Managing your Member Network and Committee
Help and guidance for managing your Member Network and Committee, including advice on governance and recruitment.
About Member Networks and Committees
What is the purpose of our Member Networks
The purpose of Member Networks is to connect members around areas of psychological practice, research, and interest, and geographical regions, in order to provide community; advance psychological knowledge and practice; support professional development; promote psychological education; and raise the profile and impact of psychology and psychologists, including their contribution to wider society.
How networks fit into the society's governance
The society's overarching documents are the Charter, Rules and Statues, which outline how each of the networks can be established. More detailed operating procedures are provided in the Member Network Rules and Special Interest Group Operating Practices which support network committees in understanding the governance framework they work within.
The society's Member Board also provides additional support and oversight of our network structures, outputs and ways of working to ensure our networks thrive.
Member Networks and Special Interest Groups
We have two types of networks:
- Member Network (Society Branch, Division, Section or Special Group) - these networks are formally recognised within our society governance documents
- Special Interest Groups (Division Branches, Faculties) - these are groups which sit within a Member Network.
The role of the network committee
Every network or special interest group has a group of people who voluntarily manages its activities. This is often called a committee, although your network may use a different name, such as executive committee or team. They take collective responsibility for decisions relating to the network.
Broadly, the committee's job is to ensure that the network:
- does what it was set up to do and meets the purpose of our member networks
- develop and deliver a plan of activities which over the year allows all members of the network to engage and benefit from.
- has enough money and does not get into debt
- works within the society Charter, Statues and Rules, member network rules and special interest group operating practices
The committee will also need to work with the member network services team to produce an annual report outlining all the key metrics, achievements, challenges and plans each year.
Collective Responsibility
All of a networks committee members must share responsibility for the running of the network, and for decisions that are taken. You must all make sure, as a team, that the network is run properly, responsibly and in line with the Member Network Rules and Special Interest Group Operating Practices.
How networks can structure their committees
All committees will need to have a Chair or Co-Chairs.
Committees will want to develop the responsibilities of each committee member based on the networks plan of activities, thinking about the resources they have available and how best to deliver the outputs. Committees will also need to make sure their committee represents their membership from students through to chartered.
Volunteer recruitment
How to recruit a new Chair or Co-Chairs for a Member Network?
To recruit for a Chair or Co-Chairs, the committee will need to advertise the role by following the steps outlined below:
- Complete the volunteer role advert form.
- Once we have the details, we will make the advert live on our volunteer opportunities and a news article on your network webpage.
- You can advertise the opportunities via your network newsletter and via your social media.
- The advert will have an initial deadline for nominations to be submitted. If at the point of this initial deadline there has not been two eligible applications, the committee may look to extend the deadline for a further 14 days.
- If at the point of the extended deadline there is not two eligible applications, the committee may extend the deadline for a final call for a further 14 days.
You can use our example of a Network Chair or Co-Chair role description when advertising the role.
At the final deadline if there is:
- More than one valid nomination - for the role of Chair, the process of holding a vote will begin where the network membership will be asked to vote which candidate they wish to take up the role, this will be ran on a simple majority.
- A single nomination - then that nominee will be elected to that role.
- No nominations - the committee will meet to discuss if they wish to extend the deadline further or if they wish to pause the process and identify any barriers to members putting themselves forward.
If the committee pause the process, they must ensure they appoint a Deputy Chair, if there is not a Deputy Chair already in place, from appointed members on the committee in order for committee business to continue without the chair role being filled.
How to recruit a new Chair or Co-Chairs for a Special Interest Group
We do not run elections for SIGs. All positions on a SIG committee are appointed roles, with specific skills for chairing meetings and leadership. All applications are reviewed by recruitment panel. If multiple applications are received with the skills for chairing meeting, the recruitment panel may wish to consider forming a co-chairing role.
To recruit for an appointed committee member, including a Chair or Co-Chair, the Committee will need to advertise the role by following the steps outlined below:
- Complete the volunteer role advert form. This lets us know the details we need to make the advert live. You will need to provide the number of roles to be advertised and the required skillset, including name of the recruitment lead
- Once we have the details, we will make the advert live on our volunteer opportunities and a news article on your network webpage
- You can advertise the opportunities via your network newsletter and via your social media.
You can use our example of a Network Chair or Co-Chair role description when advertising the role.
How to recruit new appointed committee members
To recruit for an appointment committee member, the Committee will need to advertise the role by following the steps outlined below:
- Complete the volunteer role advert form. This lets us know the details we need to make the advert live. You will need to provide the number of roles to be advertised and the required skillset, including name of the recruitment lead.
- Once we have the details, we will make the advert live on our volunteer opportunities and a news article on your network webpage.
- You can advertise the opportunities via your network newsletter and via your social media.
You can use our example of an Appointed Committee Member - role description when advertising the role.
Appointed Members
Applications received for Appointed Member will be forwarded to the recruitment lead who will form a panel of at least two committee members to review applications. Committees may wish to include individuals from the wider network membership to the panel process.
The recruitment lead will contact all applicants outlining the decision and providing any feedback. They will also confirm who will be joining the committee to the member network services team for them to be inducted as an appointed committee member.
Can I be a Co-Chair?
Yes, of course, but you would need to apply to the role as a Co-Chair application. You will need to outline who the Co-Chairs will be, complete the four application questions and outline two nominators who support both Co-Chairs.
The committee will be kept up to date with applications. The committee will need to consider if extending the application deadline will support further applications. If at the extended deadline there has been only one eligible application, a final call will be advertised. If at the end of the final call there is one eligible application that individual or co-chair pair will be elected in to the role without a membership vote.
How do we appoint a Deputy Chair?
You can appoint a member from the Committee as Deputy Chair, and this will align with the individuals committee tenure.
One of the existing appointed committee members may wish to put themselves forward. The committee will need to confirm the appointment to Deputy Chair. If a number of appointed committee members put themselves forward, the committee will need to vote on who will take up the role.
Once the Deputy Chair has been confirmed, please inform the member network services team.
If a Chair steps down earlier than expected, what is the process?
The committee will need to submit a request form to advertise this role. If the committee has a Deputy Chair, they can deputise for the interim period until the Chair has been elected.
If the committee does not have a deputy chair, they will need to appoint one in order to continue committee activity.
What is a recruitment panel?
A recruitment panel is made up of a minimum of two members from a committee, including the recruitment lead, who will review all application forms for the advertised Appointed Member roles and select the appropriate candidates for the particular skills required.
It's important that the process is fair and transparent, and you must be able to defend it if challenged. You may wish to include additional committee members or some of your wider membership in the process.
What is a recruitment lead?
A recruitment lead is a person on a committee who will lead on the committee’s recruitment.
They will review all Appointed Member application forms and be responsible for forming the review panel. The recruitment lead can change each time you wish to advertise new opportunities.