As adopted at the Inaugural General Meeting on 14 October 1993 in Wakefield, England, and amended at the Annual General Meetings on 18 September 1996 in London, England, and 15 June 1998 in Glasgow, Scotland.

Name

1 The name of the association shall be "Caring for Children" (CfC).

Registered office

2 The registered office of the Association shall be in England.

Aim

3 The aim of the Association will be to promote and encourage high standards of care for children and young people and ensure that their developmental needs are met.

Objects

4 The objects for which the association is established are:

(a) To promote and encourage high standards of care for children and young people and ensure that their developmental needs are met.
(b) To collaborate with other national and international organisations in the development, publication and adoption of statements of agreed values and standards of conduct in the care of children and young people.
(c) To initiate, support, encourage and contribute to the development of policies in relation to all aspects of the upbringing of children and young people which exemplify and build on the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
(d) To support, encourage and contribute to the development of child care practice which exemplifies and builds on the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and is underpinned by the agreed values.
(e) To initiate, support and encourage research in the UK and abroad, and in particular research in which cross-cultural and cross-national perspectives are examined, into all aspects of the development of children and young people, their needs, the social and environmental contexts of their upbringing and the impact of child care philosophies, procedures, policies and practice on their upbringing.
(f) To identify, integrate, develop and publicise sources of information about child care philosophies, procedures, policies and practice in the UK and abroad and in particular sources in which cross-cultural and cross-national information is presented.
(g) To promote a wide knowledge of research and developments in all aspects of child care philosophies, procedures, policies and practice.

(h) To keep in touch with members of the Association and with other persons and bodies working with children and young people in order to exchange knowledge and experience in child care.
(i) To represent the views and experience of members in matters of child care philosophies, procedures, policies and practice.
(j) To take all necessary measures alone or in association with other persons or bodies to encourage the recruitment and professional development of people with the potential and/or capacity to provide high standards of care for children and young people.
(k) To value the contributions of child care workers, both direct carers and those who support them, so that they feel confident in themselves and function effectively.
(l) To initiate, support, promote and encourage a wide range of opportunities for the education, training and professional development of people working with children and young persons, their supervisors, managers, consultants, advisors and inspectors and any other persons whose work has an impact on the quality and provision of care for children and young people.
(m) To influence the provision of education and training so that the value and relevance of training programmes is enhanced for child care workers.
(n) To promote and encourage high standards of education, training, supervision, management, consultancy, support and inspection in child care.
(o) To initiate, support, promote and encourage the monitoring and evaluation of child care philosophies, procedures, policies and practice alone and in association with other persons and bodies.
(p) To support and promote the welfare of anyone working with children and young people, whether in receipt of remuneration or not, alone or in association with other persons or bodies in order to promote and encourage high standards of care for children and young people.
(q) To provide advice, support, consultation and consultancy services to persons and bodies involved in the provision, management, support and inspection of care for children and young people.
(r) To improve the professional and technical competence of members and others concerned with the care of children and young people by the promotion at international, national and local level of the interchange of information and experience through meetings, lectures, discussions, seminars, courses and conferences, the management and endowment of research, the publication, purchase, sale, hire and distribution of books, papers, reports, journals, audio-visual and computer generated materials and by any other means.
(s) To support members of the Association, alone or in association with other persons and bodies, though the provision of advice, support, counselling and, where necessary, representation in order to promote and encourage high standards of care for children and young people.
(t) To establish and maintain relations for and to initiate, support, encourage and provide for the interchange of information and experience with child care practitioners, supervisors, managers, trainers, consultants, inspectors and others concerned with child care, philosophies, procedures, policies and practice in any part of the world and to provide for the affiliation of the Association with any body in any part of the world whose objects are sufficiently like those of the Association to justify such affiliation.
(u) To support, encourage and collaborate with bodies whose objects are sufficiently like those of the Association that such support, encouragement or collaboration enables the objects for which the Association is established to be achieved more effectively.
(v) To support and encourage the establishment of new bodies in the UK and abroad for the purpose of achieving the objects of the Association more effectively.
(w) To initiate, support, promote and encourage the monitoring and evaluation of support and other services provided to people involved in the care of children and young people and the education, training and consultation for or support, management, and inspection of their work.
(x) To seek and, where necessary, administer funds to enable any or all of these objects to be achieved.

