Constitution
adopted on October 2000
amended on March 2009
A Name
The name of the organisation is The Confederation of Heads of Young Peoples Services (commonly known as CHYPS).
B Administration
Subject to the matters set out below the Confederation and its property shall be administered and managed in accordance with this constitution by the members of the Executive Committee, constituted by clause G of this constitution (the Executive Committee)
C Objects
The Confederations objects (the objects) are:
1) to establish a network of strategic and operational leads for the component services of Integrated Youth Support Services in order to provide support to these officers
2) to provide a professional response to integrated youth support services, including information advice and guidance, juvenile justice, positive activities, youth work and young peoples issues at regional, national and international levels with a view to developing agreed strategies to influence policy makers and public opinion.
3) to further the interests of local authority integrated youth support services and
other services for young people
4) to extend opportunities for working in partnership with other organisations interested in the development of work with young people
5) to create opportunities for informed debate and exchange of views on issues affecting young people
D Powers
In furtherance of the objects but not otherwise the Executive Committee may exercise the following powers:
1) power to raise funds and to invite and receive contributions provided that in raising funds the Executive Committee shall not undertake any substantial permanent trading activities and shall conform to any relevant requirements of the law;
2) power to buy, take on lease or in exchange any property necessary for the achievement of the objects and to maintain and equip it for use;
3) power subject to any consents required by law to sell, lease or dispose of all or any part of the property of the Confederation;
4) power subject to any consent required by law to borrow money and to charge all or any part of the property of the Confederation with repayment of the money so borrowed;
5) power to employ such staff as are necessary for the proper pursuit of the objects and to make all reasonable and necessary provision for the payment of pensions and superannuation for staff and their dependants;
6) power to co-operate with charities, voluntary bodies and statutory authorities operating in furtherance of the objects or of similar purposes and to exchange information and advice with them;
7) power to establish or support any charitable trusts, associations or institutions formed for all or any of the objects;
8) power to appoint and constitute such advisory committees as the Executive Committee may think fit;
9) powers to do all such other lawful things as are necessary for the achievement of the objects.
E Membership
Full Membership of the Confederation shall be open to the strategic leads of IYSS and the operational leads of the component services of IYSS.
Associate Membership of the Confederation shall be open to regional youth work advisers and the government office lead for IYSS and the managers with operational responsibility for the delivery of IYSS.
Former members of APYCO who are no longer eligible for full membership may apply to become an Associate member. The annual fee for membership will be £100. APYCO Executive Committee reserves the right to reduce or waive the fee to take into account the level of contribution that a former member may make. Membership of this and other categories of membership remain the final decision of the Executive.
Affiliated membership of the Confederation shall be open to colleagues with either strategic or operational management responsibility from our recognised partnership organisations e.g. NCN, AYM, NYA, ADCS.
Only full members have voting rights at the AGM and any other Extraordinary meetings called by the Confederation. Every full member shall have one vote.
Only full members are eligible for election as Officers or members of the Executive Committee.
1) The Executive Committee may unanimously and for good reason terminate the membership of any individual provided that the individual concerned shall have the right to be heard by the Executive Committee, accompanied by a friend, before a final decision is made.
F Executive Officers
1) At the annual general meeting of the Confederation the full members shall elect from amongst themselves a chair designate, a secretary and a treasurer, who shall hold office for a two year period in the first instance, from the conclusion of that meeting. They can be re-elected to serve a further two years.
2) As a general rule, the chair designate shall be elected as chair in 2 years following her/his election as chair designate
G Executive Committee
1) The Executive Committee shall consist of not less than 16 members being:
a) the executive officers specified in the preceding clause and the chair and the past chair;
b) one nominated member or a nominated substitute, appointed by each of the following regional groups of Principal Youth and Community Officers or their equivalent:
i) Eastern
ii)
iii)
iv) North East
v) South East
vi) South West
vii)
viii)
c) two nominated members, or nominated substitutes, appointed by the
d) such co-opted members of the Confederation as shall be appointed by the Executive Committee to ensure that the Executive Committee is balanced in accordance with equal opportunities and any other professional issue but so that no one may be appointed as a co-opted member if as a result more than one third of the members Executive Committee would be co-opted members. Each appointment of a co-opted member shall be made as the special meeting of the Executive Committee called under clause J (1) and shall take effect from the end of that meeting unless the appointment is to fill a place which has not then been vacated in which case the appointment shall run from the date when the post becomes vacant.
