Red Kite Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Service
Constitution

I.Red Kite Mission Statement

  1. The purpose of Red Kite is to support victims and survivors of Rape and Sexual Abuse.
  2. Red Kite’s services are designed primarily for the support of women and girls over 16 (but we will set aside specifically designated spaces/times for male support).

II. Functions and duties of trustees

The trustees shall manage the affairs of the organisation and may for that purpose exercise all the powers of the organisation. It is the duty of each trustee of the organisation:

a) to exercise their powers and to perform their functions in their capacity as a trustee of the organisation in the way they decide in good faith would be most likely to further the purposes of the organisation; and 

b) to exercise, in the performance of those functions, such care and skill as is reasonable in the circumstances having regard in particular to: 

i) any special knowledge or experience that they hold themselves out as having;

ii) if they as a trustee of the organisation in the course of a business or
profession, to any special knowledge or experience that it is reasonable to
expect of a person acting in the course of that kind of business or profession.

iii) That the business of Red Kite can be conducted via any media to ensure that the business of the Charity is undertaken in a secure and professional manner. This includes face to face meetings, telephone conferences and video conferencing. This extends to holding meetings with other stakeholders including the Red Kite AGM.

III. Eligibility for Trusteeship

a) No individual may be appointed as a trustee of the organisation

(i) if they are under the age of 18 years; or

(ii) if they would automatically cease to hold office under the provisions of clause 12(1)e; 

b) No one is entitled to act as a trustee whether on appointment or on any reappointment until they have expressly acknowledged, in whatever way the trustees decide, their acceptance of the office of trustee. 

IV. Number of Trustees

a) There must be at least three trustees. If the number falls below this minimum, the remaining trustee or trustees may act only to call a meeting of the trustees or appoint a new trustee. 

b) there is no maximum number of trustees that may be appointed to the organisation.

V. Trustees of Red Kite

The trustees of the organisation are as follows:- 

 

Mrs Susan Bernadette (Siobhan) Nundram (Chair)

Treasurer- Interim Kevin Hinken

Vacant  (Secretary)

Ms Charlotte Shyllon (Comms)

Mrs Norma Symonds  (Ambassador)

Ms Majeka Vuk

Ms Dani Reece (Childrens’ ISVA)

 

Honorary Trustee – Dr Omar Daniels, retired Consultant Psychiatrist

VI. Appointment of Trustees of the Red Kite

I. Apart from the first trustees, every trustee of the organisation must be appointed by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the organisation.

II. In selecting individuals for appointment as trustees, the organisation must have regard to the skills, knowledge, experience & diversity needed for the effective administration of the organisation.

III. Red Kite’s Board of Trustees shall constitute a minimum of 75% women; the Chair and Deputy Chair will both be women.

VII. Information for new Trustees

The trustees will make available to each new trustee of the organisation, on or before their first appointment:

a) a copy of the current version of this constitution; and

b) a copy of the organisation’s latest Trustees’ Annual Report and statement of accounts.

c) the current version of the Charity Commission’s guidance on the Duties and Eligibility of Trustees https://www.gov.uk/guidance/charity-trustee-whats-involved

d) the Charity Commission’s Trustee Eligibility Declaration form for completion.

VIII. Retirement and Removal of Trustees

I. A trustee ceases to hold office if they:

a) retire by notifying the organisation in writing (but only if enough trustees of the organisation will remain in office when the notice of resignation takes effect to form a quorum for meetings);

b) is absent without the permission of the organisation from all their meetings held within a period of six months and the trustees of the organisation resolve that their office be evacuated;

c) die;

d) in the written opinion, given to the organisation, of a registered medical practitioner treating that person, that a trustee has become physically or mentally incapable of acting as a trustee of the organisation and may remain so for more than three months;

e) is disqualified from acting as a trustee by virtue of sections 178-180 of the Charities Act 2011 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that provision).

II. Any person retiring as a trustee is eligible for reappointment

III. Trusteeship of the organisation shall be open to any adult in promoting the objects of the association subject to completing the introductory training course to rape crisis work and to the approval of the Organisation. The Organisation shall have the right for good and sufficient reason to terminate the trusteeship of any trustee provided that such trustee shall have the right to be heard by the Board of Red Kite before a decision is made.