Assets

5 The income and property of the Association, whencesoever derived, shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the objects of the Association as set forth in this constitution and no portion thereof shall be paid or transferred directly or indirectly, by way of dividend, bonus or otherwise howsoever by way of profit, to the members of the Association. Providing that nothing herein shall prevent the payment, in good faith, of reasonable and proper remuneration to any officer or servant of the Association, or to any member of the Association in return for any services actually rendered to the Association, nor prevent the payment of interest at a reasonable or proper rate on money lent or reasonable and proper rent for premises demised or let by any member to the Association.

6 If upon the winding up or dissolution of the Association there remains, after the satisfaction of all its debts and liabilities, any property whatsoever, the same shall not be paid or distributed among the members of the Association but shall be given or transferred to some other institution having objects similar to the objects of the Association and which shall prohibit the distribution of its or their income and property among its or their members to an extent at least as great as is imposed on the Association under or by virtue of Clause 5 hereof, such institution or institutions to be determined by the members of the Association at or before the time of dissolution.

Membership

7 Any person in the UK, Isle of Man or Channel Islands who:
1 is committed to the setting of high standards in child care
2 supports the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
3 supports the Social Care Association's Code of Practice
4 pays such a subscription as shall be determined
on or before the fourteenth day of October 1993 shall be a founder member of the association and shall be entitled to vote at the inaugural meeting of the Association.

8 Thereafter, membership of the association shall be open to any person or organisation in the UK, Isle of Man or Channel Islands who:
1 supports the objects of the association
2 supports the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
3 supports the Association's Code of Practice
4 pays such a subscription as shall from time to time be determined.

An organisation who is a member shall not hold any office of the Association.

9 Every member of the Association shall sign a written consent to become a member.

10 The Council shall cause to be kept a register of Members of the Association.

11 Membership of the association shall not be transferable and shall cease on receipt by the Secretary of a notice in writing of resignation from the member, on expulsion from the association following an enquiry by the Ethical and Professional Standards Committee or where the subscription of the member is more than three calendar months in arrears.

12 Provided that a member expelled from the Association shall have been given a reasonable opportunity of explaining his/her conduct and that the expulsion shall have been confirmed by an Appeals Committee which shall have been decided by the Council of the Association.

General Meetings

13 General Meetings of members shall be held from time to time on the instructions of Council or at the request of twenty members in writing to the Secretary:

to approve the annual report of the association,

to determine the policies of the association,

to amend the constitution of the association,

to establish, determine the remit of or dissolve standing committees.

14 Notice of a General Meeting shall be given in writing to all members at least one calendar month before the date of the meeting. Such notice shall specify the time and place of the meeting and, where practicable, the matters to be considered. Provided that the accidental omission to give notice of a meeting to, or the non receipt of such notice by any person entitled to receive notice thereof, shall not invalidate any resolution passed or proceeding transacted at any meeting.

15 The Association shall hold a General Meeting in every calendar year and not more than six months after the end of the financial year as its Annual General Meeting.

16 Any motion signed by a proposer, seconder and twelve other members or duly passed and recorded in the minutes of a meeting of Council, a Standing Committee, a Local Group, a Special Interest Group or a Project Group and submitted to the Council not less than twenty-one days before the date of the General Meeting should be placed on the agenda.

Proceedings at General Meetings

17 Every person who is a member and every organisation who is a member shall have one vote.

18 Except for motions affecting the Constitution of the Association, any motions and amendments shall be passed by a simple majority. In the case of an equality of votes the chair of the meeting shall be entitled to a second or casting vote.

19 Motions affecting the Constitution of the Association shall be passed by a two thirds majority of those present and voting. There shall be no amendments to such motions and the chair will not be entitled to a second or casting vote.

