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Charter for Asia Pacific Rim Confederation of Counsellors (APRCC) version 1/08 ©

Policies and Procedures

Asia Pacific Rim Confederation of Counsellors (APRCC)

This document contains the aims, purpose, mission statement, definitions, rules and organisational structure of the APRCC. No changes are to be made to contents of this document without written authorisation from the Secretary General who will seek authority from the General Assembly prior to making any changes. Changes can only be made after a majority vote of the General Assembly unless outlined otherwise in this document. The policies and procedures of the APRCC are to be carried out in line with the Charter and Constitution of the APRCC. This document is designed to work in conjunction with the Charter and Constitution of APRCCC. Any policy or procedure within this document that is contrary or ambiguous with the Charter and/or Constitution will be subordinated by the Charter and/or Constitution. For the purpose of this document the term counsellor includes psychotherapist.

Version 1/08

Policies & Procedures for Asia Pacific Rim Confederation of Counsellor Ltd (APRCC) version 1/08 ©

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Contents

Subject Point # Page Number

Preamble 2 Definitions 3 Aims and Mission Statement 4 Purpose 5

Rules

Definition of Counsellor 6 Eligibility for Individual Membership 1 6 General Assembly 2 7 Secretary General 3 8 Corps of Honorary members 4 8 Crisis Council 5 10 General Assembly Member 6 11 Permanent Members 7 11 Councils 8 12 General Members 9 12 Veto 10 12 Disputes 11 13 Functions and Powers (General Assembly) 12 13 Voting 13 13 Procedures 14 14 Secretariat 15 14 Agreements 16 15 Amendments 17 15 Funds and Accounts 18 15 Documents 19 16 Regional Economic & Social co-operation 20 16 Indemnity 21 16 Distribution of Surplus Assets 22 17 By-Laws 23 17 Resignation from General Assembly 24 17 Removal of General Assembly Members 25 17 Complaints Procedures 26 17 Classes of Members 27 17 Admission and Rejection of Members 28 18 Membership Fees 29 18 Attachments: Organisational Chart 1 20 General Assembly 2 21 General Assembly Members 3 22 GA – Key Positions 4 23 Secretariat 5 24 Corps of Honorary members 6 25


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Asia Pacific Rim Confederation of Counsellor/psychotherapys (APRCC)

Preamble: At the time of writing this Charter there were no professional regional bodies that represented counsellors in the Asia Pacific Rim region. However there are many professional bodies/associations specific to counselling within certain countries and states within the region. There have also been efforts by well-intentioned American and European based associations to move into this region to set up credentialing and representative bodies. However, APRCC believes that the region is now mature enough and able enough to own and run its own professional body to represent counsellors and ensure appropriate services are delivered to our community within this region. The APRCC has been formed to enable counsellors within the Asia Pacific Rim region to advance as an accountable and recognised profession for the benefit of the Asia Pacific Rim community. The APRCC gives counsellor within the region access to an association that can help to ensure counsellors work together regardless of where they come from within the region. The APRCC will also work towards developing the service delivery of crisis counsellor’s services within our region that can be co-ordinated and administered by a regional body that represents all countries within the region. APRCC has not been designed nor has it been developed to replace professional bodies within countries in the region. APRCC will work with established professional bodies and form partnerships where ever possible. APRCC will recognise professional bodies through its membership requirements. Why is the APRCC a Confederation? The term Confederation can be best described as an “alliance”. APRCC could be described then as an “alliance of counsellors from diverse cultural, religious and political environments all of whom live within the one region”. An alliance can be described as a “connection based on kinship”. Therefore by putting the two together we can more accurately describe APRCC as “an alliance of counsellors who are connected through a kinship derived from their professional and emotional investment in their unique region and its peoples.

Motto: “APRCC is an alliance of counsellors who are connected through a kinship derived from their professional and emotional investment in their unique region and its peoples.”

