Standing Orders
• The Animal Welfare Network for Wales (AWNW) is an independent, self regulated network to facilitate and foster good relationships between all organisations working in Wales with an interest in Animal Welfare.
• The network is not a policy making body and as such will not ‘represent’ its member’s views publicly.
• For the majority of business, the AWNW will be a virtual network. The bulk of information to be disseminated and exchanged will be done through the AWNW’s own website www.awnwales.org
• One of the key functions of the network is to provide information for the Third Sector Partnership Council (TSPC), on which the network has a seat representing animal welfare.
Membership
• Membership of the network is open to all organisations working directly or indirectly in animal welfare, with volunteers and/or staff working in Wales. (An organisation’s HQ does not have to be situated within Wales.)
• Membership is indicated when a survey is completed by an organisation and their details are held within the membership section of the website. Members are then bound by AWNW standing orders.
• All Members are equal in status within the network.
Members’ Code of Conduct
• Once a member, all individuals are required to treat their fellow network members with courtesy and respect.
• The network is designed to facilitate the dissemination of information amongst members and is not there to provide a public forum for an individual’s, or organisation’s, complaints.
• There will inevitably be organisations within the network who are diametrically opposed to one another, however the network is not developing policy, only facilitating it and so all members must refrain from criticising another organisation’s policies whilst at AWNW functions / meetings or on the AWNW website.
• Any organisation criticising or denigrating another organisation or individual at the AWNW conference or other functions or on the member’s own website with specific reference to the AWNW, will be subject to the Complaints Procedure (see below).
• Clearly these procedures do not bind individuals or organisations outside of AWNW business and as such members are free to campaign as their organisations see fit outside of the Network. However any reference to the Animal Welfare Network will constitute a breach of membership rules and will be subject to the Complaints Procedure.
Complaints procedure
• Whilst it is hoped that all members will agree to the Code of Conduct, it is necessary to have a standing orders procedure to which all members have signed up, that can deal with any complaints. This will in effect protect the integrity of the Network.
• Members must feel protected and able to participate freely, however no one must be allowed to use the Network to launch any form of attack on another organisation or individual.
• All Members are equal and entitled to this same protection offered by a Code of Conduct.
• Should an AWNW member be found to have criticised or denigrated another organisation or individual at any form of AWNW event or on the website, that person or persons will be immediately subject to this procedure.
• In such circumstance as laid out above, the Board/Committee will immediately:-
a) request an apology from the individual or organisation who has made the criticism. Should an apology not be forthcoming, then
b) the organisation has 1 week to supply the apology in writing to the Board/Committee, which will be posted on the website. Any form of apology must be directed at the organisation or individual criticised and also to the network as a whole. If no such apology is received then
c) the Board/Committee will meet to discuss the details of the criticism made. The Board may then vote to exclude the individual or organisation temporarily or permanently from the Network.
Board / Committee
The AWNW will be a virtual network with the exception of the annual conference when members will be invited to meet to discuss relevant network interests. As such there is a requirement to elect a Board or Committee to oversee the day-to-day running of the network in order to make sure, for instance
a) that the network remains independent,
b) plans an annual conference where appropriate and,
c) ensures the website is kept up to date.
• Once a year a Committee or Board will be elected to oversee the management of the network, communications and the website.
• The Committee / Board will not be empowered to make any policy decisions on behalf of the membership.
• The Powers of the Board / Committee are strictly limited to what is laid out in these Standing Orders.
• Seven individuals will be elected at each AGM.
[Please note at the inaugural AGM September 2006 and for 2007, only 6 members will be elected to join the existing Voluntary Sector Partnership Council member]
• The procedure for electing Board / Committee members is set out below.
• At the first Board / Committee meeting following the Annual Conference, the elected members will elect from themselves the following Officer-ships:
a) Chair
b) 2 x Vice-Chairs
c) Treasurer
d) Membership Officer
e) Deputy TSPC representative
f) Information Officer
In addition one of the seven members, other than (e), will be elected as the TSPC representative.
• Meetings will be held a minimum of twice a year.
• Remit will include
a) Planning the annual conference
b) Administering the website
c) Administering the funds
d) Complaints procedure
e) Review, revise and enforce Standing Orders.
• Minutes of all Board meetings will be taken and posted on the AWNW website.
Annual Conference / AGM
• Where possible and within budget restrictions there should be an annual conference.
• This conference will be held at an appropriate venue in Wales
• Notice of the conference date will be posted at least 2 months in advance.
