CONSTITUTION
OF
[Carnwadric Working together to Increase skills and confidence and to Nurture personal growth Project hereafter known as Carnwadric WIN Project (SCIO)
No SCO44257
CONSTITUTION
of
[Carnwadric WIN Project]
CONTENTS
GENERAL type of organisation, Scottish principal office, name, purposes, powers, liability, general structure clauses 1 – 10
BOARD (CHARITY TRUSTEES) number, eligibility, election/ retiral/re-election, termination of office, register of charity trustees, office bearers, powers, general duties, code of conduct clauses 11 – 46
DECISION-MAKING BY THE CHARITY TRUSTEES notice, procedure at board meetings, minutes clauses 47 – 75
ADMINISTRATION sub-committees, operation of accounts, accounting records and annual accounts clauses 76 – 84
MISCELLANEOUS winding up, alterations to the constitution, interpretation clauses 84 – 89
GENERAL
Type of organisation
1 The organisation will, upon registration, be a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO).
Scottish principal office
2 The principal office of the organisation will be in Scotland (and must remain in Scotland).
Name
The name of the organisation is Carnwadric WIN Project.
Purposes, Beneficiaries
3 The organisation is established for charitable purposes only, and in particular, the objects are:
3.1 To advance health through supporting and enabling vulnerable parents and carers who are struggling with life issues such as addiction, budgeting and parenting skills. Also to advance health through improving self-esteem in vulnerable children by increasing skills and confidence through drama and music.
3.2 To advance citizenship and community development through increasing skills and confidence of vulnerable parents, carers and children thus enabling them to more positively participate in their community.
Area of Benefit & Beneficiaries
4 The area within which the organisation shall operate (in this constitution referred to as the ‘Area of Benefit’) shall be Carnwadric, Arden, Kennishead and Regent’s Park in the G46 area of Glasgow.
5 The organisation shall promote (but not promote exclusively) its activities and delivery operations to people within the ‘Area of Benefit’ who will be vulnerable families including grandparents, carers, parents and children who are in need of support practically and emotionally. These people will be the organisation’s beneficiaries.
Powers
6 The organisation has power to do anything which is calculated to further its purposes or is conducive or incidental to doing so, as stated in Section 50 (5) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005.
7 No part of the income or property of the organisation may be paid or transferred (directly or indirectly) to the members/Charity Trustees – either in the course of the organisation’s existence or on dissolution – except where this is done in direct furtherance of the organisation’s charitable purposes.
General structure
8 The structure of the organisation consists of the Charity Trustees who are also the organisation’s only members and comprise the organisation’s Board.
Liability of Charity Trustees (members)
9 The Charity Trustees (the only members) of the organisation have no liability to pay any sums to help to meet the debts (or other liabilities) of the organisation if it is wound up; accordingly, if the organisation is unable to meet its debts, the Charity Trustees will not be held responsible.
10 The Charity Trustees have certain legal duties under the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005; and clause 9 does not exclude (or limit) any personal liabilities they might incur if they are in breach of those duties or in breach of other legal obligations or duties that apply to them personally.
BOARD
Qualifications for Charity Trusteeship
11 Charity Trusteeship is open to;
11.1 Any person aged 16 or over who lives or works in the area and will promote the objectives of the charity.
11.2 Any individual who has been nominated for membership by an unincorporated organisation; and/or
11.3 any corporate body,
Application for Charity Trusteeship
12 Any person, nominated individual or body who/which wishes to become a Charity Trustee must sign a written application for Charity Trusteeship; and for a corporate body, that application must be signed by an appropriately authorised officer of that body who will remain as the representative of that corporate body until such time as the corporate body informs the Board otherwise.
13 The application will then be considered by the Board at its next Board meeting.
14 The Board may, at its discretion, refuse to admit any person, nominated individual or corporate body, or veto the proposed authorised officer acting as a representative of a corporate body, to Charity Trusteeship.
15 The Board must notify each applicant promptly (in writing, which includes by e-mail) of its decision on whether or not to admit him/her/it to Charity Trusteeship.
Subscription to the SCIO
16 No subscription will be payable.
Number of Charity Trustees
17 The maximum number of Charity Trustees is 12 (twelve).
18 The minimum number of Charity Trustees is 4 (four).
Eligibility
19 A person will not be eligible for election or appointment to the Board if they:
19.1 are disqualified from being a charity trustee under the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005; or
19.2 have entered into a full time or part time employment contract with the organisation, with the exception of employment as described in clauses 41 and 42.