President Dr Catherine Sun Secretary General Philip Armstrong 1/8/08


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Asia Pacific Rim Confederation of Counsellors Ltd (APRCC)

Definitions

1. Asia Pacific Rim region – Geographical area that the APRCC operates in. 2. Asia Pacific Rim Confederation of Counsellors Ltd (APRCC) – a confederation of

counsellors/psychotherapists represented by a council of members from within their own country who elect General Assembly Members to a General Assembly that is the decision making mechanism of the confederation.

3. Association - Asia Pacific Rim Confederation of Counsellors 4. Council – a group of six elected representatives from one country or state that speak on behalf of the

members of that state or country. General Assembly Member representatives come from the council. 5. Council member (CM) – one of six elected representatives of a member country or state. 6. Disaster Management Division (DMD) – Council set up to deliver crisis and trauma services and

education within the region in times of natural and man made disasters. 7. Disaster Management Division member – a person elected to the Crisis Council 8. General Assembly (General Assembly) – decision making mechanism of APRCC, made up of

General Assembly Members. 9. General Assembly Member (General Assembly Member) – elected representative to the General

Assembly from the Council of members representing a country or state. 10. Member – General member 11. Member Liaison Officer (MLO) – the membership officer who processes membership applications

and carries out administrative duties as directed by the undersecretary. This is a non elected position and is appointed by the Secretary-General.

12. Permanent members – Foundation members (Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand) of the confederation

13. President – Chairperson of the General Assembly 14. Rules – Regulations of the APRCC that expand on the articles. 15. Secretary-General (SG) – elected person from the General Assembly who is responsible for the

running of the Secretariat and confederation as per the articles and rules of the confederation. 16. Undersecretary – the senior secretary of the secretariat who works directly under the Secretary-

General and is responsible for the administration of the secretariat. This is a professional administrative position that does not require the undersecretary to come from a counsellor/psychotherapists background. This is a non elected position and is appointed by the Secretary-General.

17. Veto – power to reject a motion


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Asia Pacific Rim Confederation of Counsellor (APRCC)

The APRCC and its Members, in pursuit of the Purposes stated in this document, shall act in accordance with the following Principles:

1. The APRCC is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all its Members. 2. All Members, in order to ensure to all of them the rights and benefits resulting from membership,

shall fulfill in good faith the obligations assumed by them in accordance with the present Charter. 3. All Members shall settle their international disputes externally from the APRCC by peaceful means

in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered. 4. All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the

territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of APRCC.

5. All Members shall give APRCC every assistance in any action it takes in accordance with the present Charter, and shall refrain from giving assistance to any state against which the APRCC is taking authorised disciplinary action.

6. Nothing contained in the present Charter/Constitution or Policies and Procedures shall authorise APRCC to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state or shall require the Members to submit such matters to settlement under the present Charter.

Aim: Uphold and enhance the confidence of the Asia Pacific Rim community in the profession of counselling/psychotherapy. Mission statement: To provide counsellors and the general community in the Asia Pacific Rim region an association that will help to develop and maintain standards and delivery of counselling services that are culturally appropriate within this region. The common aims and objectives of APRCC are as follows:

• To monitor, maintain, advise and improve professional standards in counselling education and practice;

• To provide an industry-based confederation for persons engaged in counselling education and practice;

• To be a self-regulatory body to provide for registration and representation of counsellors in the Asia Pacific Rim region;

• Liaise with Governments for the benefit of the association, members and the public; • To provide crisis and trauma services in the event of natural and/or man made disasters within our

region that are culturally appropriate and delivered by professionals from the Asia Pacific Rim region.

• To provide public educational services in relation to crisis and trauma issues when ever and where ever possible within our region.

