INTERNAL RULES OF ASSOCIATION
CODE OF CONDUCT
FIFI aims to provide the members of the Association with social, educational and cultural activities in a friendly, supportive atmosphere. In order to achieve this aim the Association has the following code of conduct.
All members should be respectful to each other at all times and should not act in any manner that brings the Association into disrepute.
Members are expected to maintain a climate of friendliness and respect in all communications with each other.
Abusive behaviour of any kind will not be accepted. This includes, but is not limited to violence, threatening or antisocial behaviour (physical, verbal, electronic or written)
Members are expected to maintain a degree of confidentiality.
Members need to be aware of data protection issues (see Appendix 3). Members do not have permission to collect email addresses from other members unless permission is granted by the recipient. Blanket emails can only be sent to members by the President, Vice-president, Secretary or Treasurer. Group leaders may send blanket emails to their group if permission has been given by recipients. Only paid up members of the Association are permitted to be part of the FiFi facebook group. Contact data on any member will be removed when a member is no longer a member of the Association.
Attendance at an Association group or event is open to members, or to an invited guest who is not eligible to join but attends with a member. Potential members can try one Association meeting before applying for membership. In this case they should contact a Committee member and be taken as an invited guest.
Members may not use FiFi for any form of canvassing.
The Committee cannot take responsibility for the behaviour of individuals in the Association but will deal with any issues brought to their attention.
If any member is seen to break any of the rules and cannot be accountable to the Committee then, following discussion and consideration by the Committee, they may lose their membership either temporarily or permanently.
Loss of membership through unacceptable behaviour; the member concerned will be invited by letter to provide an explanation of such behaviour to the Committee in writing. The Hearing panel of the Committee will then discuss and consider what action, if any, to take. The member will then be informed in writing by registered post and may be asked to attend a meeting with the Hearing panel. Any decision on ‘loss of membership’ is to be taken by the Hearing panel of the Committee. The hearing panel may issue a temporary suspension. During such suspension there will be a loss of participation and if the member is in an elected post a loss of function. If an appeal is lodged this will be considered by the Appeal panel of the Committee, who may, if necessary, ask the member to meet the panel or to submit a written response. They will inform the member of their decision in writing. Consideration of re-acceptance of an excluded member will be subject to discussion and vote by the Committee. The hearing and appeal panels will be formed as and when needed. If necessary, an external panel will be notified to sit in place of the Association Committee.
When a member leaves the Association, for whatever reason, all contact data on that member will be removed from all records.
The Committee is governed and has to abide by a constitution based on French law. The constitution clearly states that ‘The Committee has full authority to manage, direct and administer the Association in all circumstances’ (Article 11)
Guidance on roles of responsibility
In order to achieve the objective of the Association, as stated in Article 2, the Association will use the following means - opportunities for social engagement, sharing courses of instruction for entertainment and personal development. The role of the Committee is to support members in the organising of activities and, as such, their roles include the following -
The President:
has a legal responsibility to ensure that, for the smooth running of the organisation, the Articles of the Association are followed
has the right to know all the workings of the Association
has the casting vote should it be required
ensures good morals and ethics are adhered to
keeps all records as required by law
provides leadership and direction to the Committee and the Association
works to optimise the relationship between the Committee and other members
is the spokesperson for the Association unless delegated to another
maintains relationships with outside organisations
books venues for meetings and specific events
ensures required insurances are in place
administers the Association Facebook page
The Vice-President :
acts, in the short term, in the role of president in the absence of the elected president
assists the president to fulfil her responsibilities for the governance and success of the Association
works with the president to help her understand any concerns and issues within the Association
attends as many events and activities as possible
assists as a Facebook administrator
Treasurer :
oversees and present budgets, accounts and financial statements to the Committee on a regular basis
presents accounts and the financial position of the Association to the general membership at the Annual General MeetingpPrepares accounts for audits and liaises with the auditor as required
manages bank accounts for the Association
sets up appropriate systems for book-keeping, payments, lodgements and petty cash
receives and keeps records of all monies received by the Association
Secretary :
manages all official meetings of the Association
prepares agendas
keeps minutes of all official meetings
sends out and collates required paperwork for all official meetings
sends out weekly reminders and monthly newsletters to all members
assists as a Facebook administrator
Committee members :
attend all Committee meetings.
participate in as many events and activities as possible.
make themselves available to listen to members and take any issues/comments to the Committee as required
act at all times in the best interests of the Association, abiding by the Association Code of Conduct
hold joint responsibility for decisions and actions taken by the Committee, even in their absence
monitor the website and Facebook page, giving feedback to the president as necessary
aim to assist at all Association events
Committee members are delegated roles within the Committee in order to assist the president of the Association.
These roles cover the following areas:
the Association web page
meeting and greeting new members
keeping the asset register
co-ordinating and supporting group leaders
maintaining all paper work for the Association
managing any advertising through the Association
managing insurance for the Association
dealing with all French paperwork and organisations
the Association newsletter
managing membership
managing monthly lunches
managing regular coffee mornings
Individual members of the Committee can be renewed each year or on resignation, as is decided by the Committee members.
The Committee will also form hearing and appeal panels for dealing with any member breaking the code of Conduct.
Further details of these roles may be found on the Association web site.
Group leaders :
keep a regular communication with the Committee / secretary informing them of dates and content of meetings and membership of the group as well as any issues that may arise
keep records of the group members
ensure all group members are entitled to attend group meetings
communicate regularly with group members, informing them of meeting dates and content of meetings
use communication practices that keep data safe for members, getting the agreement of the recipient when using email or other addresses/details
provide written reports on meetings for the monthly newsletter and advise the newsletter editor on upcoming events within the group
ensure group participants are members of the Association for insurance purposes