Managing Sure Start in partnership.

In March 2006, Sure Start programmes were mainstreamed, becoming 'Children's Centres' for which local authorities have assumed strategic responsibility. This paper describes an evaluation of a Sure Start local programme Management Board which was conducted in preparation for this transition. Focusing on practices relating to partnership working and community involvement, a distinctive trident evaluation model was used to explore outcomes, processes and multiple stakeholder perspectives through a multi-method approach (incorporating interviews, questionnaires and documentary analysis). This revealed that an effective, collaborative style of working had been fostered between board members, resulting in synergy. Furthermore, a number of governance arrangements were identified that specifically supported partnership developments, including quorum regulations and adherence to decision-making by consensus. A series of recommendations are presented that were made with the aim of strengthening the community voice on the board and preserving the most effective and empowering elements of practice following the transition.