• To promote the professional development and growth of practising counsellors; • To maintain a register of individual members of APRCC in our region; • To help the public within our region at large to become more aware of the counselling profession; • To provide a vehicle to promote research in the counselling profession;

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Purpose: APRCC is a non profit association and charity that has been developed to:

• Bring together under one roof counsellors in the Asia Pacific Rim region. • Develop and provide counselling crisis and educational services in times of man made and

natural disasters within the region • Develop an association that can work appropriately within the different cultures, political

systems, belief systems and socio-economic systems within our region. • To develop and establish an association that is truly indigenous to the Asia Pacific Rim

region. • To develop a regional body that respects the individuality of each of its member states.


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Rules

For the purpose of the rules the definition of Counsellor is: Counselling inclusive of psychotherapy is a talking, communication and relationship-based therapy in which registered professionals use theory, research and practice-based knowledge and supervised training, skills and experience with the goal of reducing uncertainty or harmful behaviour and improving relationships, quality of life, social functioning and health, within the context of an interpersonal relationship that is designed to facilitate these changes. Counsellor shall be taken to refer to the development of a professional relationship and activity in which one person endeavours to help another to understand and to resolve specific problems or changes in life transitions including situations where specialised knowledge and method are needed, within the framework of a contracted professional relationship. A registered professionally qualified Counsellor is clinically trained to assess and respond holistically to the needs of clients (which can be individuals, families, couples or groups) in their family, social and cultural contexts, and to assist clients to understand and resolve specific problems affecting their emotional well being and social functioning.

1. Eligibility for Individual Membership to APRCC: Individuals must have completed a formal course of study in counselling/psychotherapy and be recognised to practice counselling/psychotherapy within the definition of a counsellor/psychotherapist and be working as a:

a. professional counsellor/psychotherapist within: i. a private practice or clinic ii. a recognised non profit agency as a volunteer or paid worker, iii. a relevant government department iv. a church in a pastoral position v. a school as a guidance officer vi. a health facility offering counselling services vii. a hospital or hospice viii. a research facility ix. registered training provider as a lecturer or teacher within a

counsellor/psychotherapy faculty 1.1 To be eligible for membership as a counsellor/psychotherapist and must reside and practice for more

than 30 weeks within the Calendar year as a counsellor/psychotherapist in one country that is geographically situated with the majority of their land mass falling west of the International Date Line (Monday) and east of Greenwich 75 degrees longitude, 45 degrees latitude south of the equator and 45 degrees latitude north of the equator. Islands that fall within this area and are administered or are colonies of countries outside of this area are not eligible for membership:

1.2 Eligible countries identified at the time of the writing of this Charter are: Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong (SAR), Macao (SAR), China, Taiwan, Indonesia, India, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Nepal, Timor Leste, and Myanmar.

1.3 Members must accept the obligations contained in the present Charter and be willing to carry out these obligations.

1.4 The admission of any such country for membership purposes in the APRCC will be affected by a decision of the General Assembly.


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1.5 The General Assembly may from time to time add or delete further countries that fall into the geographic area as per point 1.2

1.6 Individuals must agree to be placed under the General Assembly Member deemed most appropriate for their membership by the secretariat.

1.7 Fees will be decided on from time to time by the secretariat for membership as General Members as defined at point 9. Other fees may be instituted by the secretariat from time to time where necessary.

2. General Assembly (General Assembly): The general assembly is the decision making body of the association and is responsible for:

a. implementing and amending rules/policies, b. authorising expenditure, c. authorising the implementation of services provided by the Crisis Council,

2.1 The General Assembly is made up of three separate groups: a. Secretariat, b. General Assembly Members, and c. Disaster Management Division 2.1.1 The General Assembly will appoint one member to hold the position of President.

2.1.1.1 The President will be elected for terms of 3 years which cannot be held for more than 2 consecutive years.

2.1.1.2 The President can only be elected from a General Assembly Member as per point 6.1

2.1.1.3 A General member will need to be elected to the General Assembly member to replace the vacant position left by an incoming President.

