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Coventry Parent Carer Forum

CONSTITUTION

1. Name

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The name of the Organisation is Coventry Parent Carer Forum.

 

2. Aims

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The aims of Coventry Parent Carer Forum are to:

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  • Bring together parent carers of children and young people with additional needs and disabilities to reflect the diverse communities in the City

  • Improve service delivery and provisions for children and young people with additional needs and disabilities and their parents, families and carers, living in or accessing services in the City of Coventry and elsewhere

  • Work in partnership with the statutory agencies of the Local Authority and NHS, and other non-statutory bodies, to inform and shape the development of these services so that they improve, meet need and enhance the family experience

  • Represent parent views and experiences to raise awareness, influence and inform the provision and service delivery improving outcomes for children, young people and their families

  • Use co-production to enhance engagement with parent carers playing an integral and equal part in the decision-making process.

 

3. Membership

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Membership is free and open to parent carers of children and young people with additional needs aged 0-25 years and who live in or access statutory services in the Coventry Local Authority area.  ‘Additional needs’ means any special educational need or disability or health need whether formally diagnosed or not.  

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Prospective members can join the Coventry Parent Carer Forum either by :

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  • Attending a Forum event, Workshop or coffee morning 

  • Applying to join via our closed Facebook Group, answering three simple questions

  • Contacting the Forum via its website https://www.coventrypcf.com/

  • Emailing the Coventry Parent Carer Forum Participation Officer covpf@entrustcarepartnership.org.uk at Entrust Care Partnership, which is the host organisation for Coventry Parent Carer Forum 2025/26.

 

Coventry Parent Carer Forum and/or it’s host organisation shall be responsible for ensuring membership records are kept in line with the Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR.  A list of all members will be kept by the Participation Worker.

 

Members may resign at any time by notifying the Forum via covpf@entrustcarepartnership.org.uk

 

4. Code of Conduct

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A Code of Conduct must be observed and this policy is published separately. In essence, any offensive behaviour, including racist, sexist or inflammatory remarks, will not be permitted. Anyone behaving in an offensive way or breaking the equal opportunities policy may be asked not to attend further meetings or to resign from the group if an apology is not given or the behaviour is repeated. The individual concerned shall have the right to be heard by the Forum committee and be accompanied by a friend, before a final decision is made.

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5. Forum Committee: Responsibilities and Representatives’ Roles

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The Forum Committee or host Organisation may:

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  • Raise funds and invite and receive grants, donations and other contributions

  • Employ paid workers to work on behalf of the Forum and co-operate with other organisations in furtherance of any of the Forum’s aims

  • Provide indemnity insurance cover for the members of the Forum Committee out of the funds secured by the Forum, provided that any such insurance shall not extend to any claim arising from any act or omission which the members of the Forum Committee knew to be a breach of duty or breach of trust or which was committed in reckless disregard of whether it was a breach of duty or breach of trust or not.

 

The Forum runs on the basis of a cooperative with every member having a vote and the opportunity to contribute to the discussion and direction of travel.

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The Forum is democratic, not for profit and forms a collective voice.

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The Forum will meet online no less than 6 times per annum to further the aims of the Forum and agree necessary actions. The meetings will be chaired by two members of the Forum on a rotating basis and elected at a Committee meeting.

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Any member of the Forum can volunteer to undertake the business of the group, if more than one person volunteers for a role those present will vote if necessary.

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 An Annual General meeting will be held in the Autumn Term with 15 months of the previous AGM. 

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The officers’ roles are as follows:

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  • Chairs, who will chair both the AGM and regular committee meetings. All members will be notified electronically at least seven days before the date of the meeting, with Zoom Link , date and time

  • A minute taker who shall be responsible for the taking of minutes, and the distribution of the papers. This role is undertaken by several members of the Forum Committee

  • The Participation Worker and School Engagement Facilitator shall be responsible for keeping records of members

 

In the event of an officer standing down during the year a replacement will be elected by the next General Meeting of members.

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6. Finances

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The host organisation will be responsible for maintaining the accounts of the Coventry Parent Carer Forum. The annual budget will be circulated at the beginning of the financial year, April, and agreed by the Forum Committee.  Decisions on expenditure will be agreed by the Forum Committee, The budget reconciliation will be undertaken by the host organisation and signed off by the Forum Committee.

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The income for Coventry Parent Carer Forum will be maintained under a separate Cost Code on behalf of the Forum. The host organisation will be required to have three signatories, these signatories must not be related nor members of the same household.

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All payments will be signed by two of the signatories.

For BACS payments, cash withdrawals, debit card payments or cash payments a requisition note will be signed by two signatories.

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7. Amendments to the Constitution

Amendments to the constitution may only be made at the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting.

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8. Indemnity

No member of the Parent Carer Forum Committee shall be liable for:

  • Any loss to the property of the Organisation by reason of any improper investment made in good faith (so long as s/he shall have sought professional advice before making such investment); or

  • The negligence or fraud of any agent employed by her/him or by any other member of the Management Committee in good faith (provided reasonable supervision shall have been exercised); and no member of the Management Committee shall be liable by reason of any mistake or omission made in good faith by any member of the Management Committee other than wilful and individual fraud, wrongdoing or wrongful omission on the part of the member whom it is sought to make liable.

 

9. Dissolution

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If a meeting, by simple majority, decides that it is necessary to close down the group it may call a Special General Meeting to do so. The sole business of this meeting will be to dissolve the group.

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If it is agreed to dissolve the group, all remaining money and other assets, once outstanding debts have been paid, will be returned to Contact.

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This constitution was agreed at the Forum Committee Meeting on :

 

Written: May 2025

Responsibility of: Coventry Parent Carer Forum Committee

Next review date: review as required

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