Constitution

1. The British Society for Paediatric and Adolescent Gynaecology in this document will be called "the Society".

2. The Society's Objectives are:

(1) to encourage the study and treatment of paediatric and adolescent gynaecology.
(2) to raise the profile of paediatric and adolescent gynaecology and provide an effective clinical network of care throughout the country.
(3) to identify practitioners with an interest in paediatric and adolescent gynaecology around the country and provide a network of communication and support.
(4) collection of data for both epidemiological and research purposes.
(5) to encourage and promote research in the area of paediatric and adolescent gynaecology.
(6) organise clinical meetings and otherwise generally to publish and disseminate the work of the Society and of members of the Society.
(7) to provide a network of appropriate education and training for clinicians, nurses, counsellors, psychologists and other health professionals working in this clinical area.
(8) to interact with patient support groups.
(9) to interact with other national and international societies related to paediatric and adolescent gynaecology as the Society deems necessary.
(10) to do all things to support and provide the professional standards, values and interests of members of the Society.
(11) to do all such things as shall seem to the Society capable of being conveniently carried out in the best interests thereof or calculated directly or indirectly to enhance the value of or use most efficiently the Society's assets and resources.
(12) to draw, make, accept, endorse, discount, execute and issue promissory notes, bills, cheques and other instruments and to operate bank accounts in the name of the Society.
(13) to raise funds and to invite and receive contributions and to receive gifts subject to special trusts within the Objects without prejudice to the Society having the right to refuse as it sees fit any gift, contribution, legacy or bequest.
(14) to acquire, alter, improve and (subject to such consensus as may be required by law) to charge or otherwise dispose of property and to borrow money whether upon security or otherwise. Any property shall be held by trustees on behalf of the Society.
(15) to invest any monies not for the time being required for the Society's general purposes and do all things that are in the Society's best interests or which are calculated directly or indirectly to protect, enhance the value of or use most efficiently the Society's assets or resources.
(16) to pay out of the funds of the Society the cost of any premium in respect of insurance or indemnities to cover the liability of the Committee.

3. Members of the Society

Membership of the Society should be as broad as possible and should include Gynaecologists, Paediatric and Adult Endocrinologists, Paediatric Surgeons, Urologists, Plastic Surgeons, Psychologists and Psychiatrists, Geneticists and Nurse Specialists and any other professionals who may have interest or involvement in the treatment of children, adolescents and adults with developmental or acquired disorders of the genital tract. In the event of the dissolution of the Society the assets of the Society will be divided equally amongst the membership. In the event of the Society dissolving with a negative financial balance, the limit of liability will be £1 per member. It is the responsibility of the Committee to take out appropriate liability insurance for the Society.

(1) any person wishing to become a member of the Society must be proposed and seconded.
(2) the Committee may admit to honorary fellowship a small number of distinguished persons who have made major contributions to the study of paediatric and adolescent gynaecology.
(3) membership of the Society will elapse if the annual membership fee fails to be paid. This will be due on 1st November each year. The current membership fee is £30.00 per annum if paid by Standing Order of £40 if paid by cheque.
(4) a member will be expelled from the Society if he or she is thought by a majority of the Committee to be acting against the best interests of the Society.
(5) The Society can only be dissolved at a general meeting.

4. General Meetings

(1) The Society shall hold an Annual General Meeting each year in addition to any other meetings in that year and shall specify the meeting as such in the notices calling it; and not more than 15 months shall elapse between the date of one Annual General Meeting of the Society and that of the next;
(2) At the Annual General Meeting a report will be received from the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. The accounts of the Society will be considered and Committee Members will be elected. The Honorary Secretary will take minutes at the general meetings of the Society.
(3) The Committee may call general meetings and all general meetings other than the Annual General Meeting shall be called extraordinary general meetings. At least 21 clear days notice should be allowed to provide notice for an Annual General Meeting or an extraordinary general meeting. If any member calls for an extraordinary general meeting this should take place not later than 12 weeks after the receipt of the requisition. The notice shall specify the time and date of the place and the general nature of the business to be transacted. The notice shall be given to all the members and to the members of the Committee. The accidental omission to give notice of the meeting, or the non-receipt of notice of the meeting, by any person entitled to receive notice shall not invalidate the proceedings at that meeting;
(4) No business shall be transacted at any meeting unless a quorum is present. A quorum should be 10 persons entitled to vote upon the business to be transacted, each being a member or a proxy for a member of the Society. If a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting or if during the meeting a quorum ceases to be present, the meeting shall be adjourned;
(5) The Chairman or in his absence some other member of the Committee nominated by the Committee shall preside as Chairman of the meeting;
(6) A resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided on a show of hands unless before, or on the declaration of the result of, the show of hands a poll is duly demanded. A poll may also be demanded by the Chairman or by at least two persons having the right to vote at the meeting or by a person or persons representing not less than 1/10th of the total voting rights of all the members.
(7) In the case of an equality of votes whether on a show of hands or a poll the Chairman should be entitled to have a casting vote in addition to any other vote he may have;
(8) Each member shall have one vote. Votes may be cast personally or by proxy or by postal ballot.