Initial Charity Trustees
20 The individuals who signed the Charity Trustee declaration forms which accompanied the application for incorporation of the organisation shall be deemed to have been appointed as Charity Trustees with effect from the date of incorporation of the organisation and its entry on the Scottish Charity Register.
Annual General Meeting
21 The Board must arrange a meeting of the Charity Trustees (an annual general meeting or “AGM”) in each calendar year, reporting on the immediately preceding financial year of the organisation.
22 The gap between one AGM and the next must not be longer than 15 months.
23 Notwithstanding clause 21, an AGM does not need to be held during the calendar year in which the organisation is formed; but the first AGM must still be held within 15 months of the date on which the organisation is incorporated and entered on the Scottish charity Register.
24 The business of each AGM must include:-
24.1 a report by the Chairperson on the activities of the organisation;
24.2 consideration of the annual statement of account of the organisation, as prepared under Section 44 of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005;
24.3 the election/re-election of Charity Trustees, as referred to in clauses 25 and 26.
Election, retiral, re-election
25 At each AGM, all of the charity trustees must retire from office – but may then be re-elected under clause 26.
26 A charity trustee retiring at an AGM will be deemed to have been re-elected unless:
26.1 They advise the Board prior to the conclusion of the AGM that they do not wish to be re-appointed as a charity trustee; or
26.2 an election process was held at the AGM and they were not among those elected/re-elected through that process; or
26.3 a resolution under sub-clauses 27.5, 27.6, 27.7, 27.8 was put to the AGM and was carried.
Termination of office
27 A Charity Trustee will automatically cease to hold office if: –
27.1 They become disqualified from being a charity trustee under the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005; or
27.2 They become incapable for medical reasons of carrying out his/her duties as a charity trustee – but only if that has continued (or is expected to continue) for a period of more than six months; or
27.3 They enter into a full time or part time employment contract with the organisation, with the exception of employment as described in clauses 41 and 42; or
27.4 They give the organisation a notice of resignation, signed by their authorised representative; or
27.5 They are absent (without good reason, in the opinion of the Board) from more than three consecutive meetings of the Board – but only if the Board resolves to remove them from office; or
27.6 They are removed from office by resolution of the Board on the grounds that they are considered to have committed a material breach of the code of conduct for Charity Trustees (as referred to in clauses 45 and 46); or
27.7 They are removed from office by resolution of the board on the grounds that they are considered to have been in serious or persistent breach of his/her duties under section 66(1) or (2) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005; or
27.8 They are removed from office for any other reason by resolution of the Board.
28 A resolution under sub-clauses 28.5, 28.6, 28.7, 28.8 shall be valid only if: –
28.1 the Charity Trustee who is the subject of the resolution is given 14 days written notice of the grounds upon which the resolution for his/her removal is to be proposed;
28.2 the Charity Trustee concerned is given the opportunity to address the meeting at which the resolution is proposed, prior to the resolution being put to the vote; and
28.3 at least two thirds (to the nearest round number) of the Charity Trustees vote in favour of the resolution as set out in clause 69.
Register of Charity Trustees
29 The Board must keep a register of Charity Trustees, setting out
29.1 for each current Charity Trustee:
29.1.1 Their full name and address; and
29.1.2 the date on which they were appointed as a Charity Trustee; and
29.1.3 any office held by him/her in the organisation; and
29.2 for each former Charity Trustee – for at least 6 years from the date on which they ceased to be a Charity Trustee:
29.2.1 the name of the Charity Trustee; and
29.2.2 any office held by him/her in the organisation; and
29.2.3 the date on which they ceased to be a Charity Trustee.
30 The Board must ensure that the register of Charity Trustees is updated within 28 days of any change:
30.1 which arises from a resolution of the Board; or
30.2 which is notified to the organisation.
31 If any person requests a copy of the register of charity trustees, the Board must ensure that a copy is supplied to him/her within 28 days, providing the request is reasonable; if the request is made by a person who is not a Charity Trustee of the organisation, the board may provide a copy which has the addresses blanked out – if the SCIO is satisfied that including that information is likely to jeopardise the safety or security of any person or premises.
Office-bearers
32 The Charity Trustees must elect (from among themselves) a Chairperson, a Treasurer and a Secretary.
33 In addition to the office-bearers required under clause 33, the Charity Trustees may elect (from among themselves) further office-bearers if they consider that appropriate.
34 All of the office-bearers will cease to hold office at the conclusion of each AGM, but may then be re-elected at the first Board meeting after the AGM, under clause 32 and 33.
35 A person/nominated individual/corporate body elected to any office will automatically cease to hold that office: –
35.1 if they cease to be a charity trustee; and/or
35.2 if they give to the organisation a notice of resignation from that office, signed by their authorised officer.
