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International
Philosophy of Nursing
Society
Constitution (Consultation Draft)

CONSTITUTION OF THE INTERNATIONAL PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING SOCIETY

ARTICLE I - Name
ARTICLE II - Purpose of the Society
ARTICLE III - Membership
ARTICLE IV - Management of the Society's business
ARTICLE V - Subscription
ARTICLE VI - General Meetings
ARTICLE VII - Accounts
ARTICLE VIII - Alterations to Constitution
ARTICLE IX - Contracts
ARTICLE X - Dissolution

ARTICLE I

Name
The name of the Society shall be 'The International Philosophy of Nursing Society (IPONS)'.

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ARTICLE II

Purpose of the Society

The purpose of IPONS is to bring together individuals from different countries into an international network to promote and support the growing discipline of philosophy of nursing. The aims of IPONS are:

  1. to promote and establish philosophy of nursing, and health care in general, as a credible and important field of philosophical and critical inquiry;
  2. to establish a growing international network for this purpose;
  3. to conduct and support philosophical inquiry in a manner that informs and engages with health care practice, theory, research, education and policy from national and international perspectives;
  4. to support philosophical inquiry into nursing and health care across cultures and countries, including those who may find it difficult for their voices to be heard.
  5. To advance the education of the public and health care professionals in philosophy of nursing by arranging meetings, conferences and seminars, and by such other means as the executive committee in their absolute discretion think fit.

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ARTICLE III

Membership
  1. There shall be one category of members of the society
  2. Membership of the Society shall be open to all.
  3. The Executive Committee shall have the right to refuse membership to an applicant, and to terminate the membership of a member.
  4. Applicants for membership must submit a form of application to the Treasurer acting on behalf of the Executive Committee.

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ARTICLE IV

Management of the Society's business
  1. There shall be five officers of the Society:
    Chair;
    Two Vice Chairs;
    Secretary;
    Treasurer;
  2. The management of the Society's business shall be in the hands of an Executive Committee.
    The Executive Committee shall consist of:
    Chair;
    Two Vice Chairs;
    Secretary;
    Treasurer;
    Editors of Nursing Philosophy, the official journal of The International Philosophy of Nursing Society, and other members of the Society, with the total membership of the Executive Committee of the Society amounting to no more than fifteen, plus two co-opted members who, at the discretion of the executive committee, need not to be members of the society of their contribution is deemed to be of benefit to the society. If such co-opted members of the Executive Committee are not members of the society they will not have voting rights on the Executive Committee.
  3. The Chair, Vice Chairs, Secretary and Treasurer, shall be elected for a minimum period of three years. These officers will be eligible for re-election after each three-year period of office. All such elections shall be held by e-mail or postal ballot with the outcome announced at the Annual General Meeting.
  4. The non-Executive Officer members of the Executive Committee shall be elected as members of the said Committee for a term of three years. Such members will be eligible for re-election after each three-year period. All such elections shall be held by e-mail or postal ballot with the outcome announced at the Annual General Meeting.
  5. The Executive Committee shall meet at least once a year and at such other times as the Committee shall determine to arrange meetings of the Society, admit new members, administer the finances of the Society and deal with all other matters as concern the implementation of the purpose of the Society.
  6. At all meetings of the Executive Committee six voting members, of whom at least two shall be officers, shall form a quorum.

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ARTICLE V

Subscription
  1. Every member shall pay to the Treasurer an annual subscription approved by the Society at an Annual General Meeting and which shall be due on the last day of December in each year.
    Such entrance fee and subscription shall be deemed to be debt due to the Treasurer of the Society for the time being.
  2. If members fail to pay their subscriptions within one month after they have become due, the Treasurer may send them notice in writing to their addresses recorded in the register of the Society calling upon them to pay the same within fourteen or more days within that officer's discretion. If there are members who so fail to pay their subscriptions, their membership will be terminated without further notice. Such terminated members may re-join and pay their subscriptions at a later date if they so wish, but their membership, and all the rights and benefits so entailed, will be decreed as terminated until they do so.

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ARTICLE VI

General Meetings
  1. The Annual General Meeting shall be held in each year upon a date and at a time and place to be fixed by the Executive Committee.
  2. The business of such meetings shall be the announcement of the election of the officers, committee, the passing of accounts and such other business as shall have been communicated to the Secretary and included in the notice of the meeting sent by that officer to the members.
  3. Any member desirous of having any resolution at the Annual General Meeting shall give notice thereof in writing to the Secretary not less than three weeks before the date of such meeting.
  4. The Committee may at any time for any special purpose call a Special General Meeting and shall do so forthwith upon the requisition in writing of one fifth of the members of the Society for the time being or any twenty members whichever be the less, stating the purpose for which the meeting is required.
  5. The Secretary shall at least fourteen days before any Annual General Meeting, and at least seven days before a Special General Meeting, send to every member at his or her address, postal or email, as recorded in the Society's Register a notice of the meeting, stating the time when and the place where it will be held and the business to be conducted.
  6. The business at a General Meeting shall be limited to that provided by these rules and those further matters set out in the notice convening the meeting.
  7. The quorum at any General Meeting shall be twenty.

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ARTICLE VII

Accounts
  1. Full accounts of the financial affairs of the Society shall be delivered to every member with the notice convening the Annual General Meeting.
  2. Accounts will have to be passed at the Annual General Meeting.
  3. Any proposed expenditure, and amounts thereof, will have to be approved at the AGM, or at an extra-ordinary AGM whether this be by meeting, electronically and/or by wrtiting.

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ARTICLE VIII

Alterations to Constitution

Alterations to this constitution shall receive the assent of two-thirds of those members returning electronic or postal votes within 21 days of notification of proposed alterations. Such alterations as given assent by the membership shall be announced at the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting. Proposals for the alteration of the Constitution must be received by the secretary of the society.

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ARTICLE IX

Contracts
  1. The officers of the Executive Committee namely the Chair, Vice Chairs, Secretary and Treasurer for the time being are authorised on behalf of the Society's members to enter into contracts relating to the management of the Society.
  2. Such parties contracting expressly, or impliedly by, on behalf of the Society shall be indemnified out of the Society's funds and by the members for the time being against any liability loss expense action or damages reasonably incurred by virtue of entering into such a contract.

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ARTICLE X

Dissolution

The Society may be dissolved by a resolution passed by a majority of members and voting at a Special General Meeting convened for the purpose of which 21 days notice shall have been given to the members. Such resolution may give instructions for the disposal of any assets held by or in the name of the Society, provided that if any assets remain after the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities such assets shall be distributed in a manner in which the current members of the Society by majority decide.


September 2003; Revised November, 2006.

The International Philosophy of Nursing Society is an unincorporated small company as recognised by HM Revenue and Customs UK.
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