Council of Management FAQs

What is the Council of Management?
How is the Council of Management structured?
How often does the Council of Management meet?
How does the Council of Management work with the staff of Mind?
How can I apply to become a member of the Council of Management?
What are members of the Council and what are their duties and responsibilities?
Is there any induction or training support available to new members of the Council of Management?

What is the Council of Management?

The Council of Management is the governing body of Mind. It is responsible for all Mind's activities and affairs.

All members of the Council of Management are charity trustees. Mind is also registered as a company limited by guarantee and members of the Council are therefore also Directors of the company.

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How is the Council of Management structured?

Mind’s Council of Management (trustees) is the governing body of Mind and is made of of up to 16 trustees: eight elected from Mind's individual, affiliated (local Mind associations) membership and networks and eight co-opted members.

The membership of the Council must, in so far as it is practicable, includes:

(i) a minimum of eight people (50 per cent) with personal experience of mental distress

(ii) one elected member of Mind Link National Advisory Panel (chosen by the members of Mind Link)

(iii) at least two individuals from black or minority ethnic communities

(iv) at least one individual living in Wales.

Terms of office are for three years and trustees may serve up to a maximum of three terms.

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How often does the Council of Management meet?

The Council of Management meets quarterly in March, June, September and December and has two special days, known as Special Council, one of which is a 24 hour residential event over a weekend, and the other is held on a Saturday. These days are used by trustees to get more involved with Mind activities such as developing specific policies, or training and development.

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What are members of the Council of Management and what are their duties and responsibilities?

Members of the Council are, by virtue of their membership, Charity Trustees and Directors of Mind (the Company). This carries with it certain individual and collective responsibilities. In particular, at all times members must act in the interests of the Company (ie, Mind), must use their knowledge and experience to that effect and must declare any personal interest. Collectively, the Council is responsible for the sound financial management of the Company and for the proper conduct of its affairs. Members of Council are not paid, but are reimbursed their travel and other costs.

Members are appointed for terms of three years and can be re-elected or co-opted up to a maximum of three terms (nine years) before they must retire. 

The most important role of trustees is to ensure that the organisation is acting at all times in pursuit of its objects. Council of Management does this by taking a strategic overview of Mind's activities and delegating some detail to sub-committees and the day-to-day and operational management to the Chief Executive and staff. The Role Description (pdf file) and Person Specification (pdf file) sets out the roles, responsibilities and requirements for Council of Management members.

The contributions members make will be informed by their own experience and may also be strongly influenced by the experience and views of those who elected them to the Council. This can be a real strength. However, Council members are expected to act at all times in the best interests of Mind and cannot be mandated by other organisations. Every member appointed to the Council becomes a Trustee of Mind and takes on that personal responsibility. At meetings of the Council and its committees, members may represent the views of other organisations and groups, but should at all times heed the advice and arguments presented to the Council, and reach their own conclusions on the course of action proposed. 

There are also five sub committees in operation: the External Relations Committee, Business Management Committee, Networks Committee, Pwyllgor Cymru and Audit Committee. The committtees are chaired by the Honorary Treasurer and two Vice Chairs and Pwyllgor Cymru elects a chair from its membership. There are terms of reference (PDF file) for each committee and a role description and person specification (PDF file). The sub committees also meet quarterly at least one month before Council of Management meets and report through to the Council of Management. There is an expectation for members of the Council of Management to also be a member of one of the sub committees. Each department reports through the relevant Director to a specific Sub Committee.

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How does the Council of Management work with the staff of Mind?

The Council of Management delegates responsibility for running the charity to Mind staff. The Chief Executive reports to the Council and is the most senior member of staff. Reporting to the Chief Executive are the six Directors, who are responsible for running the five departments (Fundraising and Communication, Policy, Finance and Resources, Network Support and Information) and Mind Cymru (Mind in Wales).

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How can I apply to become a member of the Council of Management?

The election of trustees is a constitutional requirement set out in Mind’s Memorandum and Articles of Association. Elections are held annually, and the process normally starts in June/July of each year. 

Mind’s Articles of Association (governing document) stipulates that you must be a fully paid up individual member of Mind to be a member of Council of Management. Anyone wishing to apply who is not already a member will need to be willing to become an individual member of Mind.

Applicants must complete a application form demonstrating how they fulfil the criteria within the person specification for Council of Management members. All applications are screened by a panel of trustees to ensure that applicants have the appropriate experience and skills set out in the person specification, which must be demonstrated on the application form. All applicants who fulfil the person specification for trustees are eligible for election.

If there is more than one suitable candidate for a vacancy an election is held by postal ballot to all individual and affiliate members of Mind. The ballot papers are dispatched including statements provided by candidates in their applications forms. Following the deadline and counting of the ballots, the successful and unsuccessful candidates are notified of the outcome.

If there is only one suitable candidate for a vacancy, then a postal ballot will not be necessary. In the event of applications not being received, retiring members (who are eligible to stand again) can be re-instated. In addition, the Council of Management seeks co-options to ensure has an appropriate balance of skills and diversity on the board.

The formal announcement of the membership of Council of Management is made at the Annual General Meeting, which is held in November/December each year. New trustees attend their first Council meeting in December.
 
Full details of the process are in Mind’s Memorandum and Articles of Association.

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Is there any induction or training support available to new members of the Council of Management?

New members are provided with an induction pack that includes a wide range of information about Mind and are also linked to a 'buddy' who is a more experienced member of Council of Management who will act as a mentor and be able to offer support and guidance.

You will generally also be invited to visit Granta House, in Stratford, East London where all Council of Management meetings are held, for an induction day including a tour of Mind's offices.

Members of the Council of Management come from a wide variety of backgrounds, with varying levels of experience and different skills and abilities. For this reason we provide further induction training and support based on individuals needs.

We hope that this has answered most of the questions you may have about Mind's Council of Management. If you have any further queries please contact Frances Brown, Executive Officer on tel:  020 8215 2203, by email on f.brown@mind.org.uk or in writing to Mind, 15-19 Broadway, London, E15 4BQ.