In this Section Board of Directors & Activities
Executive |
Board Members |
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The regular meetings of the Board of Directors are held on the second Tuesday of each month, except July and August, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the Gloucester Room.
Welcome To A Meeting Of The Children's Aid Society Board Of Directors
This brochure provides guidance on how the governance of Children's Aid Society of Ottawa is approached in a transparent manner, which balances the desire for transparency and the governance requirements to complete the work of the Society.
Availability of Minutes of Board Meetings
The approved Minutes of the Board of Directors meetings are provided upon written request to the public. Requests should be made to : Executive Office, 1602 Telesat Court, Ottawa, ON, K1B 1B1.
Approved Minutes of the Board of Directors exclude the in camera minutes.
What sorts of things are discussed during in camera meetings?
- Personal matters about an identifiable individual (Board member, client or employee)
- Labour relations or employee negotiations
- Acquisition or sale of land or property
- Litigation or potential litigation
- Receiving advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege
- Matters falling under the privacy disposition of any applicable legislation
- Security of the property of the Society
- Any other matters, which would be prejudicial to the interests of the Society or its clients
The following notices will be posted shortly on this website for the general public:
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Notice of Board of Directors Meetings
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Notice of Annual General Meeting
Other Public Venues
Notice of upcoming Board of Directors Meetings and Annual General Meetings will also be posted on the youth in care website, will be included in the e-bulletins to Foster Families, staff members and in quarterly mail-outs to Private Operators.
Furthermore, the notice of the Annual General Meeting will also be made available by way of a mailed invitation to the membership and by inclusion in the e-newsletter to community partners.
Public Attendance at Meetings
Accessibility
The Board of Director Meetings is open to the public. To support the welcoming of the public the following will occur:
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A meeting room will be open to the public to wait for the Meeting.
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Copies of the Agenda and minutes of the previous Board Meetings being discussed within the Board Meeting will be provided to the public in attendance.
Participation
The public can participate in the Board Meeting:
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By requesting time to present prior to the meeting and presenting within the time period allowed on the agenda item Public Presentation.
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By asking questions to the Board allowed on the agenda item ‘Questions to the Board'. The questions may be asked and responses will be provided as directed by the Chair. This may include a response in the meeting if appropriate. However, common practice is to answer the inquiry outside the meeting in a reasonable timeframe based on the availability of information and complexity of the question.
Presenting to the Board
Time Allotment
Generally, delegations are given five minutes to make the presentation, however the time may be extended by the Chair of the meeting, but not beyond ten minutes in total. It is expected that the speakers will be limited to two persons as representatives on behalf of the delegation.
Relevance Of The Subject Matter Of A Presentation
The subject must have some relevance to the mandate of the Society. However, the Board will not hear matters that are:
- The subject of labour negotiations;
- The subject of contractual negotiations or service agreements with service providers;
- In relation to a specific client, employee or volunteer of the Society.
Generally, the Board will not hear matters that are subject to the requirement to be heard in camera. However, there may be circumstances where the Chair believes that the Board should receive representations on such an issue and accordingly such representations shall be heard in camera, subject to the same limitations of time.
Becoming A Delegate
Anyone wishing to become a delegation to the Board gives notice at least ten days prior to the date of a regular Board meeting, with a written statement as to the subject matter of the presentation and those who will be in attendance. It is desirable that a written summary of the presentation be provided for distribution to the members of the Board before the meeting.
Questions
Following a delegation's presentation, a question period of a maximum of five minutes will be allowed for the purpose of seeking clarification from the delegation.
Important Things To Note
Delegations To Committees
It may be more appropriate for a delegation to be heard in the first instance by a committee of the Board. Where such is the case, the delegation will be encouraged to appear before the committee. The above-mentioned rules apply to the proceedings before a committee, subject to determination by the chair of the committee. Board Committees are working groups of set membership that bring recommendations to the board for decision.
Involvement In Discussions
Public participation in the discussion at Board Meetings is not generally allowed as defined by the Bylaw 7.05. To ensure transparency, all committee business and recommendations are brought to the Board of Directors meeting following the committee meeting in the form of minutes or verbal reports. Therefore there is no public attendance to committee meetings other than by the invitation of the Committee.
Similar Matters
The chair may limit the number of delegations that are to appear respecting the same issue. A delegation that has been heard on an issue may not appear again on that same issue within the twelve months following the presentation, except that it may be given an opportunity to comment should the issue raised come back to the Board for a report following consideration of the initial representations.
Communication
All communication to the Board of Directors as whole or to specific members is through the main office of the Children's Aid Society. The communication is circulated to the Board members at the meeting immediately following the receipt of the material, unless otherwise requested or if the information is urgent in nature.
Client Complaint Review
If a person has a complaint about the services that he or she has received from the Society, this person may request a review of her or his concerns. As a first step, the person is invited to discuss these concerns with the worker and supervisor involved in the case. If this is not satisfactory, the person may request a meeting with the Society's Internal Complaint Review Panel, which is comprised of a Board member, a community representative and a senior manager not directly involved with the case. The eligibility criteria and the time frames for a review by the Internal Complaint Review Panel are stipulated in the Provincial Complaint Review Procedure for Children's Aid Societies. The person may also contact the Child and Family Services Review Board by referring to their pamphlet that is available at the Society or their website.
