The IHBC’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held, as usual each year, after the Institute’s key training event for the year, the Day School of the Annual School, on 17 June, when the IHBC’s Trustees will be elected, and all IHBC members are encouraged to get involved with this important constitutional process.
Each year elected posts are open to competition by Full Members of the IHBC in accordance with our Memorandum and Articles of association. When officers are elected at the AGM they must be ready to be the legal trustees of the organisation. In that role they have substantial duties and obligations to the Institute as a registered charity and company. These are summarised below under Essential information for Trustees.
For the 2011 AGM Jo Evans, our Chair, and Sheila Stones, our Vice Chair, are prepared to stand for re-election, as are the Chairs for the Committees covering Education, Training and Standards (John Preston), Policy (Mike Brown) and Communications and Outreach (Charles Strang).
As previously announced, in our December Membership e-letter, the Institute’s Treasurer, Mike Knights will not be going forward for re-election to Council. Instead, developing on his existing experience as Chair of the Finance and Resources Committee, our Secretary Richard Morrice has agreed to stand for election as Treasurer. However our current President, Eddie Booth, as previously announced, is retiring from his post this year, and has agreed to come forward for election as the Institute’s Secretary. Eddie’s successor as President of the IHBC will elected by Council rather than AGM, and does serve as a trustee.
With Branch nominations selected at the Branch’s own AGM, all constitutional posts have at least one experienced nominee, with the exception of the Northern Ireland Branch, where Colin Hatrick MBE will remain as acting Branch representative in advance of going forward for nomination by the Branch and, with the recent decision by Richenda Codling not to go forward for election to the post of the Membership Secretary and Chair of the Membership & Ethics Committee, where we are in discussion with prospective candidates and are always happy to hear from interested members.
Essential information for Trustees
Council members of the IHBC are elected annually at our Annual General Meeting. They then become the legal trustees of the organisation and, in that role, have substantial duties and obligations to the institute as a registered charity and company.
The business papers, structure and operations of the IHBC, as well as the legal and ethical duties of trustees, are identified in the papers and links listed at: LINK For those interested in serving as Branch nominees further details on Branch operations are available at: LINK
Trustees’ duties include a requirement to operate in line with our Code of Conduct for Trustees, which specifies the high standards the IHBC demands of its trustees. These standards have been developed in line with the Nolan Committee’s ‘Seven Principles of Public Life’.
The IHBC’s Code for trustees may be summarised under the following headings:
Selflessness: a duty to act in the best interests of the Institute as a whole
Integrity: not placing themselves under other obligation to outside individuals or organisations that might seek to influence them, and avoid any appearance of improper behaviour, or accepting gifts and hospitality that might influence judgment
Objectivity: ensure that decisions are made solely on merit.
Accountability: comply with the law on all occasions and be accountable to the public, funders and service users, and submit to appropriate scrutiny
Openness: including confidentiality for individuals and being open about decision processes
Honesty: declare interests and resolve conflicts in favour of the trustee role
Leadership: leading by example and respecting the role of the Chairman, staff and other trustees.
Failure to observe the trustees’ Code of Conduct breaches the IHBC’s professional Code of Conduct, and will threaten IHBC membership.
The IHBC’s trustees include elected Officers, including Committee Chairs, as well as Branch nominated representatives, and all must sign up to and be bound by the IHBC’s Code for trustees.
To ensure a proper observance of standards and codes, as preparation for any role on the IHBC’s Council, all IHBC members and supporters are encouraged to develop their understanding of the Institute’s voluntary and professional activities by getting actively involved with their IHBC Branches and/or relevant national Committees.
Nomination forms may be downloaded from the link below. As we are currently preparing current job descriptions, please contact the Secretary Richard Morrice, or incumbents, for descriptions of the roles of officers.
Full lists of the nominees, as well the Annual Report, will be circulated to members as part of our AGM papers.
The business papers, structure and operations of the IHBC, as well as the legal and ethical duties of trustees, are identified in the papers and links listed at: LINK
For those interested in serving as Branch nominees, as one route to trusteeship of the IHBC, further details on Branch operations are available at: LINK
Download a nomination form for trustees HERE
