BRENT BEREAVEMENT SERVICES CONSTITUTION

Transcription

1 BRENT BEREAVEMENT SERVICES CONSTITUTION 1) NAME The name of the society (hereinafter called the Services ) is the Brent Bereavement Services (BBS). 2) AIMS AND OBJECTIVES a) The object for which the Services is established is to relieve and prevent suffering, sickness and distress among the bereaved in the London Borough of Brent. b) For the purpose of carrying out the above object, the Services shall have the following powers: i) To provide a service of counselling by people selected by the organisation and suitably trained. ii) To promote the training and education of such trained and selected people to give advice, guidance, counselling, support and assistance. iii) To arrange courses of training for those who work with or care for the bereaved. iv) To create and promote, by publicity and education, an informed and interested public opinion on the needs of the bereaved. v) To promote facilities for recreation and other leisure time occupations for the bereaved in the interests of their social welfare. vi) To support, liaise and co-operate with any other interested organisations in Brent or elsewhere for the study of and for the counselling and caring for the bereaved. vii) To work in close association with local statutory and voluntary services as appropriate. viii) To obtain, collect and receive money or funds by way of contributions, donations, legacies, grants or any other lawful method and to accept and receive gifts or property of any description for and towards the object of the Services. 1

2 ix) To invest the monies of the Services not immediately required for its purposes in or upon such investments, securities and property of whatever sort as may be thought fit, subject nevertheless to such conditions (if any) as may for the time being be imposed by law and subject also as hereinafter provided. x) To do all such acts as will further the object of the scheme. 3) MEMBERSHIP a) Any person resident or working within the London Borough of Brent is invited to apply for individual membership of the Services. Applications shall be submitted in writing to the Services considered and if agreed, accepted by the Executive Committee at the next meeting following receipt of the application. b) Any statutory or voluntary organisation may apply for organisational membership of the Services. Such applications shall be submitted to the Brent Bereavement Services. Organisational members may each appoint one named person to represent them at meetings of the Services. c) Any individual or organisational member may terminate their membership at any time by notice in writing to the Chairperson of the Services. d) Individual members and representatives of organisational members have the right to vote at all General Meetings of the Services. e) The Services shall have the right for good and sufficient reasons to terminate the membership of any individual or organisational member whether elected, co-opted or ex-officio, provided that the member or organisation concerned shall have the right to make written or verbal representations to the Executive Committee before a decision is made. f) All individual and organisational members shall pay such subscriptions to the services as the Executive Committee may from time to time determine. 4) GENERAL MEETINGS a) The Services shall in each year hold a general meeting as its Annual General Meeting in addition to any other meetings in that year, and shall specify the meeting as such in the notice calling it. Not less than fourteen days notice in writing of meeting shall be sent to the members of the Services. Not more than fifteen moths shall elapse 2

3 between the date of one Annual General Meeting and the next. The Annual General Meeting shall be held at such time and place as the Executive Committee shall appoint. The accidental omission to give notice of a meeting to, or the non-receipt of notice of a meeting by, any person entitled to receive notice shall not invalidate the proceedings at that meeting. b) All general meetings other than Annual General Meetings shall be called by extraordinary general meetings. An extraordinary meeting may be convened by the Executive Committee at anytime or shall be called by the Executive Committee upon a requisition signed by ten or more members of the Services stating the object of the meeting. c) The Chairperson shall chair meetings of the Services at which she/he is present. In her /his absence, the Vice-Chairperson shall preside, and if she/he is not present, the meeting shall elect a Chairperson. The Chairperson of any meeting shall have a casting vote. d) The quorum of all meetings of the Services is 25% of the membership including at least one Officer. e) Every matter shall be decided in the first place by a show of hands, but the Chair may order a poll of members present at the meeting, and must do so if it is requested by two or more members. f) Minutes of each meeting of the Services, its Executive Committee and any sub-committees shall be kept in books provided for that purpose and submitted to the next following meeting of the relevant committee for confirmation and signature of the Chairperson. 5) EXECTIVE COMMITTEE a) The management of the Services shall be invested in the Executive Committee which shall comprise the following persons:- Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Treasurer and Secretary (who are together and hereinafter called the Officers ) and a minimum of two members and a maximum of ten members plus four co-optees. b) The Services shall at the its Annual General Meeting elect the Officers and Executive Committee members from among its own membership. The Officers shall be elected annually with a term of consecutive office not exceeding four years. Ordinary members of the Executive Committee shall be elected for a three-year term and may serve a maximum of two consecutive terms. During the first 3

