The Constitution of the Irish Society of Dentistry for Children

Executive Committee:

Ruth Cusack, Evelyn Connolly, Siobhan Doherty, Catherine Donnelly, Rona Leith, Siobhan Lucey, Anne O’Connell, Jennifer McCafferty.

The Constitution of the Irish Society of Dentistry for Children

ARTICLE 1

Name: The name of the Society will be the Irish Society of Dentistry for Children, also called the Society in this constitution. The website address is registered as www.dentistryforchildren.ie. It is an independent, non- profit and non-political organisation.

Date Commenced: The Society was established in October 1971. The ISDC is the Irish National Society Member of the parent organisation – the International Association of Paediatric Dentistry (IAPD).

ARTICLE 2

Aim: To promote best practice in paediatric dentistry in Ireland

Objectives:

To promote links with organisations representing children, particularly those associated with oral health.
To form a network of individuals experienced in the area of paediatric dentistry.
To provide a forum for the exchange and dissemination of information and research in the area of paediatric dentistry, through scientific meetings and other media.
To promote inclusion of oral health care for children among other dental and health care organisations.
To assist in education of parents and other health care providers on the oral health of children.
To adapt and disseminate evidence-based best practice for clinicians.
To act as a source of expert knowledge on aspects of paediatric dentistry to policy-makers, the media and the general public.
To identify barriers to oral health for the paediatric population.
To encourage up-skilling of dental teams in the provision of care for the paediatric population.

ARTICLE 3

There will be four forms of membership; full, student, associate and honorary.
Full membership will be open to all with an interest in the oral health of children and currently working in Ireland, or who worked in Ireland within the preceding year. This includes, but is not limited to, dentists, hygienists and dental nurses. Full members have voting rights, are eligible for Committee membership and may apply for ISDC-funded awards or grants.
Student membership will be open to all undergraduate students currently studying in Ireland. This includes, but is not limited to, dental profession students. Student members will not have voting rights, are not eligible for Committee membership but may apply for ISDC-funded awards or grants. Student members may also be co-opted by the Committee to represent the student voice as required.
Associate membership may be attained by retired members and applicants working outside of Ireland. Associate members do not have voting rights, are not eligible for Committee membership and may not apply for ISDC-funded awards or grants.
Honorary membership will be conferred based on the recommendation of the committee and following a two-thirds majority vote of those members present at the AGM. Honorary members will have all the privileges of membership of the Society but will not be entitled to vote. This category is intended to honour long standing advocates of child oral health and participation in the activities of ISDC.
Membership can be attained or renewed by registering for the Annual General Meeting (AGM). Membership applications are not generally accepted during the membership year however, future members may be added to the Society mailing list for the remainder of the membership year with their permission. Changes regarding subscription categories/rates will be made at the AGM.
The membership secretary will keep an electronic record of the members and their status. Personal contact data will be used for ISDC communication only and will not be shared with third parties. Data protection policies will be adhered to protect the integrity of members personal data.
Non-registration for the AGM will inactivate membership. Membership can be reinstated by payment of outstanding membership fees.
Membership may be discontinued by sending a request in writing (email / letter) to the membership secretary.
Membership may be terminated by a unanimous decision by the committee, who will inform the member of their reasons. Expulsion may be appealed by the member, who will have a right to represent themselves to the committee.

ARTICLE 4

Executive Committee:

The Executive Committee will comprise of the Officers of the Society, which will include the President, Past President, President Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership secretary, Website Coordinator and up to 4 ordinary members.
The authority of the Society will be vested in the Executive Committee, who will conduct the work of the Society, both within and outwith committee meetings.
Any full member is eligible to become an Officer of the Society.
Election of Officers will take place at the AGM by a ballot of the members present.
The secretary should receive nominations for positions in writing at least 14 days prior to the AGM. Nominations must be proposed and seconded by full members and with the agreement of the nominated person. Alternatively, nominations can be made at the AGM or later, and accepted if proposed and approved by the Executive Committee.
The President will hold office for 1 year, will be selected from the existing Committee and must have been an active member of the committee for at least 2 years previous to nomination. Past President and President Elect will hold office for 1 year. The remaining positions will be held for 2 years, and the Officers will be eligible for re-election to the same post at the AGM for up to a maximum of 5 years. They will then be eligible for re-election after an interval of 1 year.
An Officer must be active and work within the Committee. An Officer can resign from a post by notifying the secretary in writing, who will then notify the President.
If a post becomes vacant, the Executive Committee will be empowered to fill the vacancy until the next AGM.
The Executive Committee can co-opt full members to serve on the committee at their discretion for a fixed term.
The President will be the Ambassador for the Society and be the delegate at the Council of International Association of Paediatric Dentistry. He/she may co-opt another member to represent the ISDC at IAPD Council to ensure representation at Council. All voting delegates to Council must hold current individual membership in IAPD.