2.1.2 The President will be responsible for: a. Good orderly conduct of all meetings b. Expelling members who are considered to be disruptive to the good

conduct of the meeting. c. The ethical conduct of members of the General Assembly d. Working with the Secretary-General in relation to organising meetings. e. Support the Secretary-General and secretariat. f. Following up outcomes of the Complaints Board

2.1.3 The President is empowered to: a. Expel disorderly members of the General Assembly from meetings b. Cast a deciding vote in the case of a deadlock. c. Sign all formal documents approved by General Assembly. d. Direct all members of the general assembly on meeting procedures and

protocol e. Perform representative duties with the Secretary General.

2.1.4 The Presidents position will be independent of a country or General Assembly Member. 2.2 Secretariat is made up of:

a. Secretary-General b. Under secretary c. Treasurer d. Member Liaison Officer e. Other staff as deemed necessary


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2.3 The primary language used by the General Assembly will be English. However, interpreters will be arranged where and if necessary depending on costs. 2.3.1 Documents will be translated into the relevant language when ever possible for distribution to

members. 3. Secretary-General (SG): This position is filled by a member appointed by the General Assembly (terms of service to be of a five year period with a maximum of 2 consecutive terms). SG duties include, overseeing administration within the secretariat, helping resolve regional disputes, administering disaster operations, organising international conferences, gathering information on the implementation of General Assembly decisions, representative duties and consulting with member governments regarding various initiatives through the Corps of Honorary members. SG has one vote in the General Assembly. 3.1 The powers and duties of the Secretary-General are enabled to ensure the Secretary-General is capable of doing his/her job efficiently and without unnecessary hindrance. 3.1.1 The powers of the Secretary-General are:

a. To act as the Chief Executive Officer. b. To authorise expenditure from an annual budget approved by the General.

Assembly. c. To act as the media spokes person for the association. d. Issue media releases. e. Represent the association at official functions and conferences when ever

possible. f. Carry out any other duties conferred by the General Assembly. g. Delegate duties to members of the secretariat where appropriate. h. Stand in the place of the President should the President not be capable of

undertaking his/her duties until the General Assembly votes in another President.

3.1.2 The duties of the Secretary General are: a. Helping resolve regional disputes b. Administering operations of the Crisis Council c. Organising regional conferences d. Gathering information on the implementation of General Assembly decisions e. Consulting with member governments regarding various initiatives. f. Representing the Association.

3.1 Other members of the secretariat are primarily professional administrative staff who are employed (volunteer or paid) to provide administrative duties and have no voting rights nor can they address the General Assembly unless directed to do so by the SG. These members are chosen by and over seen by SG. Minimum administrative staff positions are but not exclusive of;

a. Treasurer b. Undersecretary c. Member Liaison Officer

3.2 Positions held within the secretariat are in general professional positions and therefore should when ever possible be paid positions. 4. Honorary Members: The position of Honorary member is a position that will be accorded to those members of the APRCC who have been recognised as experts, specialists or having advanced the profession of counselling/psychotherapy significantly through their own work outside of any paid positions within the


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Counselling industry. This recognition can be within the sphere of academia, research, practice, training development, politics or contributions to the profession of counselling beyond their paid positions. 4.1 Each country member of APRCC may have numerous Honorary members no more than 1 Honorary

member for each 1,000 members of that country, with a maximum of 10 Honorary members from any single country/state at any one time.

4.2 Honorary members are unpaid positions however costs incurred whilst undertaking representative duties should when ever possible be covered by the APRCC.

4.3 Eligibility: Members must meet the following criteria before being eligible for nomination as a Honorary member:

a. Have a proven record of being able to work with significant people in and outside of their own personal and professional network.

b. Members must have made significant contributions to counselling over a minimum period of 10 or more years to their area of specialty.

c. Proven record of working constructively and proactively with significant people from different secular, non secular, political and cultural back grounds.

d. Capable of developing new networks and meeting new people beyond their own personal and professional network.