4 three years of the operation of this Constitution one-third of ordinary members are to retire annually by rota. c) Nominations in writing of Officers and members shall reach the Secretary fourteen days before the Annual General Meeting in which such appointments or elections will be made. In the event of nominations exceeding vacancies, elections shall be by ballot of those attending the meeting. Any casual vacancy during the course of the year may be filled by the Executive Committee for the period up to the next Annual General Meeting. d) At the first meeting of the Executive Committee after the said Annual General Meeting the Executive Committee may co-opt other members as it thinks fit. It may also invite any professional person to attend its meetings by nature of specific expertise, but without the power to vote. e) The Executive Committee shall meet at least four times each year and may do so on other occasions as necessary. 6) POWERS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE In addition to its general powers of management, the Executive Committee shall: i) establish and dissolve such standing committees and working parties of the Executive Committee as any from time to time seem expedient. All acts and proceedings of such committees and working parties shall be reported back fully and promptly to the Executive Committee. ii) prepare an Annual Report. iii) make and vary such rules and regulations not conflicting with the provisions of this constitution as may from time to time seem expedient for the proper conduct of the Services affairs. iv) formulate guidelines and make recommendations for a Code of Practice. v) invite any person to be Patron, President or a Vice-President of the Services, such invitation to be renewable at three-yearly intervals. vi) appoint staff for such term, at such remuneration and upon such conditions as they may think fit: and be responsible for the removal of any staff so appointed if necessary. 4

5 7) FINANCE a) The financial year of the Services shall be 1 April-31 March, or such other period as the Services may decide. b) The income and property of the Services shall be applied and used solely to promote and further the aims of the services and no part thereof shall be paid or transferred directly or indirectly by way of dividend, bonus or otherwise by way of profit to any member provided that nothing herein shall prevent payment of: i) reasonable remuneration and benefits to any employee. ii) reasonable reimbursement of members and volunteers out - of - pocket expenses in the furtherance of the Services objectives. c) The Treasurer shall ensure that suitable books of accounts are kept and that the Services income and expenditure are correctly entered therein and proper receipts and vouchers are retained in support of such entries.. The Treasurer shall further ensure that an account is opened at a bank or building society in such a manner as the Executive Committee may direct and all sums received are duly and properly paid in. d) The Service shall appoint an independent examiner if the charity s income is below the level set by charity law at which a full audit is required, or in any other case it shall appoint an auditor, who shall not be a member of the Services, who shall examine the financial statements and accounting records of the Services and report to the Trustees thereon as required by charity law. 8) AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION This Constitution may be altered by a resolution passed by a two-thirds majority of those present and voting at a meeting of the Services provided that no such resolution shall be considered unless notice in writing setting out the terms of the resolution shall have been sent to every member of the Services not less than twenty- eight days before the date of the meeting at which it is to be considered, but so that no 5

6 alteration shall be made to the Constitution which would make the object not exclusively charitable or the funds and assets applicable otherwise than for exclusively charitable purposes. 9) TRUSTEES INDEMNITY In the execution of the Trusts hereof, no member of the Executive Committee shall be liable for loss to the property of the Services arising by reason of any improper investment made in good faith (so long as she/he shall have sought professional advice before making such investment), or for the negligence or fraud of any agent employed by her/ him or by any other members of the Executive Committee hereof, although the employment of such agent was strictly not necessary or expedient, or by reason of any mistake or omission made in good faith by any member of the Executive Committee hereof or by any reason of any other matter or thing other than wilful and individual fraud on the part of any member of the Executive Committee who is sought to be made liable. 10) DISSOLUTION a) The Services may at any time be dissolved by a resolution passed by a majority of those present and voting at a special general meeting, convened for the purpose, of which not less than twentyone days notice in writing shall have been given to all members of the Executive Committee, and duly- published in the area covered by the Services. b) After the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities, any property remaining shall be given or transferred to such charities having objects similar to the objects of the Services as shall be determined by the special general meeting passing the resolution of dissolution and insofar as effect cannot be given to such provision then to some charitable object approved by the Charity Commissioners. February