Powers of Board
36 Except where this constitution states otherwise, the organisation (and its assets and operations) will be managed by the Board; and the Board may exercise all the powers of the organisation.
37 A meeting of the Board at which the appropriate quorum (as set out in clauses 54 and 67) is present may exercise all powers exercisable by the Board.
Charity Trustees – general duties & remuneration
38 Each of the Charity Trustees has a duty, in exercising their functions as a Charity Trustee, to act in the interests of the organisation; and, in particular, must:-
38.1 seek, in good faith, to ensure that the organisation acts in a manner which is in accordance with its purposes; and
38.2 act with the care and diligence which it is reasonable to expect of a person who is managing the affairs of another person; and
38.3 in circumstances giving rise to the possibility of a conflict of interest between the organisation and any other party:
38.3.1 put the interests of the organisation before that of the other party; or
38.3.2 where any other duty prevents him/her from doing so, disclose the conflicting interest to the organisation and refrain from participating in any deliberation or decision of the other Charity Trustees with regard to the matter in question;
38.4 ensure that the organisation complies with any direction, requirement, notice or duty imposed under or by virtue of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005.
39 In addition to the duties outlined in clause 38, all of the Charity Trustees must take such steps as are reasonably practicable for the purpose of ensuring: –
39.1 that any breach of any of those duties by a Charity Trustee is corrected by the Charity Trustee concerned and not repeated; and
39.2 that any Charity Trustee who has been in serious and persistent breach of those duties is removed as a Charity Trustee as described in clause 27.7.
40 Provided a trustee has declared his/her interest – and has not voted on the question of whether or not the organisation should enter into the arrangement – a Charity Trustee will not be debarred from entering into an arrangement with the organisation in which they have a private interest; and (subject to clauses 41 and 42 and to the provisions relating to remuneration for services contained in Sections 67, 68 and 68A of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005), they may retain any private benefit which arises from that arrangement.
41 No Charity Trustee may serve as an employee (having entered into a full time or part time contract) of the organisation with the only exception being as stated in clause 42.
42 For the avoidance of doubt, it is permissible for a Charity Trustee to be employed as a temporary sessional worker, provided that:
42.1 such employment is explicitly authorised by the Board; and
42.2 it is temporary; and
42.3 it be in accordance with the rules laid down in clause 40.
43 No Charity Trustee may be given any remuneration by the organisation for carrying out his/her duties as a Charity Trustee.
44 The Charity Trustees may be paid all ‘out of pocket’ travelling and other expenses reasonably incurred by them in connection with carrying out their duties; this may include expenses relating to their attendance at meetings. The Charity Trustees must have a written policy and approved procedure on such matters.
Code of conduct for Charity Trustees
45 Each of the Charity Trustees shall comply with the code of conduct of the organisation (incorporating detailed rules on conflict(s) of interest) adopted by the Board.
46 The code of conduct referred to in clause 45 shall be supplemental to the provisions relating to the conduct of Charity Trustees contained in this constitution and the duties imposed on Charity Trustees under the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005. All relevant provisions of this constitution shall be interpreted and applied in accordance with the provisions of the code of conduct which must be annually reviewed by the Board.
DECISION-MAKING BY THE CHARITY TRUSTEES
Notice of meetings
47 Any Charity Trustee may call a meeting of the Board and/or ask the secretary to call a meeting of the Board.
48 At least 14 clear days’ notice must be given of the AGM, or of a Board meeting at which the business of the meeting includes consideration of any resolution.
49 At least 7 clear days’ notice must be given for other Board meetings unless in the opinion of the Chairperson there is a degree of urgency which makes that inappropriate.
50 The notice calling an AGM or a Board meeting at which the business of the meeting includes consideration of any resolution, must specify in general terms what business is to be dealt with at the meeting; and
50.1 in the case of any other resolution falling within clause 68 (requirement for two-thirds majority) must set out the exact terms of the resolution.
51 The reference to “clear days” in clauses 48 and 49 shall be taken to mean that, in calculating the period of notice,
51.1 the day after the notices are posted (or sent by e-mail) should be excluded; and
51.2 the day of the meeting itself should also be excluded.
52 Notice of the AGM and Board meetings must be given to all the Charity Trustees; but the accidental omission to give notice to one or more Charity Trustees will not invalidate the proceedings at the meeting.
53 Any notice which requires to be given to a Charity Trustee under this constitution must be: –
53.1 sent by post to the Charity Trustee, at the address last notified by him/her to the organisation and on the register of charity trustees as described in clause 29; and/or
53.2 sent by e-mail to the Charity Trustee, at the e-mail address last notified by him/her to the organisation. It is the responsibility of each Charity Trustee to keep their personal email details up to date.
