Constitution

CONSTITUTION (October 2021)

1. NAME

The name of the group shall be 'The Association for Person Centred Therapy (Scotland)', hereinafter abbreviated to The Association.

2. PURPOSE

1. To maintain and raise standards for Person Centred therapy and to explore ways of developing the Approach.
2. To provide support for Person Centred therapists in Scotland and in particular, to provide opportunities for their ongoing professional and personal development through shared experience and training workshops.
3. To make Person Centred therapy available throughout Scotland by trained and supervised therapists.
4. To extend the understanding of the Person Centred approach and to promote public awareness of the existence and scope of Person Centred therapy.

3. MEMBERSHIP

Membership is open to all therapists who:

1. Meet the criteria of the Association membership document.
2. Are an individual member of a recognised professional body which has an official complaints procedure. These include BACP, COSCA, BPS, UKCP, AHPP. Other organisations will be considered on provision of evidence of an appropriate code of ethics and official complaints procedure.

4. TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP

1. A Special General Meeting of the Association shall have the right to terminate, for good and sufficient reason, the membership of any person, provided that that person shall have the right to attend and be heard by the Special General Meeting before the decision is finally made
2. Any member who has not paid their membership in full within 2 months of the subscription renewal date (1st June) or who has not come to some arrangement with the Treasurer / Secretary prior to 1st August of the year in question will be deemed to have terminated their membership of the Association.

5. CODE OF ETHICS AND PRACTICE

The Association has adopted the BACP Ethical Framework. All members are expected to be familiar with and to abide by this Ethical Framework, a copy of which is available from the Secretary on request.

6. COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE PRACTICE OF MEMBERS

1. All members must abide by the BACP Ethical Framework as well as the Code of Ethics of the professional body of which they are a member.
2. Any complaint made concerning the practice of a member will be redirected to the member’s professional body and the counsellor involved will be advised that this has happened.
3. The counsellor has the responsibility to inform his or her client of his or her professional body’s complaints procedure.
4. The Association will hold up to date copies of the complaints procedures of the relevant professional bodies.
5. The Association will inform the complainant of the member’s professional body.
6. If the complaint is upheld by the counsellor’s professional body and his or her membership is terminated, his or her membership of the Association will be terminated.

7. COORDINATING GROUP

1. The coordinating group will meet on a regular basis for the day to day running of the Association.  It is empowered to work within the constitution.
2. The dates, agendas and minutes of Coordinating Group meetings will be made available to all members of the Association.
3. The coordinating group will consist of the elected Office Bearers and co-opted members. All members of the Association are entitled to attend Coordinating Group meetings.
4. Appointment of Office Bearers. A Treasurer and Secretary will be elected at each Annual General Meeting and will serve until the next Annual General Meeting.
5. Retirement of Office Bearers. If an Office Bearer is unable to serve until the next Annual General Meeting then they will give notice of their retirement at the next Coordinating Group meeting and this will be recorded in the minutes.  The Coordinating Group will appoint an acting Office Bearer until a Special General Meeting or Annual General Meeting can take place. The maximum term that an acting Office Bearer can serve under this arrangement is 3 months. 

8. GENERAL MEETINGS

1. Notice of Meetings. Notice of annual general meetings shall be sent out 21 days in advance by the Secretary. The exception to this is a Special General Meeting (para 10 (ii)).
2. Minutes. Minutes will be taken at all annual general meetings. Members will be circulated with the minutes of each meeting held.
3. Decisions/Adoptions/Ratifications. Items requiring decision/adoption/ratification will be announced to all members:
   1. In the agenda of the Annual General Meeting before such decision is to be adopted.
   2. By notice of a Special General Meeting (para 10 (ii)).
5. Every member shall have an equal vote.
6. In the event of an absence of consensus decisions shall be taken by a majority.
7. A quorum shall consist of 10% of the number of members. A quorum can make decisions on all issues that have been marked for decision in the agenda or notice for the meeting, or ratification in the circulated Minutes of a previous meeting.
8. Where possible, arrangements for remote participation, including voting, will be made.

9. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

1. The Annual General Meeting will be held in within 9 months of the financial year end.

10. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING

1. Special General Meetings can be called by any 2 members for purposes of making decisions that are considered to be too urgent to await the next scheduled Annual General Meeting.
2. Notice. All members shall receive 10 days notice of such Special General Meetings.

11. ACCOUNTS

1. Books shall be kept and income and expenditure correctly entered.
2. A bank account shall be held in the name of the Association.
3. The two elected Office bearers and two additional members nominated by the coordinating group will have authorised access to the Association account. They will jointly report the status of the bank account at Coordinating Group meetings. 
4. The books and accounts will be presented to the Association each year by the Office Bears and nominated Coordinating Group members, and reviewed by two independent examiners selected by the Coordinating Group. An independent examiner may be a member of the Association but will not be a member of the Coordinating Group.
5. Monies collected in subscriptions will be used to further the purposes of the Association.

12. DISSOLUTION

1. The Association may be dissolved at any time by the resolution of a meeting of Members at a Special General Meeting whose date and purpose shall have been notified to all Members with not less than 21 days notice.
2. After satisfaction of all debts and liabilities, any property remaining shall be given or transferred to another Person Centred group or organisation or to BACP as shall be determined by the Special General Meeting passing the resolution of dissolution.