How Do We Operate
The Wellington MS Committee is voluntary and is made up of a president, treasurer, secretary and 5 committee members. The constitution allows up to 12 committee members but as with many voluntary organisations today, we have difficulty getting persons prepared to stand. We meet monthly to discuss the business of the Society.
Within the committee are subcommittees which also meet separately at different times to report back to the main committee. This saves time at the monthly committee meetings:
The subcommittees are:
- Field Workers Coordinators – who work directly with the Field Workers
- Finance meeting in regard to the Societies Financial situation
- Grants – applying for ongoing funding
- Social/fundraising
- Adhoc subcommittees that are set up for specific matters as and when required.
Field Workers:
The Field Workers as employees of the Society, must be treated as any employee i.e. both Society and Field Workers must comply with all regulatory Acts such as the Employment Contracts Act, the Privacy Act, the Health & Safety Act, Human Rights, Health and Disability and the many other Acts that are now in force. The Society, as per legislative requirements, also has a complaints procedure, should any member have a complaint about the service they have received.
As employees, in addition to the Acts of Parliament, the Field Workers have policies and procedures laid down by the Society that they must comply with. The Society has a document called the Wellington Multiple Sclerosis Society Handbook. This is a living document and is updated with changes as and when required.
The Field Workers are responsible to the President or Vice President in their absence. A yearly appraisal is conducted by the President with each Field Worker. The “Field Workers Coordinating Committee” meets with the Field Workers bi-monthly and works through any issues that may have arisen.
The Field Workers also have supervision, given by qualified, independent Supervisor to whom they can discuss any concerns they may have. These supervision meetings are strictly confidential between the Supervisor and the Field Worker. Such supervisory sessions are compulsory for all Field/Social workers who deal directly with clients in the Field, allowing them to give guidance when dealing with a specific matter/client. Any matters between the client and the Field Worker are confidential and not Committee business.