Guardians of good governance: The critical role of committees in community-based services

Committees function as the strategic compass of community-based early childhood education and care (ECEC) services.  

In a sector where compliance, financial stability, child safety and community relevance are non-negotiable, the oversight of a committee is indispensable.  

The power of local insight and accountability 

While the responsibility of a committee member can be onerous, it can also be a profoundly rewarding role for the volunteers, families involved, and the service as a whole.  

This is a view shared by Xian Lim, Committee President at Betty Spears Childcare Centre in Tempe. This popular service in Sydney’s inner west was established more than 30 years ago for the families of the State Transit Authority, and to this day, it strives to respond to the needs of local families. 

Xian explains that she joined the Betty Spears committee because of its strong community focus. She believes that having an active committee protects the very nature of a community-based service. It ensures that decision making remains local and diverse voices are heard. Having local families involved can also ensure that children remain the number one priority. 

“My initial motivation to join the committee stemmed from the incredibly welcoming and inviting community our centre provides,” Xian explains. “Not only have my children thrived here, but my partner and I have also felt connected to the centre's community. My core drive is to ensure other families experience that same sense of belonging and connection.” 

Committee members, who are often parents, carers, and community representatives, provide a firsthand, lived understanding of the area’s context, values, and socioeconomic challenges. This local insight guides decision-making so that policies, operations, and the educational service genuinely meet the needs of the children and families using it. 

At Betty Spears Childcare Centre, the committee meets with the centre director every month and communicates with families via a newsletter and digital platform. It collects insights from families through room-based WhatsApp groups, an online suggestion box and an annual survey.  

“This feedback is crucial in guiding us on how to best ensure our service is welcoming and representative of all the wonderful cultures and backgrounds within our community,” explains Xian. 

“I believe being community-centric is absolutely essential, otherwise it would be very difficult to sustain community-managed childcare committees. This is something we clearly see reflected in our centre.   

Ron Hoenig MP speaking at a committee meeting at Betty Spears

“In our last annual survey, both staff and families shared that they felt a strong connection to our community. Our families particularly value the centre’s emphasis on relationships, inclusion, and fostering a deep sense of belonging. Similarly, our staff highly value the close connections they build, not just with the children, but with their families too.”  

Community feedback via the annual survey recently fed into the Betty Spears committee’s four year strategic plan. The committee launched the plan with workshops for its members and the leadership team. 

“Having a comprehensive plan means the committee, staff, and leadership team are now able to work together with a much stronger sense of alignment and collaboration,” says Xian. “This plan also allows us to clearly articulate our goals and set expectations, ensuring everyone's on the same page about our centre's vision and priorities.” 

Providing important governance oversight 

Beyond providing community representation, committees safeguard good governance, financial accountability, and transparency. And as CELA Sector Specialist Jannelle Gallagher notes, good governance is critical. 

"Good governance supports everything that underpins the purpose and long term sustainability of a service," she says.

A committee’s oversight role helps prevent mismanagement, ensures legal and regulatory compliance, and protects the integrity of the service, particularly where public funding is involved.  

Committees are key players in adjusting service offerings, fees, policies, and communication channels to keep the service aligned with its families including:

• Adapting fees and operations: In response to community needs, committees might work hard to keep fees low to ensure local families experiencing vulnerability can afford access to the service. Others might focus on adapting operating hours to best fit parents' work schedules. This responsiveness demonstrates a genuine commitment to accessibility within their own community.

• Tailoring governance: Effective committees do not treat governance documents as fixed or purely administrative requirements. Instead, they shape meeting schedules, decision making processes, and role descriptions in ways that reflect the rhythms and realities of their families. 

• Strengthening communication pathways: Effective committees regularly review how information is shared with families to ensure it is accessible, inclusive, and culturally responsive. This may include translating key documents, offering multiple feedback channels, or adjusting meeting formats so more families can participate meaningfully in decision making.

  Reviewing policies through a community lens: Committees can critically examine policies such as enrolment, inclusion, complaints, and child safety to ensure they reflect the values, demographics, and expectations of their local community. By aligning policy settings with lived realities, committees help create services that are both compliant and genuinely responsive.

As CELA CEO Michele Carnegie explains: 

The community-managed model must be enabled to maintain its strength and grow. They are best placed to deliver early education and care tailored to the community's context. The volunteer committee is representative of the community, and its role is to ensure service delivery reflects the community in which it operates.