3) All appointed and co-opted members of the Executive Committee shall retire from office together at the end of the second annual general meeting next after the date on which they came into office but they may be re-appointed, or re-co-opted. Any member appointed or co-opted to fill a vacancy which arises during the usual two year term of office shall serve for the remaining period of the term of office of the member whose vacancy they were appointed or co-opted to fill.
4) The proceedings of the Executive Committee shall not be invalidated by any vacancy among their number or by any failure to appoint or any defect in the appointment or qualification or a member
5) Nobody shall be appointed as a member of the Executive Committee who would if appointed be disqualified under the provisions of the following clause.
H Determination of Membership of Executive Committee
A member of the Executive Committee shall cease to hold office if he or she:
1) is disqualified from acting as a member of the Executive Committee by virtue of Section 45 of the Charities Act 1992 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that provision);
2) becomes incapable by reason of mental disorder, illness or injury of managing and administering his or her own affairs;
3) is absent without the permission of the Executive Committee from all their meetings held within a period of twelve months and the Executive Committee resolve that his her office be vacated; or
4) notifies to the Executive Committee a wish to resign (but only if at least three members of the Executive Committee will remain in office when the notice of resignation is to take effect)
5) is not in full membership of The Confederation
I Executive Committee Members not to be personally interested
No member of the Executive Committee shall acquire any interest in property belonging to the Confederation or receive remuneration or be interested (otherwise than as a member of the Executive Committee) in any contract entered into by the Executive Committee.
J Meetings and proceedings of the Executive Committee
1) The Executive Committee shall hold at least four ordinary meetings each year. A special meeting may be called at any time by the chair or by any two members of the Executive Committee upon not less that four days notice being given to the other members of the Executive Committee of the matters to be discussed but if the matters include an appointment of a co-opted member then not less than twenty-one days notice must be given.
2) The chair shall act as chair at meetings of the Executive Committee. If the chair is absent from any meeting, the members of the Executive Committee present shall choose one of their number to be chair of the meeting before any other business is transacted
3) There shall be a quorum when at least one-third of the number of members of the Executive Committee for the time being or three members of the Executive Committee, whichever is the greater, are present at a meeting
4) Every matter shall be determined by a majority of votes of the members of the Executive Committee present and voting on the question but in the case of equality of votes the chair of the meeting shall have a second casting vote.
5) The Executive Committee shall keep minutes of the proceedings at meetings of the Executive Committee and any sub-committee.
6) The Executive Committee may from time to time make and alter rules for the conduct of their business, the summoning and conduct of their meetings and the custody of documents. No rule may be made which is inconsistent with this constitution.
7) The Executive Committee may appoint one or more sub-committees consisting of three or more members of the Executive Committee for the purpose of making any inquiry or supervising or performing any function or duty which in the opinion of the Executive Committee would be more conveniently undertaken or carried out by sub-committee: provided that all acts and proceedings of any such sub-committee shall be fully and promptly reported to the Executive Committee.
K Policy Group
1) The Policy Group shall consist of the Chair, Chair Designate, Former Chair, Treasurer and Secretary.
2) The Chief Executive and the Professional Assistant may attend meetings at the request of the Chair.
3) The purpose of the Policy Group is to:
a. Devise strategic and policy direction for recommendation to the Executive Committee.
To provide first line responses to requests for comment or opinion
L Receipts and expenditure
1) The funds of the Confederation, including all donations, contributions and bequests, shall be paid into accounts operated by the Executive Committee in the name of the Confederation at such bank as the Executive Committee shall from time to time decide. All cheques drawn on the accounts must be signed by at least two members of the Executive Committee.
2) The funds belonging to the Confederation shall be applied only in furthering the objects.