4.4 Nominations: Nominations to confer the title of Honorary member on members will need to be presented to the General Assembly Member of the nominating country. 4.4.1 The General Assembly Member of the nominating country will receive a nomination by the

council members after the majority of the council agree upon one nomination. 4.4.2 The nominations will then be tabled by the General Assembly Member at an assembly

meeting where a majority agreement must be reached before the title of Honorary member will be conferred upon a nomination.

4.5 Honorary members will; a. Raise the political and public profile of the APRCC when ever and where ever appropriate or

as directed by the Secretary-General. b. Identify funding, donation and sponsorship opportunities and pursue these opportunities with

the help of the secretariat. c. Be responsible for representing the APRCC in a positive and appropriate manner due their

position. d. Honorary members will report back to the SG on all representative work and will table a

report at the next assembly meetings of all activities undertaken prior to that meeting and since the previous meeting.

4.6 The position of Honorary member does not carry with it any authority to act on behalf of the association without first seeking approval through the General Assembly or Secretary General. 4.6.1 Honorary members will send reports on paper or through approved electronic means to the

Secretary-General for tabling and discussion at least 3 days prior to the next General Assembly meeting.

4.6.2 Honorary members will report on all meetings to the Secretary General as soon as practical (no later than 7 days after the conclusion of such meetings) where the Honorary member believes information from the meeting will be immediately beneficial to the association.

4.6.3 Honorary members may be sanctioned by the Secretary-General with approval from the General Assembly President to deliver formal propositions on behalf of the association where ever and when ever appropriate.

4.6.4 Honorary members cannot hold General Assembly Member positions nor can they vote at a General Assembly meeting.

4.6.5 Honorary members may attend and/or speak at a General Assembly meeting if invited by the President to do so.


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4.6.6 The position of Honorary member is an esteemed position that will carry with it all the respect expected of such a senior position.

4.6.7 Honorary members are not to release any information gained through their duties before formal reports have been presented to the General Assembly Member unless authority is first given by the President and Secretary-General.

4.6.8 All information gained through representative duties by Honorary members is to be treated as confidential until ratified by the General Assembly Member.

4.6.9 Honorary members will hold no voting rights in the General Assembly, councils or as members.

4.6.10 Members in a formal setting must introduce Honorary members by the term “Honourable” when introducing them verbally or in the written format to other members or individuals/groups within or outside of the membership.

4.7 Patrons: Patrons will be identified by the Secretary General and or GAM and appointed by the

General Assembly and will be administered by the Secretariat. Duties of a Patron are: 4.7.1 Patrons may not necessarily come from a counselling background but may be nominated due

to their political/social/industry or professional contributions to the Region. 4.7.2 Patrons should have a proven record in working at senior levels of government/society or

industry. 4.7.3 Patrons will be primarily responsible for representative, negotiation and mediation duties at

senior government and industry levels. Patrons will also be expected to work with Honorary members to mentor them and include them in their networks when ever possible and appropriate.

4.7.4 Patrons will not represent countries but will represent the APRCC and work directly with the SG and the Secretariat.

4.7.5 Patrons will not hold any authority to act on or talk on behalf of APRCC unless authorised by the SG. SG will inform the General Assembly Member in such cases.

4.7.6 Patrons may speak at General Assembly meetings if invited and will have written reports tabled through the SG to report on activities when necessary. Patrons will have no voting rights.

4.7.7 Patrons will be appointed for no specific term of service. However they may be stood down by a majority vote of the General Assembly Member if required. a. Patrons will be referred to as “Patron”. b. Patrons are unpaid positions however costs incurred whilst undertaking representative

work should be covered by APRCC when ever possible. c. Patrons may to seek out and identify any funding opportunities and report these to the

secretariat. 5. Disaster Management Division (DMD): The DMD is accountable to the General Assembly and reports to the Secretary-General and President of the General Assembly through the DMD Chairperson. The Chairperson of the DMD is responsible for working with the Secretariat to set up the DMD’s administrative staff and office.

