Governance and leadership
The NCS Council will provide good governance and leadership by understanding their role. The following principles set out both the responsibilities and the overall ethos of the Society’s Council.
Members of the Council will understand their role and responsibilities collectively and individually in relation to:
- their legal duties
- their stewardship of assets
- the provisions of the governing document
- the external environment
- the total structure of the Society
- setting and safeguarding the vision, values and reputation of the Society
- overseeing the work of the Society
- Supporting members of the Society and the profession of Counselling
- Recognising the Society’s role in public safety
Delivery of Society’s purpose
The Council will ensure that the Society delivers its stated purposes or aims by:
- ensuring Society purposes remain relevant and valid
- developing and agreeing a long term strategy
- agreeing operational plans and budgets
- monitoring progress and spending against plan and budget
- evaluating results, assessing outcomes and impact
- reviewing and/or amending the plan and budget as appropriate.
Working effectively both as individuals and as a team
The Council will have a range of appropriate policies and procedures, knowledge, attitudes and behaviours to enable both individuals and the Council to work effectively.
These will include:
- finding and recruiting new Council members to meet the Society’s changing needs in relation to skills, experience and diversity
- Including Lay members on the Council
- providing suitable induction for new council members
- periodically reviewing their performance both as individuals and as a team.
Exercising effective control
As the accountable body, the council will ensure that:
- the Society understands and complies with all legal and regulatory requirements that apply to it
- the Society continues to have good internal financial and management controls
- it regularly identifies and reviews the major risks to which the Society is exposed and has systems to manage those risks
- delegation to committees, staff and members (as applicable) works effectively and the use of delegated authority is properly supervised
Behaving with integrity
The council will:
- safeguard and promote the Society’s reputation
- act according to high ethical standards
- identify, understand and manage conflicts of interest and loyalty
- maintain independence of decision making
Open and accountable
The Council will lead the Society in being open and accountable, both internally and externally.
This will include:
- open communications, informing people about the Society and its work
- appropriate consultation on significant changes to the Society’s services or policies
- listening and responding to the views of members, clients and the public, and others with an interest in the Society’s work and the profession of Counselling.
- handling complaints constructively, impartially and effectively
- considering the Society’s responsibilities to the wider community, e.g. its environmental impact
Underlying each of the above principles is the additional principle of equality – that of ensuring equality, diversity and equality of treatment for all sections of the community.
The Society also recognises the importance of public safety as a fundamental Principle.
Last reviewed on: 09/07/2021
Next review due: 09/07/2022