The Local Resources Network (LRN) is designed to facilitate partnerships between corporations and local NGOs, trade unions, auditors, social scientists, charities or specialists in child labour remediation or other relevant topics.

The LRN has developed the following guidance on the ‘Do's and Don'ts for Working in Partnership' to establish a uniform approach support the development of successful partnerships.

For Corporate Members

Local Resources can provide very useful services and input for corporate members seeking to understand and/or remediate issues at employment sites. They understand the views of local workers, the local policy environment and what the contentious issues might be. However, the following should be borne in mind when working in partnership. Local Resources:

• May want to engage in dialogue or joint projects, yet might not accept company funding on the grounds that this would compromise their independence.
• May need to agree in advance with the corporate the circumstances under which the corporate can talk about their work with the NGO and/or use the NGO logo.
• Will have views on how a project should be conducted to ensure that it is credible. For example, on how many workers need to be interviewed and under what circumstances during a social audit. It is a good idea to understand what expectations the Local Resource has on what makes their work credible.
• May want to share the learnings from working with a factory with other NGOs. To ensure that NGOs can do this whilst not breaking client confidentiality, partners should discuss what can and can't be shared under what circumstances (citing names, on an anonymous basis etc).
• May have a large stake in the community in which the factory is operating and will have views on how work should be followed-up.

For Local Resources

Corporate members will expect a high level of professionalism and will usually have set targets and dates for the completion of work. When working with corporate clients, keep the following in mind.

Before commencing work:

• Be sure you understand what the commissioning corporate member requires from you.
• Develop a simple contract that explicitly states:
  • The services/outputs you will be providing
  • The total price and desired payment terms
  • A commitment to respecting client confidentiality – it is essential to agree in advance between the partners what can and cannot be shared and how it can or cannot be shared, to avoid ‘misunderstandings'.
  • A timeline / due dates.
• Ensure you understand expected timescales.
• Do not over promise what you can deliver, and be realistic with deadlines.
• Provide samples of your work to the client so people can have a feel for your work.

Whilst conducting the work:

• Ask questions or seek feedback from your client throughout the process.
• Keep in close contact with the client throughout the project:
  • If you find any problematic issues, share these with the client during the project rather than leaving it to the end.
  • If an employment site is uncooperative, let your client know so that they can help support you.

• Be aware that some projects may attract the attention of the international media. It is important that if approached by the media, that client confidentiality is not broached. Local Resources should refer journalists back to the client.

After completion of work:

• Be available and willing to provide more information upon request.