Steering Group

The steering group’s role is to provide guidance and leadership alongside planning and monitoring the overall outcomes of the programme including how they support local strategies and/policy areas. 

The main tasks of the steering group are to:

• determine the overall goals and objectives of the local AoP programmes and how they will be measured.
• define the roles and responsibilities of those involved in the AoP programmes.
• plan/approve the budget distribution to the different expenditure posts of the AoP programme together with the project manager.
• allocate the necessary personal, financial, and technical resources to ensure the goals and objectives of the AoP programmes will be achieved.
• support the project manager to ensure they have the appropriate resources to ensure the AoP programmes progresses accordingly (read more on the project managers role HERE).
• determine the structure of the organisational framework.
• communicate and advocate the AoP programmes’ progress to stakeholders, to gain support and collaboration for the AoP programme and for future AoP programmes. 

The steering group is the decision-making body within the organisational framework and makes strategical decisions regarding the programme. 

Steering group members should be key stakeholders and decision-makers with the relevant expertise in strategic and cross-sectoral planning. Steering group members could be leaders or politicians from different and relevant administrations (decision-making bodies), and departments (implementation division) e.g. public health departments, social departments, and culture departments as well as public and private organisations. We recommend a steering group of 4 to 5 members as this will be an appropriate size to be smooth, decisive, and agile. You may already have an existing cross-sectoral committee who can be the steering group for the AoP programme, or you may have to invite members to establish the programme’s steering group.

Who is relevant to invite into the steering group can differ depending on whether the AoP programmes are municipal or regional programmes. 

Regional steering groups would usually consist of persons who are strategically strong in assessing how the AoP programme aligns with regional development within the culture, health, and social sectors across various municipalities. Members of the steering group at a regional level could be politicians, regional director, community leaders, non-governmental organisations (NGO) representatives and civic representatives. 

Municipality steering groups focus is on community needs and how the AoP programmes can help solve those needs. Steering group members at the municipality level could be head of the culture administrations and departments, head of health administrations/departments, head of social services administrations and departments and organisation representative for the target audience i.e., mental health organisations, youth/elderly organisation.