ARTICLE 5

Duties of Officers:

The President will preside at all meetings, decide about questions of order, interpret rules of the Society, sign the minutes and be the Chairperson of the Executive Committee. If the President is unavailable, the Past-President can deputise or the President can appoint a Chairperson for the meeting. The president will liaise with IAPD on behalf of the Society.
The secretary will be responsible for all business of the society, arrange committee and general meetings, retain minutes of meetings, conduct correspondence and prepare reports.
The membership secretary will recruit and maintain the membership database.
The treasurer will administer the finances of the Society and discharge all accounts with the approval of the Executive Committee.
The website coordinator will be responsible for maintaining and updating the Society website and electronic messaging as required.

ARTICLE 6

Meetings:

The AGM will be held on a date agreed by the Executive Committee, with a minimum of 28 days notice. The AGM will include an annual report from the President, secretary, treasurer and website coordinator.
A General Meeting can be arranged by the secretary at either the request of the committee or at least ten full members of the Society. A written notice will be sent to every member not less than 28 days before the meeting.
The secretary can arrange, with the agreement of the committee, any other type of meeting or event, in the name of the Society, providing that votes are not taken on any matters relating to the running or policies of the Society.
Emergency meetings can be held, once the reason for the meeting has been defined and approved by the secretary.
All members must provide up to date contact details. Non-receipt of notice of a meeting by any member will not invalidate the proceedings of the meeting.
All decisions requiring a vote will be passed with a majority consensus.
In the event of a tied vote during a meeting, the Chairperson (usually the President) will have a casting vote. Except for these casting votes, the Chair of a meeting will not vote on resolutions.
The quorum for any committee meeting will be 4 full members and 8 full members for any General Meeting.
Should a quorum not be achieved, then the meeting will be adjourned to an agreed date at which all decisions will be made by the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE 7

Changes to the Constitution:

Changes to the constitution can only be made at a General Meeting, including an AGM. Notices giving full details of proposed changes will be posted to all members not less than 7 days before the meeting.
The secretary must receive potential changes to the constitution in writing at least 14 days prior to the General Meeting. Changes must be proposed and seconded, and can be suggested by any full members of the Society.

ARTICLE 8

Finance:

Any money received will be paid into the Society account by the treasurer.
Any money paid out in the name of the society will be transferred from the Society account or by cheque. The treasurer will instruct the bank which signatures can be accepted.
No member will derive any financial benefit from the Society, other than the payment of reasonable expenses.
Any Committee member who carried out an agreed activity on behalf of the society will not be personally liable for debts, and will be indemnified from the Society’s funds, provided that the Committee agrees that the extent of renumeration is reasonable and documented.
Fundraising will be seen as an obligation of the committee as a whole. No funds may be raised in any manner judged by the Committee to be in conflict with the objectives of the Society.
A copy of the most recent annual statement of accounts will be presented at each AGM by the treasurer and will be made available to any member on request. Each annual statement of accounts will be audited by another Committee member, and this person will report directly to the AGM on the state of the accounts.
It is the obligation and responsibility of National Member Societies to pay membership fees to IAPD. The fee levied depends on the number of members. A National Member Society whose dues are two years in arrears must be notified of this in writing by the Secretary General of IAPD. If the National Member Society fails to meet their dues commitment, it shall be reported to the IAPD Board and Council. Unless there is an unusual circumstance, the Secretary General should recommend to Council that the National Member Society shall cease to be a member. Debts shall not be written off by the termination of membership.
A Society debit card is necessary to facilitate payment by the ISDC for goods and services. The treasurer will be responsible for the safekeeping and use of the debit card. In order to obtain and use a debit card, the mandate on the Society accounts indicates that ‘any one’ of the account signatories is approved to sign for transactions or changes to the account. The treasurer will continue to receive account statements at an appropriate frequency. The account statements will be made available by the treasurer for review by another Committee member at any time. This process will be reviewed on an annual basis or more frequently as the committee deems fit.

ARTICLE 9

Dissolution of the Society:

The Society can only be dissolved by a majority vote at a General Meeting, provided that not less than 28 days notice of such an occurrence has been provided to all members.
If the proposal is confirmed, all debts and obligations of the Society will be settled, provided appropriate funds are available.
Any remaining assets will be given to a group or society that has similar objectives.