20 No business shall be transacted at any General Meeting unless a quorum is present when the meeting proceeds to business. Save as herein otherwise provided, one percent of the members whose subscriptions are not in arrears at the beginning of the calendar month preceding the one in which the General Meeting is held or ten members, whichever is higher, personally present or, in the case of an organisation, personally represented shall form a quorum.

21 If within one hour of the time appointed for the holding of a General Meeting a quorum is not present, the meeting, if convened at the request of members, shall be dissolved. In any other case, it shall stand adjourned to a time and place as the Council may determine. If at such adjourned meeting a quorum is not present within one hour from the time appointed for holding the meeting, the members present shall be a quorum.

22 The Chair (if any) of the Association if present shall chair every General Meeting but if there be no such Chair or if at any meeting s/he shall not be present at the time appointed for holding the same or shall be unwilling to preside, then the members present shall elect a chair to preside at the meeting.

23 Whoever chairs a General Meeting may, with the consent of any meeting at which a quorum is present (and shall if so directed by the meeting) adjourn the meeting from time to time and from place to place but no business shall be transacted at any adjourned meeting other than business which might have been transacted at the meeting from which the adjournment took place. Whenever a meeting is adjourned for thirty days or more, notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given in the same manner as the original meeting. For meetings adjourned for less than thirty days the members shall not be entitled to notice of an adjournment or the business to be transacted at an adjourned meeting.

24 The Association in General Meeting may make By-Laws regulating the management of the Association, the conduct and conditions relating to meetings, the conduct and conditions relating to members and in respect of such matters as are by this Constitution required to be dealt with in By-Laws and in respect of such other matters as the Association in General Meeting shall think fit provided that no Bye- Law may be made or shall be valid if it shall contravene or be inconsistent with the Constitution.

Council

25 The Council of the Association shall consist of the Chair, Vice- Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and such National Convenors and Standing Committee Convenors as have been duly elected.

26 Founder members shall in General Meeting appoint such officers as shall be duly nominated by two founder members and elected by a simple majority of those founder members present and voting to serve from the date of the first General Meeting until 31st December 1994.

27 For appointments made after the date of the first General Meeting, nominations for office shall be made by two members of the association whose registered addresses must, in the case of National Convenors, be in the area which the National Convenor being nominated will represent and shall be submitted to the Secretary by 31 October in the year in which a term of office expires or within two months of a casual vacancy occurring.

28 Where there is more than one nomination for an office, the Secretary shall cause a postal ballot of members, in the case of National Convenors of those members whose registered addresses are in the area which the National Convenor will represent, to be held within one calendar month of the closing date for nominations to elect the officer by single transferable vote.

29 The term of office of elected members of Council shall be two years commencing on January 1 in the year after election save in the case of an election to fill a casual vacancy when the term of office shall begin on the day following the announcement of the election result and end on December 31 in the year following.

30 Where no member is nominated to an office, the Council shall have the power, save in the case of National Convenors, to appoint a member to hold office as if they had been duly nominated by two members of the Association in the case of offices falling vacant before June 30th in any calendar year until December 31 in the same calendar year and in any other case until December 31 in the following calendar year.

31 The office of a member of the Council shall be vacated if:
(a) a receiving order is made against him/her or s/he makes any arrangement or composition with his/her creditors
(b) s/he becomes of unsound mind
(c) s/he resigns his/her office by notice in writing to the General Secretary
(d) s/he fails to attend any of the meetings of the Council in any period of twelve calendar months
(e) s/he ceases to be a member of the Association.

32 The Council may coopt members of the Association whom the Council may from time to time consider, by reason of their special experience or expertise, to have a particular contribution to make to the work of the Association. Provided that such co-opted members shall be entitled to speak but shall not be entitled to vote on any matters under consideration by the Council.

33 The management of the business of the Association shall be vested in the Council who may exercise all such powers of the Association and do on behalf of the Association all such acts as may be exercised and done by the Association and as are not by this Constitution required to be exercised in General Meeting. Without prejudice, and in addition to the powers aforesaid the Council shall have the following special powers and duties:

the appointment, supervision, remuneration and dismissal of any staff.

