tool – spreads the work load and provides opportunities for people to be involved and make best use of specialist knowledge
FLAG meetings – schedule well in advance – provide appropriate information – be aware of pressure of time for FLAG members
Where – central – good transport links , rural – maintain link to territory – visit a project?
When – day meetings – evening may be better for volunteer or young members? – pay attention to seasonal variations and in particular those that might affect those from the fisheries sector specifically
how often? – in line with assessing projects – differ from FLAG to FLAG – 4 to 5 times - but flexible
Make sure meetings are interesting – have good information in an easy to read format – local partnership working may be new to the FLAG are - make it easy for people to contribute and this can lead to better motivation and ownership by those involved.

7. Making the Programme work
Have strong administrative systems
Project animation
Project assessment process
Conflict of interests
As said before – FLAG needs take decisions that affect the strategy but also put in place administrative systems
members support the Staff
use and adapt existing materials
Project animation – role of members too – it is a key differentiating element and has proven to be very successful in Leader
Project assessment process – key role of the FLAG Members – needs to be transparent and objective –
Needs to be in line with the strategy, needs to give good value for money and make a real difference in the local area – this is where the local knowledge of the partners really counts
may want to use techniques such as scoring – what ever method is used it is essential to ensure that all decisions are properly recorded – this will be of great value in case any decisions are challenged
Conflict of interests
Conflict of interest may occur when an individual’s business, organisation, personal or family interests conflicts with the FLAG or the programme – even perception of conflict of interest can be damaging
very important to avoid
have a policy so every one is clear
key principals are:
objectivity, transparency, accountability and above all honesty
if conflict arises then member must declare it
Conflicts of interest – I think Yves will talk about this in more detail later

8. Each partnership is different
In Conclusion . .
Strong effective partnership is fundamental to the local development approach
This does not happen on its own, it needs to be cultivated and nurtured
Each partnership is different
Chris and Tasos will be able to provide you with their hands on experience of managing effective partnerships which they will share with you.
Each partnership is different – this is the best bit – make it the best you can for your area
Oh Just in case any of you wanted to see the salmon I caught last year – here it is! Thank you very much for listening