Procedure at Board meetings
54 No valid decisions can be taken at a Board meeting unless a quorum is present; the quorum for Board meetings is 4 Charity Trustees, present in person, except for Board meetings at which a resolution(s) is to be considered, as described in clause 67.
“54A. A charity trustee may participate in a meeting of the board by means of a conference telephone, video conferencing facility or similar communications equipment – so long as all the charity trustees participating in the meeting can hear each other; a charity trustee participating in a meeting in this manner shall be deemed to be present in person at the meeting.”
55 If at any time the number of Charity Trustees in office falls below the number stated as the quorum in clause 54, the remaining Charity Trustee(s) will have power to fill the vacancies – but will not be able to take any other valid decisions
56 The Chairperson of the organisation should act as Chairperson of each Board meeting.
57 If the Chairperson is not present within 15 minutes after the time at which the meeting was due to start (or is not willing to act as Chairperson), the Charity Trustees present at the meeting must elect (from among themselves) the person who will act as chairperson of that meeting.
58 Every Charity Trustee has one vote, which must be given personally for the avoidance of doubt, a vote given by a charity trustee participating in the meeting through any of the methods referred to in clause 54A will be taken to be given personally for the purposes of this clause.” except in the case of a vote with regard to a resolution under clause 64 and 65.
59 All decisions at Board meetings will be made by majority vote. (For procedure on resolutions either at Board meetings or AGMs see clauses 64 – 71).
60 If there are an equal number of votes for and against any decision, the Chairperson or the chairperson of the meeting (in the circumstances described in clause 57) will be entitled to a second (casting) vote.
61 The Board may, at its discretion, allow any person to attend and speak at a Board meeting notwithstanding that they are not a Charity Trustee – but on the basis that they must not participate in decision-making. The minute of that meeting must make the status of any such person clear for the avoidance of doubt as to their status.
62 A Charity Trustee must not vote at a Board meeting (or at a meeting of a sub-committee) on any decision which relates to a matter in which they have a private interest or duty which conflicts (or may conflict) with the interests of the organisation; they must withdraw from the meeting while an item of that nature is being dealt with as described in clause 38, 45 and 46.
63 For the purposes of clause 62:
63.1 Any private interest held by an individual who is “connected” with the Charity Trustee under section 68(2) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 (husband/wife, partner, child, parent, brother/sister and their spouses etc) shall be deemed to be held by that Charity Trustee; and/or
63.2 a Charity Trustee will be automatically deemed to have a private interest in relation to a particular matter, if a body in relation to which They is an employee, director, member of the management committee, charity trustee, officer or elected representative has an interest in that matter.
Voting on Resolutions
64 Every charity trustee has one vote in his/her capacity as a member, which must be given personally; for the avoidance of doubt, a vote given by a charity trustee participating in the meeting through any of the methods referred to in clause 70A will be taken to be given personally for the purposes of this clause.
65 A member who wishes to appoint a fellow Charity Trustee as their proxy to vote on their behalf with regard to (and only with regard to) resolutions, must lodge with the Chairperson or the chairperson of that meeting (in the circumstances described in clause 57), prior to the time when the meeting commences, a written proxy authorisation form, signed by their authorised representative.
66 All decisions on resolutions will be made by majority vote – with the exception of the types of resolution listed in clause 68.
67 The quorum for meetings (AGMs or Board meetings) at which a resolution(s) is to be considered is 4Trustees. For these meetings, and these meetings only, this quorum shall include proxies as described in clauses 64 and 65.
68 The following resolutions will be valid only if passed by not less than two thirds of those voting (either on person or by proxy as described in clauses 64 and 65) on the resolution at an AGM or at a Board meeting (or if passed unanimously by way of a written resolution under clause 73) and will also be subject, (with the exception of clauses 68.2 and 68.3) to clause 88:
68.1 a resolution amending the constitution (including changing the name of the organisation); or
68.2 a resolution expelling a person from Charity Trusteeship under clauses 27.5, 27.6, 27.7 or 27.8; or
68.3 a resolution directing the Board to take any particular action (or directing the board not to take any particular action); or
68.4 a resolution approving the amalgamation of the organisation with another SCIO (or approving the constitution of the new SCIO to be constituted as the successor pursuant to that amalgamation); or
68.5 a resolution to the effect that all of the organisation’s property, rights and liabilities should be transferred to another SCIO (or agreeing to the transfer from another SCIO of all of its property, rights and liabilities); or
68.6 a resolution for the winding-up of the organisation.
