Elected Representatives

 Developing a stronger voice 

In April of each year we hold elections for representatives to each of the partnerships.

Any person from a member organisation is welcome to stand for election.

Once elected, a representative will have two main duties:

• The first is to represent the views and interests of the membership as a whole on the strategic partnership to which they have been elected.
• The second is to feedback to the membership details of meeting outcomes.

Neither duty is in any way onerous if you already have an interest in the particular area you would like to represent.

Do you feel strongly about an issue?

Working for a better future for everyoneWe commonly have around 75 elected representatives sitting on some 35 local partnerships at any one time. You are welcome to browse the list and talk to any of them to find out what it is like and what is involved.

If you are interested in standing for election you might wish to read some of the information below before getting in touch with us to find out more.

Summarising the principles of CVSF representation

In order that CVSF members and partner agencies have full confidence in our representation processes, it's important that we follow certain straightforward guidelines and fair practices. A shortened summary of these is as follows;

1. Representatives will be elected by a postal ballot.
2. Representatives must represent the broad interest of CVSF members, not their personal or own-group view. This means that they should resolve positions locally with the CVSF and / or their own group prior to attending local partnership meetings.
3. Representatives are "mandated" to think on their feet and do their best when faced with any key issues or decisions that have to be made.
4. Where it is not possible to bring difficult or contentious issues for discussion at the Forum prior to them happening, the representatives should bring them to the attention of the Chair of the Board Trustees as soon as practically possible.
5. Representatives should inform both the CVSF and the Partnership where they represent the Forum of organisations with whom they have a connection. This is in order to avoid perceived, or even actual, "conflicts of interest".

Working to build a consensusIn return, the CVSF will provide support and guidance for our representatives to help them achieve the maximum.

• The CVSF's Staff and the Board of Trustees will offer practical help and advice to all representatives.
• The CVSF will provide new information on relevant topics when this becomes available to keep representatives fully informed.
• The CVSF will also provide training and organise briefings and appropriate events so that representatives can develop their knowledge and experience.
• Where representatives feel that situations are challenging, or that communciation with the partnership has become difficult, CVSF staff will work hard to guide you forward.
• All expenses incurred through CVSF representation work will be met by us except where these are not already met directly by the Partnerships being attended.

The above information is intended only as a simple guide and we do have a formal 'Code of Conduct' document which you are welcome to read. This is based on the model used by the Bristol Forum "VOSCUR" to whom we express our gradteful thanks.

Please contact us directly and we will happily send you a copy.