7. Policies
Policies
As well as having a constitution that covers the rules of the group, it is also a good idea to have group policies on equal opportunities, health & safety and protection of vulnerable people. It is important to note that if your Friends Group is expecting to apply for grants, funders will ask for copies of policies covering these areas.
Once created, it is important that your policies and procedures are known and understood by everyone, so that good practice becomes part of every activity. If your group has a website or social media account, it is a good idea to make the policies available therein.
You may also choose to have a code of conduct for your group, which is nothing more than a common sense list of guidelines which describe the way committee or general members are expected to carry out their duties. This then enables the group to ask anyone who doesn’t keep to the code to leave a meeting or activity, or if the breach is persistent then to be voted off the group or committee.
It may be useful to refer to the code of conduct in the group’s constitution. For example: ‘All members shall agree to abide by the group’s code of conduct. Failure to do so will result in the member being asked to resign.’