69 If there are an equal number of votes for and against any resolution, the Chairperson or chairperson of the meeting (in the circumstances described in clause 57), will be entitled to a second (casting) vote.
70 A resolution put to the vote at an AGM or Board meeting will be decided on a show of hands – unless the Chairperson or chairperson of the meeting (or at least two other Charity Trustees present at the meeting, whether voting personally or as proxies), ask for a secret ballot.
“70A. The board may make arrangements, in advance of any members’ meeting, to allow charity trustees (in their capacity as members of the organisation) to participate in the members’ meeting by means of a conference telephone, video conferencing facility or similar communications equipment – so long as all those participating in the meeting can hear each other; a charity trustee participating in a members’ meeting in this manner shall be deemed to be present in person at the meeting.”
71 The Chairperson or chairperson of the meeting will decide how any secret ballot is to be conducted, and They will declare the result of the ballot at the meeting.
Written resolutions by Charity Trustees
72 A resolution agreed to in writing (including by e-mail) by all the Charity Trustees will be as valid as if it had been passed at an AGM or Board meeting; the date of the resolution will be taken to be the date on which the last member agreed to it and it must be unanimous.
Minutes
73 The Board must ensure that proper minutes are kept in relation to all Board meetings and meetings of sub-committees.
74 The minutes to be kept under clause 73 must include the names of those present; and (so far as possible) should be signed by the Chairperson of the meeting.
75 With due reference to all applicable statutory requirements, it is wholly at the discretion of the Board as to whether or not the minute of a meeting, or any excerpt from the minute of a meeting, is to be made available to members of the public or any body.
ADMINISTRATION
Delegation to sub-committees
76 The Board may delegate any of their functions or powers to sub-committees; a sub-committee must include at least one Charity Trustee, but other members of a sub-committee need not be Charity Trustees.
77 The Board may also delegate to the Chairperson of the organisation (or the holder of any other post) such of their powers (but not their responsibilities) as they may consider appropriate.
78 When delegating powers under clause 76 or 77, the Board must set out appropriate conditions (which must include an obligation to report regularly to the Board).
79 Any delegation of powers under clause 76 or 77 may be revoked or altered by the Board at any time.
80 The rules of procedure for each sub-committee, and the provisions relating to membership of each sub-committee, shall be set by the Board.
Operation of accounts
81 Subject to clause 82, the signatures of two out of three signatories appointed by the Board will be required in relation to all operations (other than the lodging of funds) on the bank and building society accounts held by the organisation; at least one out of the two signatures must be the signature of a Charity Trustee.
82 Where the organisation uses electronic facilities for the operation of any bank or building society account, the authorisations required for operations on that account must be consistent with the approach reflected in clause 81.
Accounting records and annual accounts
83 The Board must ensure that proper accounting records are kept, in accordance with all applicable statutory requirements.
84 The Board must prepare an annual statement of account, complying with all relevant statutory requirements; which includes deciding the correct format of the accounts, and the appropriate external scrutiny requirement by either a registered auditor or an appropriately qualified independent examiner.
MISCELLANEOUS
Dissolution and wind-up of the organisation
85 If the organisation is to be dissolved and wound-up, the dissolution and wind-up process will be carried out in accordance with the procedures set out under the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (Removal from Register and Dissolution) Regulations 2011.
86 Any surplus assets available to the organisation immediately preceding its winding-up must be used for purposes which are the same as – or which closely resemble – the purposes of the organisation as set out in this constitution.
Alterations to the constitution
87 This constitution may (subject to clause 88) be altered by resolution of the Charity Trustees passed at an AGM or Board meeting (subject to achieving the two thirds majority referred to in clause 68) or by way of a unanimous written resolution of the members (as described in clause 72).
88 The Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 requires that consent is sought from the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) to action the following changes: change of name, an alteration to the purposes, amalgamation and/or winding-up.
Interpretation
89 References in this constitution to the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and other statutory regulations should be taken to include:
89.1 any statutory provision which adds to, modifies or replaces that Act or the regulations; and
89.2 any statutory instrument issued in pursuance of that Act or in pursuance of any statutory provision falling under clause 89.1 above.
In this constitution:
89.3 “charity” means a body which is either a “Scottish charity” within the meaning of section 13 of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 or a “charity” within the meaning of section 1 of the Charities Act 2006, providing (in either case) that its objects are limited to charitable purposes; and
89.4 “charitable purpose” means a charitable purpose under section 7 of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 which is also regarded as a charitable purpose in relation to the application of the Taxes Acts.