5. Members of the Committee

(1) The number of members of the Committee shall not be subject to any maximum. It is proposed that the initial size of the Committee will be 12. The quorum of the Committee meetings should be 5.
(2) The Committee shall consist of a Chairman, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer. The Committee should have as wide representation as possible of one of each of the following: Gynaecologists, Paediatric Endocrinologists, Adult Endocrinologists, Paediatric Surgeons, Urologists, Plastic Surgeons, Psychologist/Psychiatrists and Nurse Specialists. Whilst representations should be offered to these groups it is not mandatory that each group is represented on the Committee. Additional members can be co-opted onto the Committee to a maximum of 5 in total.
(3) All members of the Committee must also be members of the Society.
(4) The election of the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer should take place within the Committee.
(5) The Executive Committee (Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer) should be in post for a term of 3-5 years with a potential for a renewal of a second term of office. Ideally the Chairman and Treasurer should not change at the same time.
(6) Other Committee members should be in office for 3 years with the possibility of a second term of office for 3 years.
(7) The Committee members shall be elected by the membership by postal ballot in the three months preceding the AGM.
(8) No more than one third of the Committee shall change in any given year.
(9) The business of the Society shall be managed by the Committee who may exercise all the powers of the Society. No alteration of the constitution may be made by the Committee without direction from the Society at an Annual General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting.
(10) The Committee shall have the power to spend the funds of the Society in such a manner as they shall consider most beneficial for the achievement of the Objects and to invest in the name of the Society such part of the funds as they may see fit and to direct the sale or transposition of any such investments and to expend the proceeds of any such sale in furtherance of the Objects of the Society; to enter into contracts on behalf of the Society and to exercise any power which the Society may have to make or vary appointments of trustees of any charitable trust should it be formed.
(11) A member of the Committee shall cease to hold office if he or she resigns his office by notice to the Society, is absent from a Committee from all their meetings held within a one year period or becomes incapable by reason of mental disorder, illness or injury in managing/administering his/her own affairs.
(12) The members of the Committee may be paid all reasonable travelling, hotel and other expenses properly incurred by their own connection with the attendance at meetings of the Committee or Sub-Committees of the Committee, otherwise they shall be paid no remuneration. Members of the Committee should disclose any material interest concerning any transactions or arrangement with commercial businesses that may institute a conflict of interest with the Society.
(13) A Committee member may not use the name of the Society to further his/her own personal, academic or business requirements.
(14) A member of the Committee may, and the Secretary at the request of a member of the Committee shall, call a meeting of the Committee and give at least three weeks notice of a Committee meeting.
(15) The quorum for the transaction of business of the Committee should be at least 5 members.
(16) The Committee may appoint one or more Sub-Committees consisting of three or more members of the Committee for the purpose of making any enquiry or supervising or performing any functional duty which in the opinion of the members of the Committee would be more conveniently undertaken by a Sub-Committee. Sub-Committees shall report back to the main Committee.
(17) Any bank account in which any part of the assets of the Society is deposited shall be operated in accordance with the instructions of the Committee and shall indicate the name of the Society.
(18) The Committee shall keep minutes and books kept for the purpose of all appointments of officers made by the Committee in all proceedings made by the Society and of the Committee and of Sub-Committees including the names of the members of the Committee present at each meeting.
(19) Accounts shall be prepared on an annual basis and presented to the Annual General Meeting.

6. Rules

The members of the Committee may from time to time make such rules or by-laws as they may deem necessary or expedient or convenient for the proper conduct of the management of the Society and for the purposes of conditions of membership.

The Society and general meetings shall have power to alter, add to or repeal the rules or by-laws and the members of the Committee shall adopt such means as they think sufficient to bring to the notice of members of the Society all such rules or by-laws which shall be binding on all members of the Society provided that no rule or by-law shall be inconsistent with, or shall affect or repeal anything contained in, the constitution.

AHB/May 2000

Members