• Conferences must have the capacity to cater for at least one representative from each member organisation. Subject to funds the conference should be planned to allow for two representatives per organisation and a maximum of three, offered equally to the entire membership.
Procedure – Elections
[At the inaugural conference, in order to make the proceedings an equal opportunity all nominations and voting will take place on the day. This will mean it is necessary for all candidates for election to be present at conference. For all subsequent conferences please see below for the relevant procedure]
• All elections to the Board / Committee will take place at the annual conference.
• A month before the annual conference each member organisation will be issued with a nomination form. This form must be submitted at the latest two weeks before the conference.
• A member can self nominate but they must be seconded by three different member organisations.
• At the annual conference, all members of the network will be issued with a voting card. Only one per organisation will be issued.
• All names validated for nomination (i.e. have the appropriate seconders) will be put to the whole membership for the vote. Members who have submitted the appropriate nomination may be elected in absentia.
• At the conference, members will fill in their voting card with a maximum of seven names they wish to see elected. Each name may only appear once on each card.
• Through ‘First Past the Post’ seven Board/Committee members will subsequently be elected.
• Should there be less than seven members elected to Board / Committee, those who are elected may subsequently co-opt members from the Network. All elected Board members must be unanimous when voting on a co-opted member.
• Should a voting card be submitted with names appearing in duplicate or more, or invalid (i.e. not formally nominated) names, the card will be classified as spoilt and not counted amongst the votes.
Website / Communications
• The website www.awnwales.org will be the main form of communication for the network.
• All relevant news, TSPC papers/links and consultations will be posted on the site.
• All members of the network will be listed under the membership section including a write-up on the organisation and the main contact details, as supplied by each member.
• The website will have a ‘My Network’ section for members to post their news, consultation responses and anything else relevant to the network. To do so, members need to email the administrator of the website and items will be posted as soon as possible afterwards.
• The Code of Conduct will also apply to the website. Any material submitted for posting must comply and no information intended to belie another organisation will be accepted. The Board/Committee will assess and decide upon any controversial submissions.
The Third Sector Partnership Council (TSPC)
• The Third Sector Partnership Council (TSPC) is a key body in maintaining regular dialogue between the voluntary sector and the National Assembly.
• It is always chaired by a Minister and is made up of 11 Assembly Members reflecting party balance, 21 representatives of voluntary sector networks working across 21 key areas of voluntary sector activity and 3 representatives from the WCVA.
• The main purpose of the Third Sector Partnership Council is to make sure that the principles set out in the Third Sector Scheme are put into practice. It also provides an opportunity for the sector to raise key areas of interest or concern with Assembly Members and Ministers when they arise. It generally does not discuss issues that relate to only one area of interest (these can be taken up in the Ministerial meetings) and as a national body it is concerned with issues affecting all of Wales.
• To find out more, members should refer to the Assembly’s website www.wales.gov.uk
The Animal Welfare Network for Wales (AWNW) has a seat on the TSPC. It is a chance for issues affecting those volunteers working in animal welfare to be heard and addressed, although it does not allow for issues specifically related to animal welfare. However the Third Sector Scheme does make provision for the various volunteering networks, including the AWNW, to meet with Ministers and it is at these Forums that issues relating to animal welfare can be raised.
The Network therefore has responsibilities with regards the TSPC and so in respect of that:-
• All TSPC papers or link will be available on the website in advance of the meetings providing they have been supplied by the Assembly within the agreed timetable.
• It is the responsibility of AWNW members to check the website for the forthcoming meeting’s papers and to forward any comments to the TSPC representative within a reasonable timeframe.
• Any relevant information, with regards animal welfare, in TSPC meetings will be reported back to the AWNW via the website.
• The representative to the TSPC (post 2006) will be selected from the Board/Committee members.
• The AWNW representative to the TSPC must be able to demonstrate they represent the diversity of the network, such as three or more of the following:-
a) Domestic animal welfare
b) Farm animal welfare
c) Wild animal welfare
d) Water mammals
e) Fish / Aquaculture
f) Invertebrates & Reptiles
This is to ensure that all sectors are represented equally. The animal welfare sector is extremely diverse and the AWNW is in fact only an umbrella network for in effect dozens of other networks working on single issues, single species or single sectors. It is important to note however that this is only with regard the three TSPC Council meetings a year. The Ministerial meetings with, for example, the Minister for Environment, Planning and Countryside are open to the wider membership. For more details contact the TSPC Co-ordinator at the Wales Council for Voluntary Action - 029 2043 1700.
