Governance and Committee

Governance Structure

The Society is governed by a Management Committee elected by the members under clause 7 of the Constitution. As an unincorporated association, the Society has no Board of Directors; Committee members act on behalf of the membership collectively, under the rules set out in the Committee and Officer Terms of Reference.

Composition

The Management Committee consists of between three and nine members, comprising:

1. the Chair, who presides at meetings and is the principal public representative of the Society;
2. the Secretary, who maintains records, convenes meetings, and acts as the point of first contact for applications and complaints;
3. the Treasurer, who keeps the Society’s accounts and presents them to the members at each Annual General Meeting; and
4. up to six further elected Committee members.

Officers and Committee members are elected at the Annual General Meeting for two-year terms. Only Members and Senior Members in good standing are eligible for election.

Current Management Committee

The Committee members named below were elected at the Society’s Annual General Meeting. Every officer is an active examiner bound by the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, and has filed a statement of interests under the Conflict of Interest Policy.

Sub-committees and Standing Functions

The Committee may appoint standing sub-committees for specific functions (Committee Terms of Reference §7). At present, the functions listed below are discharged by the Management Committee collectively, pending growth of the Committee and the membership.

• Continuing Professional Development (CPD). CPD policy, recognition and accreditation of CPD activities (CPD and Accreditation Policy). Currently discharged by the Committee.
• Membership. Application review, admission decisions, continuation of membership, directory listings. Currently discharged by the Committee.
• Directory. Maintenance and editorial oversight of the public BPS examiner directory. Currently discharged by the Committee.
• Communications. Society website, member communications, public notices, and published guidance. Currently discharged by the Committee.
• Research and Standards Sub-Committee. An advisory body. Research Members may be invited to join by the Committee. The Sub-Committee is advisory only and does not determine the content of the Standards of Practice or of any other binding policy.

Complaints and Appeals Panels

Disciplinary panels are convened ad-hoc per case, in accordance with the Complaints, Discipline and Appeals Procedure.

• Complaints Panel — three persons appointed by the Management Committee per case, including at least one Senior Member and at least one person independent of the Management Committee. The Panel appoints its own Chair from among its members.
• Appeals Panel — three persons appointed by the Chair per case, none of whom sit on the Management Committee or sat on the original Complaints Panel. At least one member of an Appeals Panel is wholly independent of the Society.

The Chair maintains a standing roster of persons willing to sit on an Appeals Panel if called upon, drawn both from BPS members outside the Management Committee and from professionals wholly independent of the Society. Roster members are not named publicly, in order to safeguard impartiality when a specific case is referred; composition is disclosed to the parties at the time the panel is convened.

Independent Examiner of Accounts

An Independent Examiner of Accounts (an external accountant, not a polygraph examiner) is appointed annually by the members in general meeting to examine the Society’s books (Constitution clause 9.2, where the formal term “independent examiner” is the standard UK phrase for this role). The Examiner is external to the Society and holds no voting rights at general meetings.

Decisions Reserved to the Members

The following cannot be decided by the Committee and are reserved to the members in general meeting:

1. amendment of the Constitution;
2. dissolution of the Society;
3. the setting of the annual subscription rate;
4. the appointment of the Independent Examiner of Accounts; and
5. the admission of Honorary Members.

Accountability

The Committee is accountable to the members at the Annual General Meeting, where it presents the Chair’s report, the accounts, and any policy proposals. The Annual Report of the Chair includes a statement of the Committee’s principal decisions in the year, the Society’s financial position, the numbers of new members admitted, complaints received and determined, and any material policy changes. The full rules governing the Committee are set out in the Committee and Officer Terms of Reference.

Register of Interests

Contacting the Committee

Correspondence to any officer of the Committee should be addressed to the Secretary at [email protected], or by post to the Society’s correspondence address. Individual officers’ personal contact details are not published.