5.1 Procedures and administrative protocols will be coordinated under the direction of the secretariat to ensure continuity of bureaucratic procedures.

5.2 The DMD is to be established to set up a register of appropriately trained counsellors/psychotherapists to respond to regional needs in the case of natural or man made disasters such as the Boxing Day Tsunami in 2002.

5.3 The DMD is to co-ordinate with the SG the deployment of resources where and when ever they are needed.


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5.4 The DMD will also establish and maintain a register of appropriately trained volunteer trauma counsellors/psychotherapists who will be able to supply trauma and critical incident services for emergency workers and those impacted on by the disaster. 5.4.1 These counsellors/psychotherapists will be volunteers and must be able to operate in

spartan conditions as one would find in a disaster area. 5.5 The Secretariat with the DMD is to establish working relationships and agreements with

governments within the region to be able to work with any government deployments to disaster areas.

5.6 The DMD is to maintain its number one priority of respecting local cultures, religions and governments whilst providing crisis services and not get involved in political issues of any kind.

5.7 The DMD will also develop a training program to allow deployed counsellors/psychotherapists to train locals in trauma education to ensure a vacuum is not created when resources are withdrawn.

5.8 The DMD will be financially administered by the secretariat and a budget will be allocated annually by the General Assembly.

6. General Assembly Member (GAM): The General Assembly Member will be an eligible country as stated in point 1.2.

6.1 The General Assembly Member will consist of 2 individual representatives (terms to be of a three year period with a maximum of two consecutive terms) per eligible country with each General Assembly Member having one vote. 6.1.1 The two representatives who make up the General Assembly Member must be elected

by the general members of the country represented and must come from the ‘Council’. 6.2 General Assembly Member should not where possible consist of two representatives who

both belong to the same professional body within that country unless counselling is regulated by a government department within that country or nominations from other recognised counselling bodies are not received. This will ensure equity in representation for countries with multiple professional bodies.

6.3 The two representatives making up the General Assembly Member must mutually agree on each motion before voting, if they cannot they must abstain.

6.4 Differences between professional bodies within General Assembly Member countries are not the business of the General Assembly and are not to be points of discussions.

6.5 All internal issues of any General Assembly Member outside of the auspices of the APRCC are to be resolved independently and not through the General Assembly Member or their representative council.

7. Permanent members: There are three permanent members of the General Assembly. These are made up of the foundation members, these being Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand.

7.1 The foundation members shall be the original Members of the standing committee who met in Hong Kong on 22nd January 2008. The original members of APRCC shall be the states which, having participated in the APRCC inaugural meeting at Shue Yan University in Hong Kong, 12th of July 2008.

8. Councils: Councils are made up of the general members and are to act as advisory bodies to the General Assembly Member.

8.1 Councils are responsible for ensuring General Assembly Member’s are aware of the general member’s opinions and needs. This will ensure the General Assembly Member will maintain contact with the coal face.


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8.2 Councils are made up of 6 general members with a Chairperson leading each council. Councils do not have a seat on the General Assembly nor do they have voting rights on the General Assembly.

8.3 Councils are responsible for conducting elections for General Assembly Member. Only council members are eligible to be elected for General Assembly Member positions as they become available.

8.4 Councils are responsible for organising elections for council members and General Assembly Members.

8.5 Councils should ensure elections of General Assembly Members are staggered to ensure that two new General Assembly Member representatives from the one country are not installed at the same time. This will keep the continuity of the General Assembly. Councils should meet collectively at least bi-annually.

9. General Members (GM): General members are counsellors/psychotherapists who are individuals who work in eligible countries as per point 1.1 will be eligible to apply for individual membership to APRCC.

9.1 Each member will have their name placed on a register under their nominated country for a nominal fee and will receive a certificate or similar with their registration number identifying their membership to APRCC.

