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Board of Trustees

 

ACAT is governed by its Trustees. They have overall responsibility for the development of ACAT and for setting the general direction of the organisation. Their roles are separate from the members of the Council of Management and are concerned with standing back from the daily activities and thinking about whether ACAT has the vision and strategy in place to make it likely to be able to fulfil the objects of ACAT as set out in the constitution:

• Educating health professionals and promoting proper standards and good practice in cognitive analytic therapy
• Increasing awareness and understanding of cognitive analytic therapy amongst health professionals, service providers and the public

The Board of Trustees is ultimately accountable under the law for everything that ACAT does.

ACAT Trustees are expected to act according to the 7 Nolan Principles, which are the basis of the ethical standards expected of public office holders:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-7-principles-of-public-life

The major duties of a Trustee can be summarised as follows

• to keep a strategic watch on the overall development and position of ACAT ensuring ACAT’s policies, direction and commitment of resources are in line with its ‘Objects’
• to contribute to formulation of strategy
• organisation and appointment of non-elected members to the Council of Management
• overseeing and holding to account the work of the Council of Management
• to safeguard the company's assets on behalf of the members
• to ensure that the company complies with the Statutory Requirements as described in the Companies Acts
• receive reports of the work of the various committees and officers of the association and take responsibility to comment or raise issues as appropriate
• trustees should normally be members of the association who are familiar with its history, ambitions, limitations and purposes.

Trustees also have certain duties and responsibilities as summarised below

• Duty to comply with the governing document
• Duty of care
• Duty to comply with the law
• Duty to protect the charity’s property
• Duty to act in the interests of beneficiaries and avoid conflicts of interest
• Duty to act collectively
• Duty not to financially benefit unless authorised

Trustees are elected by full members of ACAT at the AGM. There is no maximum term - one-third stand down each year but can stand for re-election if they wish.

ACAT has a maximum of twelve Trustees at any one time; the majority are full members of ACAT, some of whom have played key parts in the past, others who are interested in taking an overview of ACAT. Within this twelve, there may be up to two lay members (non-member Trustees). These may be people who represent the patients' voice or that of the NHS or the third sector. 

Trustees meet three times a year in London (with Council of Management), coinciding with meetings of the Training Committee and Exam Board, and also have an annual away day to think strategically about ACAT.

Notice of ACAT’s Board of Trustee Meetings

The Chair's Annual Report from Jason Hepple, presented at the 2016 AGM, highlighted ways in which communication between the membership and ACAT’s committees runs.  It also included information about the pathway for members to bring to the ACAT Board of Trustees’ attention any matters of concern they wished to raise which they felt may not have been resolved through the committee structure.

The Board welcomes members raising matters with the Board that they feel cannot be resolved by the normal decision making machinery of ACAT (i.e. its committee structures).  Items that a member wishes to be drawn to the attention of the Board which they feel have not been resolved by the committee process, or may require direct consultation with or a survey of members’ opinion, or consideration by the Board for inclusion on the agenda of the next AGM, should be addressed to maria.cross@acat.me.uk

2024 - 2025 meeting dates:

7th February 2025 (agenda items by 17th January)

6th June 2025 (agenda items by 16th May)

3rd October 2025 (agenda items by 12th September)

 

Updated October 2024

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