Governance
Legal Structure
The Society is a company limited by guarantee. Its aims, structure and operating procedures are set out in its Memorandum and Articles of Association.
Board of Trustees and their responsibilities
The Society is managed by voluntary trustees who hold monthly Board meetings. The current trustees are:
Margaret Butterly, Robert Coffey, Michael Deasy (Company secretary), Aideen Ireland, Margaret Judge, Felix Larkin, John Mac Clancy, Roger McCormack (Vice-chair), John Martin (Chair), Eamonn Molloy, Roisin Plunkett and Colette O’Daly.
The day-to-day business of the Society is handled by a part-time Secretary / Administrator, Edel Withers.
The Board has established a number of sub-committees to deal with particular aspects of its work, such as finance, governance and website. The Board also holds an annual Strategy Meeting to review longer-term issues.
The Board reports to an Annual General Meeting; copies of recent Chairperson’s statements can be found here.
Charities Regulator
The Society is a registered charity with the Charities Regulator (www.charitiesregulator.ie). Our registration number: is 20001407. Our Governance Sub-Committee monitors guidance published by the Regulator and ensures that the Board’s attention is drawn to relevant codes of conduct and advice. In particular, the Board completes an annual Compliance Record Form, and has adopted policies on managing conflicts of interest, internal financial controls, compiled a risk register, a code of conduct for directors managing risk , and a donor’s charter.
Revenue Commissioners
The Society has charitable tax exemption status, CHY no. 863.
Accounts
The internal audit function is carried out by the Finance Sub-committee in accordance with procedures approved by the Board. An income and expenditure report is presented to the Board each month.
Annual accounts are audited by an external auditor and signed off by the Board; copies of recent annual financial statements can be found here.
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
Applications for assistance received by the Society contain sensitive personal information. The Board has adopted a GDPR policy to ensure compliance with legal requirements; each application includes a form signed by both the applicant and the relevant social worker authorising the Society to use and protect personal data strictly in accordance with GDPR provisions. All application forms are securely held and shredded after seven years.