Charter

In 1996 a Charter for TN-FORCES was adopted in the General Body meeting specifying the Administrative Structure, the aims and objectives, the membership criteria, operational procedures and management system. A Core Committee, a Convener and a Secretariat were indicated as major components responsible for effective functioning. The Core Committee with representatives of all the main constituencies and Subgroups determined the priorities and directed the activities of the Forum. The Subgroups were formed of members who would be responsible for the activities governed by specialized themes like Mother and Child, Pre-school Education, Legislation, Media, and Southern Regional Group.

The name of the consortium shall be Tamil Nadu Forum for Crèche and Child Care Services (TN-FORCES).

• To safeguard the survival, protection and development of the young child, particularly of the weaker sections of the society, and with special reference to the children of women working in the unorganized sector.
• To act as watchdog to Government policies, actions, and work towards altering those that harm interests of the young children and their mothers, particularly of the poor.
• To form pressure groups and lobby for policies and resources for holistic and development oriented childcare services for the young child in the country.
• To create awareness about the criticality of the years of early childhood and the implications of neglect
• To collect and disseminate information on the situation of the young child, focusing on problems as well as strategies to tackle the situation.
• To liaise with Governments, including the polity and bureaucracy, local bodies, donors, corporate sector and other agencies who are interested in child care in order to influence policy and implementation
• To provide advisory services in the field of child care planning
• To promote enactment of legislation and reforms in existing laws relating to children
• To identify, recognize and collaborate with NGOs and informal groups with similar objectives
• Any other activity related to childcare including promoting Research and Training related to childcare.

Secular organizations committed to improving the situation of the young child and believing in the aims and objectives of TN-FORCES can be members. Individuals cannot become members.

The network shall draw its membership from the following main constituencies:

• Child care institutions or institutions running child care services
• Trade Unions
• Women’s groups/organizations
• Research and academic institutions
• Education and training institutions
• Other NGOs involved with women and children issues

In addition, others may be invited to meetings, coopted on working groups or informally involved:

• Business houses and Employers Associations
• Funding agencies concerned with child care issues
• International agencies concerned with children

1. Membership may be expanded periodically by the Core Committee
2. Membership shall be by invitation only. Applications for membership will be consider3ed by the Core Committee and invitations issued after screening.

The activities of TN-FORCES shall be guided by a Core Committee which shall be selected at the Annual General Body Meeting (AGM) on the basis of active involvement and experience and include representatives of all the main constituencies. The Core Committee may consist of not less than 8 and not more than 20 members.

Sub groups, including Co-opted Resource persons may be informally set up to plan activities in a geographical area and/or in specialized theme which may be taken up from time to time by the network. The Convener shall be a member of every such sub-group. The Chairs of various such sub-groups shall be members of the Core Committee. The composition of the Core Committee may be altered at the AGM by consensus. The implementation of activities shall be by member agencies, singly or jointly, with the support of the Secretariat. Whenever activities are conducted jointly by two or more members, or a sub-group, the funds shall be raised, provided, spent and accounted for by a mutually accepted procedure to be agreed in advance, and with the knowledge of the Convener. Besides actively furthering the agenda of the network determined at the AGM, the Core Committee shall:

1. Screen applications and invite organizations to become members
2. Receive reports from the Secretariat from time to time regarding the various activities
3. Share in planning strategies to be adopted by the AGM.

Based on suggestions from the Core Committee, the Convener shall be chosen from among the members, at the AGM, for a period of three years, and the office shall be held by rotation. The Convener shall appoint a Secretariat comprising of the Coordinator, Assistant Coordinator and Typist cum office Assistant and such resource persons/consultants and other staff as may be required.

The Secretariat staff shall be located in the office premises of the Convener and report to the Convener and confirm to the rules and regulations of the organization.

Functions of Secretariat.

1. To consolidate and strengthen the existing network and to enlarge and build it up further
2. To plan and strategize network activities in relation to stated goals and objectives
3. To provide logistic and programme support for network -related activities of members
4. To provide momentum and drive for network activities
5. To coordinate, maintain records, liaise and relate to members
6. To provide a link and focus for communication among members
7. To collect, process and disseminate relevant information to network members
8. To monitor, document and evaluate network processes
9. To maintain links with the national and other regional networks

1. The Convener shall be an honorary office and the Convener organization shall not make any profit or benefit from the network
2. The funds for running the Secretariat and its activities shall be raised by the Convener organization in the manner deemed fit and appropriate to the organization and brought to the notice of the Core Committee.
3. The responsibility for maintaining the accounts and efficiently conducting the services by cost saving means shall be that of the Convener organization
4. The funds received for t6he Secretariat shall be kept in a separate account by the Convener organization and audited every year
5. The audited statement relating to the Secretariat shall be available to the Core Committee
6. For all activities of the network, expenses shall be shared by the members on an agreed basis.