Articles of Association

BASW Council has decided to update our constitution. This is known as our ‘Articles of Association’ (The Articles). The Articles underpin the purpose and objectives of BASW. The Articles cover things like how the association is led by its members through an elected Council (the Board of Directors); what formal committees we have; how local branches are set up and how they relate to the association; how we elect and select members to other key roles; how responsibilities are delegated by Council to staff via the Chief Executive; how members are supported and get involved; and how we ensure the association is lawfully and effectively run overall.

Our current Articles were originally developed in the 1970s but have been updated at points since then. As BASW is developing and modernising, we need to have a constitution that is true to our values and ethics, confirms our purpose and provides flexibility to ensure we can develop and be agile in response to new demands across the four nations of the UK. The time is right for a more comprehensive overhaul.

We want a constitution that will promote BASW as an outward facing organisation that is an even better champion of social work, social workers and the people we work with.

Process of consultation and member involvement

Council has agreed that all members should be able to contribute to this review in three main steps

1.     An initial whole membership consultation and involvement process consisting of:

a.     Online survey of views about the principles that should underpin the constitution of BASW

b.     Invitations to focus groups, discussions, branch discussions and other forums across all four nations to have your say

2.     A second whole membership consultation online, looking at a full draft of the articles prepared by our lawyers

3.     Invitation to attend an Extraordinary General Meeting to approve the new articles on 23rd January 2018 which will be held in London.

 
Download the Articles of Association here

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* 1. BASW’s Articles are out of date

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* 2. BASW’s Articles should be easy to understand and use plain English

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* 3. BASW’s Articles should help BASW to be an outward facing organisation that has impact

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* 4. BASW’s Articles should include updated objectives (i.e. revised statements of purpose and mission – see section 3 of the Articles)

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* 5. BASW’s Articles should reflect the 2020 Vision

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* 6. BASW’s Articles must reflect our values and code of ethics

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* 7. BASW’s Articles should enable the smooth and efficient running of the business of the organisation

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* 8. BASW’s Articles should reduce bureaucracy and speed up decision making

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* 9. BASW’s Articles should give confidence to members that this is a well governed, representative organisation

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* 10. BASW’s Articles should underpin our democratic member-led ethos

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* 11. BASW’s Articles should retain elected roles on Council (Board of Directors) and Standing Committees

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* 12. BASW’s Articles should reflect a commitment to diversity, anti-discrimination and inclusivity

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* 13. BASW’s Articles should clarify the role and purpose of National Standing Committees

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* 14. BASW’s Articles should require BASW to have a Finance Committee

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* 15. BASW’s Articles should make it easier to create and terminate (other) formal committees

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* 16. BASW’s Articles should support a clear scheme of delegation between Council, committees, sub-committees and the executive (staff)

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* 17. BASW’s Articles should support a clear and effective relationship between the four countries of the UK and BASW as whole UK body

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* 18. BASW’s Articles should specifically encourage member participation, activism and effective campaigning

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* 19. BASW’s Articles should support the development of BASW as the professional body for social work across the UK in relation to continuing professional development, research and lifelong learning

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* 20. What other principles, if any, should underpin the new Articles?

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* 21. Do you have any other comments or suggestions?

Thank you for participating.
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