Our Commitment to providing good governance and leadership

The NCPS Council will provide good governance and leadership by understanding their role. The following principles set out both the responsibilities and the overall ethos of the Society’s Council.

Members of the Council will understand their role and responsibilities collectively and individually in relation to:

• Their legal duties
• Their stewardship of assets
• The provisions of the governing document
• The external environment
• The total structure of the Society
• Setting and safeguarding the vision, values and reputation of the Society
• Overseeing the work of the Society
• Supporting members of the Society and the profession of Counselling
• Recognising the Society’s role in public safety

The Council will ensure that the Society delivers its stated purposes or aims by:

• Ensuring Society purposes remain relevant and valid
• Developing and agreeing a long term strategy
• Agreeing operational plans and budgets
• Monitoring progress and spending against plan and budget
• Evaluating results, assessing outcomes and impact
• Reviewing and/or amending the plan and budget as appropriate

The Council will have a range of appropriate policies and procedures, knowledge, attitudes and behaviours to enable both individuals and the Council to work effectively.

These will include:

• Finding and recruiting new Council members to meet the Society’s changing needs in relation to skills, experience and diversity
• Including Lay members on the Council
• Providing suitable induction for new council members
• Periodically reviewing their performance both as individuals and as a team

As the accountable body, the council will ensure that:

• The Society understands and complies with all legal and regulatory requirements that apply to it
• The Society continues to have good internal financial and management controls
• It regularly identifies and reviews the major risks to which the Society is exposed and has systems to manage those risks
• Delegation to committees, staff and members (as applicable) works effectively and the use of delegated authority is properly supervised

The council will:

• safeguard and promote the Society’s reputation
• act according to high ethical standards
• identify, understand and manage conflicts of interest and loyalty
• maintain independence of decision making

The Council will lead the Society in being open and accountable, both internally and externally.

This will include:

• Open communications, informing people about the Society and its work
• Appropriate consultation on significant changes to the Society’s services or policies
• Listening and responding to the views of members, clients and the public, and others with an interest in the Society’s work and the profession of Counselling.
• Handling complaints constructively, impartially and effectively
• Considering the Society’s responsibilities to the wider community, e.g. its environmental impact

Underlying each of the above principles is the additional principle of equality – that of ensuring equality, diversity and equality of treatment for all sections of the community.

The Society also recognises the importance of public safety as a fundamental Principle.

The Professional Conduct Committee oversees the Society’s role in responding to all concerns and complaints made against members of the Society. They review all complaints and oversee and advise on how each case will be handled.

As well as fulfilling the role of handling specific complaints they will also report to the Society Council about any related issues that may be of relevance to Society policies and procedures – thus ensuring that the NCPS has a constantly evolving approach to all issues relating to public safety.

The Professional Conduct Committee will meet as required in response to concerns or complaints.

• Registrar: Kate Mahoney
• Professional Conduct Officer: Grace Simpson
• Ex officio: Professional Conduct Officer
• Head of Operations: Camilla Hyland

The Professional Standards Committee will review and update the Society’s internal processes and procedures where professional standards are concerned and maintain an awareness of all external issues that may impact upon the profession of counselling and psychotherapy. They will review training provider applications and review any queries relating to individual membership applications as needed. They will advise on:

• Policy and procedures of applications
• Individual member’s audits
• Training school audits
• Government and regulation issues
• Relations with other professional associations

Chair: 

• Kate Mahoney, Head of Training Services & Professional Standards

Members:

• Lindsey Cooper
• Gerry Willmore
• Cemil Egeli
• Kate Day
• Benedict Eccles

Chair:

• Faye Blackwell

Members:

• Jyles Robillard-Day
• Camilla Hyland
• Meg Moss

• Dr Phillip Rees

The role of independent assessor is to review and report to the Chair and Chief Executive of the Society on matters of Society Audit and Governance.