Betty Spears Director Karen Dresser, CELA CEO Michele Carnegie, CELA Communications Director Tracey Long and Betty Spears Committee President Xian Lim

Navigating key challenges 

Despite their critical importance, committees face ongoing challenges that can threaten their effectiveness.

Balancing governance and management

One of the most common issues is the difficulty in maintaining the correct balance between the committee's governance role and the director’s day-to-day operational responsibility of the service, often leading to blurred boundaries or overstepping.  

As Jannelle reminds us: "The director ensures policies, procedures and systems are enacted, while the committee is responsible for the governance of the organisation that delivers early education and care."

Recruiting and retaining members

At times, committees struggle to find enough willing, informed volunteers. People often underestimate the time, responsibility, and legal obligations involved, mistakenly assuming the role is mostly about fundraising. Others find that parents and community members see this is an aspirational role to play while their children are attending the service.

Clear communication about the importance of this rewarding role gives parents/carers a realistic view of what is involved and the support available, including training and access to peak bodies like CELA. 

Jannelle says:

Committee members are responsible for providing leadership to the organisation and its members. They have a role in inspiring staff, families and the wider community, and making them aware of the importance of community-based services.

Ensuring accountability and transparency

Clear processes and reporting to the committee at meetings enable them to make informed decisions in the service's interest. It enables the committee to ask the right questions of the leadership team.

"Committee members need to be curious,” says Jannelle. “It’s not just a matter of accepting your roles and responsibilities. You need to ask questions of the nominated supervisor or director, set clear deadlines and maintain oversight over financial matters.”

Understanding local context

New committee members should be mentored and upskilled to ensure everyone’s voice is heard and policies and practices are up to date. 

The good news is that these challenges can be overcome with a proactive and structured approach. Xian also advocates for open mindedness and the sharing of diverse views. While differences of opinion are to be expected at times, she sees tensions as an opportunity for productive discussion.  

“We've managed to work through tensions by staying focused on our shared goal: ensuring that our children thrive in the centre,” she says.  

“Being an open-minded group, we strongly encourage everyone to voice their opinions openly, knowing they'll be heard and respected. This focus on our core mission and a culture of open discussion helps us find common ground and to move forward collaboratively.” 

The importance of constitutions

At CELA, we regularly receive enquiries from members about constitutions, and understandably so. Constitutions are a critical foundation of effective governance.

A constitution is the foundational document for any incorporated, community-based service. It sets out the rules for how the committee operates, including roles, meeting procedures, how decisions are made, and what to do in special circumstances (such as winding up the service or handling complaints). 

In essence, a strong, well understood constitution isn’t just paperwork, it’s your framework for transparency, good governance, and a service that truly reflects its community. 

Why constitutions are important: 

• Legal protection: The constitution ensures your service is legally compliant and eligible for incorporation. Any changes must usually be approved at a special meeting and submitted to authorities such as Fair Trading. 

• Governance, not day-to-day policy: Unlike standard policies, the constitution covers governance, the big-picture structure and accountability, rather than daily management. It can’t be changed on a whim. 

• Clear guidance: It clearly outlines who does what, when meetings must happen, what constitutes a quorum, and roles like president or treasurer. 

• Fit for purpose: Committees are advised to review their constitution regularly and tailor the model document so it suits their specific context and community needs. Many committees use the ‘Model constitution for incorporated associations’ from NSW Fair Trading, however it is important to be aware of its contents and tailor it if necessary. 

• Shared understanding: A current, accessible constitution helps new committee members and staff understand how things work and supports smooth handover when members change. 

Key takeaways 

• A committee's primary role is to provide good governance, focusing on strategic oversight, compliance, and ensuring community needs are met, not day-to-day management.  

• Effective governance is built on clear and robust structures (especially a well-crafted constitution), diverse skills, strong communication, and a proactive approach to accountability and adaptation.  

• Ultimately, the work of committee volunteers protects the community-based nature of the service, ensuring it remains a genuine reflection of the families it serves. 

• CELA has launched a purpose-built Community Managed Governance Hub designed to support and strengthen governance practices. Developed by CELA specialists with deep sector expertise and a clear understanding of where committees could build their knowledge, the hub elps committees navigate their roles with clarity, strengthen accountability and build long term sustainability.

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