After School Club
Co-operative Charter
A collaborative venture by LAYC and The City of Edinburgh
Council
Background to the Charter
LAYC has been working with the City of Edinburgh Council to help
promote and develop a more co-operative and collaborative
approach to the delivery of community based services. This is in line
with the Council’s Cooperative Capital Framework and in particular
their commitment to developing “cooperative after school clubs”.
LAYC was aware that the principles that embody cooperatives closely
resembled those of community based and parent lead after school
clubs. Could these similarities be used towards a shared vision and
practice that would assist the Council to meet its objectives as well
as providing clearer and more public recognition for after school
clubs?
Meetings with some after school clubs confirmed that there was
little interest or benefit from approaching the subject from a legal or
governance stand point. What was of interest was how to get those
after school clubs who in reality were increasingly working
cooperatively and collaboratively be better recognised and
acknowledged
And so the idea of an after school club charter was born.
‘The Council's Capital Coalition wants Edinburgh to....... thinking and working in
a cooperative way will ensure that Edinburgh has a prosperous future and that
high quality services continue to be delivered’.
City of Edinburgh Capital Coalition Pledge
Introduction
LAYC believes that the Co-operative After School Club Charter and its
Charter Mark scheme will help community based and parent led
after school clubs demonstrate the quality of the experience they
provide for children, the scale of their contribution to schools and
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communities and be better recognised for the value their services to
the families who access them.
The basis of the Charter is a simple process of self evaluation which
confirms that the after school club shares certain co-operative
principles which qualifies it for the scheme Charter Mark.
LAYC hopes that as the Charter is developed along with the
committees and staff of community based after school providers,
The City of Edinburgh Council will also be able to identify a range of
practical steps which allow clubs to develop provision including ways
to address issues such as levels of parental demand for places,
pressure on space within schools and support in training staff.
We look forward to receiving your charter application - if you need
any support or assistance don’t hesitate to get in touch with LAYC.
‘A co-operative is a group of people acting together to meet the common needs
and aspirations of its members, sharing ownership and making decisions
democratically’.
Definition of a co-operative
Charter Principles and Values
The Charter Principles and Values are drawn from those of the
Co-operative movement and represent the ethos and characteristics
you’d expect to find in any organisation seeking to be a co-operative.
After school clubs are both a ‘childcare service’ to parents and a
positive, educational and play experience for the children who
attend them.
We believe that the values of Charter Mark capture both these
elements and reflect the current policy context which includes:
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Play Strategy for Scotland: Our vision
The City of Edinburgh Play Strategy
GIRFEC (Getting It Right For Every Child)
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and in
particular the UN General Comment on article 31 adopted by
the Committee in 2013
all of which impact on and are relevant to after school clubs.
To a child play is about having fun. To society it’s so much more. Children’splay
is crucial to Scotland’s well being, socially, economically and environmentally.
Play strategy for Scotland
The Charter Principles and Values that are required to be actively
delivered and promoted are:
 A child centred play environment
 Fairness and respect in all our work
 Working together with others for mutual support
 Meeting the needs of members and the local community
 Our organisation is run by and for the benefit of members
and the local community based on charitable purposes
What are the benefits of being a Charter Mark holder
LAYC, with the support of The City of Edinburgh Council, will provide
access to a number of important services available exclusively to
Charter Mark holders. These include:
 A Charter Mark Certificate - promotes the Charter values you
meet as a community based after school provider
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 ASC Co-operative Grants – awards of up to £400 in anyone
financial year where two or more Charter Mark groups are
working collaboratively.
 ASC Mentor Support – Often a bit of support from an
experienced peer could make all the difference to another
manager or committee. This scheme matches an experienced
ASC mentor with another Charter Marked ASC group who are
requiring some specific support. LAYC will cover the costs of
providing that agreed support.
 ASC Handbooks for Staff and Management Committees – draft
handbooks that can assist staff and committees to be aware of
policy and practice issues.
 Development projects – access to discrete developmental
projects that LAYC are able to support eg Energy Clubs, Playbox
initiatives.
 Exclusive Training – access to some LAYC training courses for
staff and committee’s will be for Charter Mark holders only.
Requests for whole team/on site delivery of certain LAYC
courses will be also only be available to Charter Mark holders.
 Central Study Space – access to LAYC library space and
resources for those undertaking work based qualifications.
and coming soon
 Charter Mark promotional leaflets – these can be used to
promote the benefits of community based/parent lead after
school clubs and what the Charter Mark means.
 Charter Marks – electronic images of the Charter Marks that
can be used on a clubs own materials which will be the usb.
 Charter usb pen drive – free pen drive which will be loaded
with Charter materials and other helpful documents.
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 ASC Charter Quality Assurance Pack – a practical guide to
gathering evidence to meet the Care Inspectorate National
Standards in the form of a evidence folder.
Charter Contacts
If you want to discuss anything to do with either applying or
benefitting from the Charter then you should contact LAYC by
phone 0131 667 1828 or email [email protected]
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