34 The Council shall take such measures as are necessary to carry out the objects of the association, and in particular, shall:

present an annual report to a General Meeting setting out the achievements of the association in previous calendar year and the direction and focus of the association's work in the forthcoming eighteen months;

enter into agreements with other organisations on behalf of the members of the association in pursuance of the objects of the association;

seek the support of other organisations in pursuance of the objects of the association;

support members in their pursuance of the objects of the association;

seek to resolve any conflicts which may arise between members or groups within the association through conciliation;

determine the level of subscriptions payable by members;

manage the resources of the association to ensure the most effective use of those resources in pursuance of the objects of the association.

35 The Council shall meet not less than three times in each year and at such times as the Council or Chair shall decide. Four members of the Council shall form a quorum.

36 The chair at any meeting shall have a second or casting vote.

37 If at any meeting the Chair be not present at the time appointed for the meeting or be unwilling to preside then the Council shall elect a member from within the Council to chair the meeting.

38 The Council shall cause proper minutes to be made of all appointments of officers made by the Council and the proceedings of all meetings of the Association and of the Council, its Project Groups, Local Groups and Special Interest Groups and Standing Committees and any such minutes of any meeting if purporting to be signed by the chair of such meeting or by the chair of the next succeeding meeting shall be sufficient evidence without any further proof of the facts therein stated.

Project Groups

39 The Council may delegate any of their powers to Project Groups consisting of such members of the Association as they think fit and any Project Groups so formed shall, in the exercise of the powers so delegated, conform to any regulation imposed on it by Council. Such Project Groups shall have power to co-opt other persons, whether or not members of the Association, to serve on such Project Groups. Provided that no resolution of a meeting of a Project Group shall be of any effect unless, of the members of the Project Group present, a majority are members of the Association.

Local Groups and Special Interest Groups

40 Local Groups may be formed at the request of twelve members in a defined geographical area in order to pursue one or more of the objects of the Association in association with other persons in that area. Such requests shall be made to the Secretary who shall have absolute discretion to agree to or refuse the request. Any appeal against the refusal of the Secretary to agree to a request shall be heard by the Council and, if the refusal is upheld, by the members in General Meeting.

41 Special Interest Groups may be formed at the request of twelve members in order to pursue one or more of the objects of the Association in association with other persons having a particular special interest. Such requests shall be made to the General Secretary who shall have absolute discretion to agree to or refuse the request. Any appeal against the refusal of the Secretary to agree to a request shall be heard by the Council and, if the refusal is upheld, by the members in General Meeting.

42 Local Groups and Special Interest Groups may appoint such officers as they deem necessary in order to carry out their work but must, in any case, appoint a President, Chair or Convenor and a Secretary who shall be members of the Association and whose names shall be notified in writing to the Secretary.

43 The Council may, from time to time and with the agreement of the officers of a Local Group or Special Interest Group, delegate to any Group such tasks and responsibilities as may be consistent with the interests of the Group and expedient for the Group to undertake on behalf of the Council.

44 The Council may from time to time make grants available to any or all Local Groups or Special Interest Groups to enable them more effectively to pursue the objects for which they have been established.

Standing Committees

45 There shall be a Standing Committee for Ethical and Professional Standards and such other Standing Committees as shall from time to time be determined by members in General Meeting.

46 The Vice-Chair of the Association shall be Convenor of the Standing Committee for Ethical and Professional Standards. The Convenor of each other Standing Committee shall be elected in accordance with the procedure for the election of officers of the Association.

47 In addition to the Convenor, the membership of each Standing Committee shall consist of not less than five and not more than ten members of the Association. The Council, in cooperation with Local Groups and Special Interest Groups, shall appoint the membership of Standing Committees.

48 The term of office shall be two years commencing on January 1 in the year after appointment except in the case of an appointment to fill a casual vacancy when the term of office shall begin on the day following the announcement of the appointment and end on December 31 in the year following or upon the dissolution of the Standing Committee by resolution of members in General Meeting.

