Revised and rewritten:  April 2002

Registered Charity No: 208717

1. The name of the organisation is “The Catholic Handicapped Fellowship.”

2.   The objects of the Fellowship are:

a.       The support of people with a learning, physical and/or mental disability primarily, but not exclusively, of the Roman Catholic faith.

b.      A commitment to the teaching and practise of the Catholic Church, particularly as expressed by the documents of the Second Vatican Council and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

c.       The provision of, or assistance in, the provision of facilities for recreation or other leisure time activities, provided in the interests of their social welfare and with a view to improving their condition of life.

 In furtherance of the above objects, but not otherwise, the Fellowship shall have the following powers:

 a.       To inform the public in the needs of the aforementioned people.

b.     To foster co-operation and intercommunication between the affiliated organisations and other charitable organisations, local authorities and other institutions of a public or charitable nature within the Roman Catholic Dioceses of England and Wales and the Catholic Handicapped Fellowship.

c.       To give and exchange information and advice.

d.      To advance education in all matters relating to the support and needs of the aforementioned people, and to undertake research for the purpose and to publish the results of all such research.

e.       To hold meetings, conferences, exhibitions and discussions.

f.        To publish reports, papers, books and other literature.

g.       To recruit and assist in the recruitment of voluntary workers.

h.       To assist in the establishment of charitable clubs, recreational centres, hostels, residential and relief care homes.

i.         To take and accept any gifts of property, whether subject to any special trusts or not, for the objects of the Fellowship.

j.        To raise voluntary funds and to receive and accept by way of subscription, donation or otherwise: providing that the Fellowship shall not undertake any permanent trading activities in raising funds for its objects.

k.      To sell, let, mortgage, dispose of or turn to account all or any of the property or assets of the Fellowship.

l.         To do all such things as shall be necessary for the attainment of the objects of the Fellowship.

 3.      The business of the Fellowship shall be conducted by the National Council (hereinafter referred to as “the committee”) consisting of:  a Chairman, Vice-chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and Chaplin, together with such numbers of members of affiliated organisations as shall be decided at its Annual Meeting.

 4.      Membership of the Fellowship shall be those affiliated organisations as shall be admitted to membership of the Fellowship by the committee as aforementioned and shall pay such annual subscription as the committee shall from time to time determine.

5.      The Fellowship shall meet at least once in every year at a meeting to be called the Annual General Meeting but subject thereto and to such conditions hereinafter set out and may meet at such other times as the committee shall decide, and the committee may make rules for the conduct of the business of the meetings of the Fellowship as it shall think fit and may fix a quorum for all meetings.

6.      An Extraordinary General Meeting may be requisitioned by the membership on receipt by the Secretary or other officer of the National Council by motion signed by not less than one half of the membership. Membership in this instance shall mean the National Council officers together with two representatives from each affiliated organisation.

7.      The Chairman shall take the chair at every meeting of the Fellowship at which he is present, or in his absence, the Vice-chairman and if neither is present the members of the committee shall elect a Chairman from amongst themselves. The declaration of the Chairman of a meeting as to the result of any voting shall be final.

8.      Each member of the committee shall have one vote at all meetings and voting shall be on a show of hands or ballot, and no vote shall be cast by proxy. In the event of an equal vote, the Chairman of the meeting shall have a second or casting vote.

9.      It shall be the duty of the Secretary to call all meetings of the committee and of the Fellowship, and he shall give not less than fourteen days notice of every meeting of the Fellowship to every member thereof.

10.  The committee shall have the following powers in relation to the Fellowship:

a.       Power to admit or refuse admission to any organisation seeking membership of the Fellowship.

b.      Power to remove or expel any organisation from membership of the Fellowship provided that no organisation may be so removed except by resolution passed by at least two thirds of the committee members present and voting at a meeting called the purpose at which the organisation to be removed shall be given the opportunity on reasonable notice of attending and speaking in its own defence.

c.       Power to carry out on behalf of the Fellowship, all acts which the Fellowship is empowered to carry out except such as these regulations or any rules made thereunder must be exercised by the Fellowship in general meeting.  

d.      Power to fix subscriptions and to make regulations as to the conduct and terms of membership of members of the Fellowship provided that no such regulation shall be valid unless it is in accordance with these regulations.

e.       The committee may delegate any of its powers to a sub-committee consisting of such members of their body as they think fit, and any such sub-committee shall conform to any regulation imposed on it by the committee, provided that all actions taken by and the proceedings of all such sub-committees shall be reported to the committee at the first available opportunity.

 11.  The committee shall instruct its Treasurer to cause to be laid before the Fellowship at its Annual General Meeting in any year an audited or independently examined Balance Sheet and Income and Expenditure Account for the preceding year. The committee shall comply with their obligations under the Charities Act 1993 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that Act) with regard to:

a.       The keeping of accounting records for the Charity

b.      The preparation of annual statements of account for the Charity

c.       The auditing or independent examination of the statements of accounts for the Charity

d.      The transmission of the statements of accounts of the Charity to the commissioners as required.

 12.  The committee shall comply with their obligations under the Charities Act 1993 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that Act) with regard to the preparation of an Annual Return and its transmission to the Commissioners.

 13.  The committee shall comply with their obligations under the Charities Act 1993 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that Act) with regard to the preparation of an Annual Report and its transmission to the Commissioners.

14.   Any bank account in which any part of the funds of the Fellowship is deposited shall be operated by the Fellowship and shall be held in the name of the Charity. All cheques and orders for the payment of money from such account shall be signed by at least two members of the committee.

15.  The Fellowship may by resolution passed by not less than two thirds of the members present and voting, alter, revoke or add to these rules in whole or in part provided that no alteration or deletion or addition may be made, the effect of which would cause the Fellowship at any time to cease to be a charity in law.

16.  The Fellowship may by resolution passed by not less than two thirds of the members present and voting at a meeting called specifically for the purpose of the dissolution of the Fellowship, dissolve the Fellowship and in such event the funds of the Fellowship remaining after payment of all debts and liabilities shall be donated to an organisation which supports the aims and objects of the Catholic Handicapped Fellowship as the committee shall direct.

17.  The Fellowship shall issue a Policy Statement on Child Protection and the Protection of Vulnerable Adults. A policy will be established to protect (and support) Children and Vulnerable Adults from any form of abuse, be it sexual, physical, emotional or neglect.