IX. Election of Officers of the Board of Trustees

  1. Officers of the Board of Trustees (hereafter referred to as “Officers”) consist of Chair, Deputy Chair, Secretary and Treasurer and any other post created by consensus of a quorate Board of Trustees.
  2. By consensus of the Board, the annual Red Kite AGM will be held each October.

This date may be changed by a further consensus of the Board of Trustees.

  1. Officers shall be elected by agreement of the individual concerned and a consensus of the quorate Board of Trustees at the annual AGM or as a role becomes vacant.
  2. By consensus of a quorate meeting of the Board of Trustees, the officers’ posts shall be made available for renewal or appointment of another member.
  3. Every officer will vacate their role after three continuous years in office at the annual October AGM.

No officer shall hold their post continuously for more than 3 years unless there are no other officers standing for that role, whereupon that officer may be re-elected by a consensus of the Board of Trustees.

  1. Officers may be re-elected for an officer’s post in subsequent years, even if they have previously held that post.
  2. Elections for the officers’ posts in para 1 will be held every three years at an Annual General Meeting or whenever a vacancy arises.

Election will be by nomination, seconder and a simple majority vote by the members.

  1. The Board of Trustees may appoint one or two auditors and other functional officers as required.

The additional posts may include such posts as are deemed suitable and voted on by a simple majority vote of the existing members of the Board of Trustees.

  1. The Board aims to reflect society’s diversity and will positively promote from disabled, BAME and disadvantaged groups.
  2. Officers who are ill-suited to, become unavailable for more than 6 months, die or are otherwise unable to fulfil their duties for a particular officer’s role may step down from that role, or be deselected by a consensus of a quorate Board of Trustees at any time.

 

X. Conduct of Board Meetings

  1. The Chair shall preside over the meeting unless unable to attend when the meeting will be chaired by the Deputy Chair. If the Chair is expected to be absent for an extended period the Deputy Chair shall exercise all the executive powers and responsibilities of Chair until the Chair proper’s return.
  2. At an AGM, the Chair will preside until a new Chair is elected or the current Chair is re-elected.
  3. Meetings are to be conducted in a welcoming, respectful and orderly manner, where every member has the right to speak freely.
  4. Potential Board members will be vetted for suitability, then invited to attend at least 3 Board meetings. If they are interested in pursuing the process, they will then be required to complete an application pack. Once returned this application will be considered by all Board members who will then vote on the addition of the applicant to the Board. A majority of Board members must agree to the admission of the applicant in order for their admission to the Board to be approved. Such admission will be minuted in formal minutes to be kept on record and the Charity Commission will be informed.
  5. Harassment, bullying or intimidation of any member is unacceptable behaviour and is in breach of Red Kite values. Repeated such behaviour will lead to dismissal from the Board of Trustees by simple majority vote.
  6. Any member acting in an unruly or hostile manner can be asked to remove themselves from the meeting under the rules in para 5 above.
  7. The Chair, Deputy Chair or any officer will put a motion forward asking that the member in question under para 5 be removed from the meeting. This requires a two-thirds majority to succeed.
  8. Any member who has been removed twice in a twelve month period is deemed to have breached the rules of the Board and is excluded from the Board of Trustees for a minimum of 12 months.
  9. In relation to observation of the rules and any interpretation of such, any member or members may challenge a ruling made by the Chair or Board. A vote with a two-thirds majority of the Board of Trustees is sufficient to overturn such a ruling.
  10. For a meeting to be quorate, it must be supported by at least three members, of whom at least two must principal officers, as defined at para IV
  11. Minutes of meetings will be kept by the secretary and will be retained on the Red Kite shared cloud as a central record.
  12. All Charity Commission Reports and Accounts; all applications for funding, responses, notifications of grants awarded and progress reports should be held on the Red Kite shared Cloud to be retained as a central record.
  13. All Policies and Governance documents should also be retained on the shared Cloud system.
  14. All official documents created for and on behalf of Red Kite remain the property of Red Kite and shall not be removed from the central Red Kite retention and storage system (except for updating purposes) without the authorisation of the Board.
  15. The Red Kite website remains the property of Red Kite and must not be removed, deleted or closed down without the authorisation of the full Board of Trustees, such authorisation to be minuted in the official minutes of the meeting.

XI. Appointment of Senior Management Team by the Board of Trustees

  1. Red Kite’s senior management team (roles with a strategic overview and responsibility within the organisation) are all women as permitted by positive action set out in s159 (3) of the Equality & Diversity Act 2010.