49 Any member of a Standing Committee shall cease to be a member if:
(a) a receiving order is made against him/her or s/he makes any arrangement or composition with his/her creditors.
(b) s/he becomes of unsound mind.
(c) s/he resigns his/her membership of the committee by notice in writing to the Secretary.

50 Except as otherwise herein provided Standing Committees shall exercise such responsibilities and undertake such tasks as are from time to time delegated to them by the Council or by members in General Meeting.

51 Standing Committees shall:

present an annual report to a General Meeting setting out the achievements of the committee in the previous calendar year and, where appropriate, the direction and focus of its work in the forthcoming eighteen months;

cooperate with other Standing Committees, Local Groups, Special Interest Groups and Project Groups in pursuance of their delegated tasks and responsibilities;

cooperate with other organisations, under the general supervision of the Council, in pursuance of their delegated tasks and responsibilities;

manage the resources made available to them in ways which will ensure the most effective use of those resources in pursuance of the tasks and responsibilities delegated to them.

52 Standing Committees shall meet not less than once a year and at such times as the Committee or Convenor shall decide. Four members of the Committee shall form a quorum.

53 The chair at any meeting shall have a second or casting vote.

54 If at any meeting the Convenor be not present at the time appointed for the meeting or be unwilling to preside then the Committee shall elect a member from within the Committee to chair the meeting.

55 Standing Committees may delegate any of their tasks or responsibilities to committees consisting of such members of the Association as they think fit and any committees so formed shall, in the exercise of the powers so delegated, conform to any regulation imposed on it by the Committee. Such committees shall have power to co-opt other persons, whether or not members of the Association to serve on such committees. Provided that no resolution of a meeting of a committee shall be of any effect unless, of the members of the committee present, a majority are members of the Association.

Ethical and Professional Standards Standing Committee

56 The Standing Committee for Ethical and Professional Standards shall seek to support members in their pursuance of the objects of the association by, among other things,

providing guidance from time to time on such ethical and professional matters as shall have been referred to it by the Council, members in General Meeting, Local Groups or Special Interest Group or shall have been considered by members of the Committee as worthy of their comment;

monitoring the advice and support provided to members by the Association and recommending such action as the Committee feels necessary to ensure that a high standard of advice and support is provided to members;

providing, alone or in association with other persons or bodies, an independent arbitration service in ethical and professional matters to individuals, whether members or not, and organisations;

considering complaints made against members of the Association in accordance with the By-Laws.

National Convenors

57 National Convenors may be elected to represent the interests of England and the Channel Islands, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man, Scotland and Wales respectively.

58 The registered address of a National Convenor must be in an area which s/he represents.

59 Elections for the office of National Convenor are held at the request of twelve members whose registered addresses are in the area the National Convenor will represent.

Accounts

60 The Council shall cause proper books or account to be kept with respect to:

(a) all sums of money received and expended by the Association and the matters in respect of which such receipts and expenditure take place,
(b) all sales and purchases of goods by the Association, and
(c) the assets and liabilities of the Association.

61 Proper books shall not be deemed to be kept if there are not kept such books of accounts as are necessary to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Association and to explain its transactions. Provided that such books may consist of paper, magnetic or optical media and the Council shall take such measures as are deemed necessary to prevent the misuse or accidental erasure of any data in such books.

62 The books of account shall be kept in such place or places as the Council shall think fit and shall always be open to the inspection of the members of the Council.

63 The books of account shall be open to the inspection of members of the Association at such times and in such places as the Council shall from time to time determine. Provided that nothing in this clause shall impede a member of the Association in the proper exercise of her/his rights under the Data Protection Act 1984 and any subsequent legislation relating to the protection of data.

64 At the Annual General Meeting in every year the Council shall lay before the Association a proper income and expenditure account for the completed accounting period since the last preceding account together with a proper balance sheet made up as at the last day of the period. Every such balance sheet shall be accompanied by proper reports of the Council and the Auditors.