M Property
1) Subject to the provisions of sub-clause (2) of this clause, the Executive Committee shall cause the title to:
a) all land held by or in trust for the Confederation which is not vested in the Official Custodian for Charities; or such other responsible bodies.
b) all investments held by or on behalf of the Confederation to be vested either in a corporation entitled to act as custodian trustee or in not less than three individuals appointed by them as holding trustees. Holding trustees may be removed by the Executive Committee at their pleasure and shall act in accordance with the lawful directions of the Executive Committee. Provided they act only in accordance with the lawful directions of the Executive Committee, the holding trustees shall not be liable for the acts and defaults of its members
2) If a corporation entitled to act as custodian trustee has not been appointed to hold the property of the Confederation, the Executive Committee may permit any investments held by or in trust for the Confederation to be held in the name of a clearing bank, trust corporation or any stock broking company which is a member of the International Stock Exchange (or any subsidiary of any such stock broking company) as nominee for the Executive Committee, and may pay such a nominee reasonable and proper remuneration for acting as such.
N Accounts
The Executive Committee shall:
1) keep accounting records for the Confederation;
2) prepare annual statements of account for the Confederation; and
3) arrange for the auditing or independent examination of the statements of account of the Confederation;
O Annual Report
The Executive Committee shall produce an annual report.
P Annual General Meeting
1) There shall be an annual general meeting of the Confederation which shall be held within fifteen months of the previous annual general meeting.
2) Every annual general meeting shall be called by the Executive Committee. The secretary shall give at least twenty-one days notice of the annual general meeting to all the members of the Confederation. All the members of the Confederation shall be entitled to attend and vote at the meeting.
3) Before any other business is transacted at the first annual general meeting the persons present shall appoint a chair of the meeting. The chair shall be the chair of subsequent general meetings, but if he or she is not present, before any other business is transacted, the persons present shall appoint a chair of the meeting.
4) The Executive Committee shall present to each annual general meeting the report and accounts of the Confederation for the preceding year.
5) Nominations for election to the Executive Committee must be made by members of the Confederation in writing and must be in the hands of the secretary of the Executive Committee at least fourteen days before the annual general meeting. Should nominations exceed vacancies, election shall be by ballot held at the annual general meeting. In the event that insufficient nominations are received the chair may, at her or his discretion accept nominations from a member or members attending the annual general meeting.
Q Special General Meetings
The Executive Committee may call a special meeting of the Confederation at any time. If at least ten members request such a meeting in writing stating the business to be considered the secretary shall call such a meeting. At least twenty-one days notice must be given. The notice must state the business to be discussed.
R Procedure at General Meetings
1) The secretary or other person specially appointed by the Executive Committee shall keep a full record of proceedings at every general meeting of the Confederation.
2) There shall be a quorum when at least one-tenth of the number of members of the Confederation for the time being or ten members of the, Confederation whichever is the lesser, are present at any general meeting.
S Notices
Any notice required to be served on any member of the Confederation shall be in writing and shall be served by the secretary or the Executive Committee on any member either personally or by sending it through the post in a prepaid letter addressed to such member at his or her last know address in the United Kingdom, and any letter so sent shall be deemed to have been received within ten days of posting.
T Alterations to the Constitution
The Constitution may be altered by a resolution passed by not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting at a general meeting. The notice of the general meeting must include notice of the resolution, setting out the terms of the alteration proposed.
U Dissolution
If the Executive Committee decides that it is necessary or advisable to dissolve the Confederation it shall call a meeting of all members of the Confederation, of which not less than twenty-one days notice (stating the terms of the resolution to b proposed) shall be give. If the proposal is confirmed by a two-thirds majority of those present and voting the Executive Committee shall have power to realise any assets held by or on behalf of the Confederation. Any assets remaining after the satisfaction of any proper debts and liabilities shall be given or transferred to such other charitable institution or institutions having objects similar to the object of the Confederation as the members of the Confederation may determine or failing that shall be applied for some other charitable purpose.
This constitution was adopted on the date mentioned above by the persons whose signatures appear at the bottom of this document.
Signed
