Governance

Lifestart Supporting Parents (LSP)is a registered charity and is governed by a Board of Directors who volunteer their time to ensure that this organisation works in accordance with legislation in relation to charities and to ensure that LSP works towards best practice at all times so that LSP is able to function legally and safely.

Our current Board of Directors and Members are:

• Margaret Gilmore (Chair)
• John Desmond Keaney (Secretary)
• Avril Hunt (Treasurer)
• Catherine McGowan
• Emer Logan
• Mark Burns
• Irene Geelan
• Nessa Cosgrove

LSP is governed by key principles:

Principles of Good Governance which we, The Board of LIFESTART SUPPORTING PARENTS commit to:

Principle 1. Leading our organisation.

We do this by:

• Agreeing our vision, purpose and values and making sure that they remain relevant;
• Developing, resourcing, monitoring and evaluating a plan to make sure that our organisation achieves its stated purpose.
• Managing, supporting and holding to account staff, volunteers and all who act on behalf of the organisation.

Principle 2: Exercising control over our organisation.

We do this by:

• Identifying and complying with all relevant legal and regulatory requirements;
• Making sure that there are appropriate internal financial and management controls; (Financial Co)
• Identifying major risks for our organisation and deciding ways of managing the risks.

Principle 3. Being transparent and accountable

We do this by:

• Identifying those who have a legitimate interest in the work of our organisation (stakeholders) and making sure that there is regular and effective communication with them about our organisation;
• Responding to stakeholders’ questions or views about the work of our organisation and how we run it;
• Encouraging and enabling the engagement of those who benefit from our organisation in the planning and decision-making of the organisation.

Principle 4. Working effectively.

We do this by:

• Making sure that our governing body, individual board members, committees, staff and volunteers understand their: role, legal duties, and delegated responsibility for decision-making.
• Making sure that as a board we exercise our collective responsibility through board meetings that are efficient and effective.
• Making sure that there is suitable board recruitment, development and retirement processes in place.

Principle 5. Behaving with integrity.

We do this by:

• Being honest, fair and independent;
• Understanding, declaring and managing conflicts of interest and conflicts of loyalties;
• Protecting and promoting our organisation’s reputation.
• We confirm that our organisation is committed to the standards outlined in these principles. We commit to reviewing our organisational practice against the recommended actions for each principle every year.