United Kingdom Association for Solution Focused Practice
UKASFP
National Committee Terms of Reference (January 2008)
These terms of reference will be reviewed every two years and/or in the light of new guidance, legislation or instruction from the membership, as applicable.
The Committee will meet four times per year and will be deemed quorate if a minimum of 4 committee members are present.
The National Committee has four main functions:
- Serving the membership – The needs of the members are paramount in all functions of the National Committee. The committee will serve the members by:
- Upholding the Statement of Association and its values.
- Organising an annual National Conference (through a sub-group), highlighting solution focused practice by ensuring a wide range of workshops and speakers. The cost of conference places will always be kept lower for UKASFP members.
- Providing a website for the members.
- Producing a regular journal/newsletter (Solution News), free to members.
- Ensuring that membership of UKASFP is kept at the lowest possible cost.
- Communicating all minutes of meetings and decisions of the committee to the membership via the UKASFP website and Solution News.
- Answering members’ enquiries as promptly as possible.
- Promoting Solution Focused Practice – The Committee will use all opportunities to promote SF practice in appropriate media and settings.
- Acting as a focal point for cooperation with existing local and/or regional solution focused groups – The Committee recognise that they shall exercise no control or influence over local or regional groups, rather will support them, where requested by such groups, for example by facilitating initial contact between individual UKASFP members and local/regional groups.
- Acting as a focal point for cooperation with National Therapeutic Bodies, such as: UKCP, BACP, and other appropriate bodies, such as: Education, Social Work, Nursing etc. – The UKASFP recognise that there are likely to be legislative changes regarding the rights to practise as a therapist. To that end, the membership have voted on a proposed direction of travel (June 2005) in terms of future compliance. The Committee will further this aim by:
- Facilitating an accreditation sub-group to assist the UKASFP members that are therapists, to be able to conform to any future legislation.
- Facilitate contact with UKCP, BACP and any other relevant bodies to promote the needs of SF therapists in any future configuration or requirements of practising therapists.
- Roles and Responsibilities of serving officers – There will be 7 elected officers of the National Committee, and two non-elected posts they are:
Chair (elected post 1)
- Attend and Chair the quarterly Committee meetings
- Uphold the Statement of Association, and any other relevant guidelines
- Seek the views of the membership, and represent those views at Committee meetings
- Make decisions based on the consensus of the Committee, where consensus is not reached, the Chair will have final say
- Chair the AGM and prepare statement of previous year for members
Executive Secretary (elected post 2)
- Attend & contribute to committee meetings
- Take minutes of meetings & keep all minutes on record
- Compile an agenda & send previous minutes to committee members before meetings
- Respond to members queries as helpfully as possible as a committee member
- Assist with any enterprise taken up by the committee as a whole
National Development Officer (elected post 3)
- Attend & contribute to committee meetings
- To promote the work of the Association at National and International levels by linking with a range of bodies including media and conference organisers
- To develop the post into a credible, manageable and identifiable role
- Assist with any enterprise taken up by the committee as a whole
Newsletter Editor (elected post 4)
- Shall facilitate the production of ‘Solution News’, the journal of UKASFP, and where necessary, liaise with fellow committee members regarding content, ensuring that it is concordant with UKASFP Statement of Association
- Assist with any enterprise taken up by the committee as a whole
Web Manager (elected post 5)
- One Committee member shall have responsibility for maintaining the UKASFP website
- S/he will be responsible for advising the committee on all website matters
- Assist with any enterprise taken up by the committee as a whole
General Committee members X 2 (elected posts 6 & 7)
- All Committee members will attend & contribute to committee meetings
- Assist with any enterprise taken up by the committee as a whole
Non – Executive Treasurer (non-elected post 1)
- Ensure that the accounts of UKASFP are up to date
- Provide regular updates to the Chair/Committee on the state of the accounts
- Liaise with an accountant to ensure that all requirements of accounting are met
- Prepare a statement of accounts for each AGM
- Assist with any enterprise taken up by the committee as a whole
Non – Executive Membership Secretary (non-elected post 2)
- Provide regular updates to the Chair/Committee on membership issues
- Ensure that members receive timely reminders of their membership status
- Assist with any enterprise taken up by the committee as a whole
All serving Officers and Committee members will attend a minimum of two of the four Committee meetings in the elected year, with the exception of the treasurer & membership secretary who will liaise directly with the Chair regarding attendance.
- All elected Officers will be expected to serve a term of 3 years, whilst they may nominate themselves for a term of less than 3 years, they will be required to make this clear in any election process, such as hustings or candidate literature.
- Elected Officers may serve a maximum of two consecutive terms, in any one post or combination of posts (six years), at which point they must stand down for at least one year before applying for any other post.
- Non-elected members will remain in post until they choose to step down, or are asked to leave, to a maximum of six years. Non-elected members do count for quorate purposes but do not hold a vote on the committee.
- Nominations for vacant posts will be called for by the current chair, by emailing all members, placing a message on the UKASFP message list, and by placing a notice on the UKASFP website with adequate time for members to nominate themselves or others, stating clearly which post they are wishing to stand for.
- Members that nominate themselves, or are nominated by others, will be required to state in no more than 100 words why they believe people should vote for them, this must be received by the notified date in order that there is adequate time for voting, late nominations or statements will not be accepted.
- The chair will send out, with the formal AGM papers, all statements of nominated candidates, ballot papers and UKASFP addressed envelopes so that postal voting may take place.
- All members wishing to vote may do so; they will be required to submit, with their vote, their current membership number. If they are unsure of their current membership number, they should contact a current committee member immediately and they will be able to furnish the member with said details.
- Elections for Officers will take place yearly (where appropriate) as posts become vacant for whatever reason. Voting will take place by post with a nominated election officer (not a serving committee member) from UKASFP membership responsible for counting votes and informing the standing chair of the result. The results will be announced at the annual AGM.
- The national committee, will by committee vote, co-opt temporary volunteers to the committee for periods of no longer than 12 months, or, to complete a specific task on behalf of the committee/UKASFP, the membership will be notified each and every time that this happens.
These terms of reference take effect from the 29th of January 2008, any previous terms of reference, tenure of office and posts are redundant from this point.
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