9.2 Members will have access to the council for information and discuss issues. 9.3 The General Assembly Member of their country will be ultimately responsible for general

members on their register. 9.4 GM are eligible to elect and vote for Council members. 9.5 GM must remain financial through payment of annual fees to be eligible to vote and

participate in APRCC. . 9.6 Membership will only be open to counsellors/psychotherapists who are registered through

their appropriate professional bodies or regulators within their country. In the case where there is no organised registration bodies then membership eligibility will be evaluated on an individual basis by the membership liaison office based in the secretariat.

9.7 All financial members are eligible to stand for the Council when positions become available. 9.8 GM will lose all their rights if deregistered from APRCC.

10. Veto: Each General Assembly Member shall have one vote including the President and SG. In the

case of a deadlock the president will have 2 votes and cast the deciding vote. 10.1 Decisions of the Assembly on procedural matters shall be made by an affirmative vote of

75% or more of the General Assembly Member. 10.2 Decisions of the Assembly on all other matters shall be made by an affirmative vote of 75%

or more of the members including the concurring votes of the permanent members. 10.3 The 'power of veto' is not explicitly mentioned in the APRCC Charter, the fact that

'substantive' decisions by APRCC "the concurring votes of the permanent members", means that any of those permanent members can prevent the adoption, by the General Assembly, of any draft resolutions on 'substantive' matters.

11. Disputes: An Individual Member of APRCC against which preventive or enforcement action, as per the Code of Conduct, has been taken by the General Assembly may be suspended from the exercise of the rights and privileges of membership by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Chair of the Complaints Commission. The exercise of these rights and privileges may be restored by the General Assembly.


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11.1 A Member State of APRCC which has persistently violated the Principles contained in the present Charter may be expelled from the APRCC by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Chair of the Complaints Commission.

11.2 Any dispute between two or more General Assembly Member’s, the continuance of which is likely to endanger the maintenance of peace and security of APRCC, shall, first of all, seek a solution by negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, resort to regional agencies or arrangements, or other peaceful means of their own choice.

11.3 The General Assembly shall, when it deems necessary, call upon the parties to settle their dispute by such means.

11.4 The General Assembly may investigate any dispute, or any situation which might lead to regional friction or give rise to a dispute, in order to determine whether the continuance of the dispute or situation is likely to endanger the maintenance of regional peace within the counselling profession.

11.5 Any General Assembly Member may bring any dispute, or any situation of the nature referred to in point 11.4 to the attention of the General Assembly.

11.6 The General Assembly may, at any stage of a dispute of the nature referred to in point 11.4 or of a situation of like nature, recommend appropriate procedures or methods of adjustment.

11.7 The General Assembly should take into consideration any procedures for the settlement of the dispute which have already been adopted by the parties.

11.8 In making recommendations under this Charter the General Assembly should also take into consideration that legal disputes should as a general rule be referred by the parties to the International Court of Justice in accordance with the provisions of the Statute of the Court.

12. Functions and Powers: The General Assembly may discuss any questions or any matters within the scope of the present Charter or relating to the powers and functions of any organs provided for in the present Charter and may make recommendations to the Members of the APRCC on any such questions or matters. 12.1 The General Assembly shall consider and approve the budget of the APRCC. 12.2 The expenses of the APRCC shall be borne by the Members as apportioned by the General

Assembly. 12.3 The General Assembly shall consider and approve any financial and budgetary arrangements with

specialised agencies as they occur and shall examine the administrative budgets of such specialised agencies with a view to making recommendations to the agencies concerned.

13. Voting: Any changes to the Charter/Constitution will need to be voted on by the General Assembly which is the only mechanism that has the power to vote on issues of the Charter, Constitution, policy, discipline or budget. 13.1 Each General Assembly Member as per point 6 shall have one vote. 13.2 Decisions of the General Assembly on important questions shall be made by a two-thirds majority of

the members present and voting. These questions shall include: recommendations with respect to the maintenance of, DMD, regional standards and any trauma counselling/psychotherapy services, the election of the members of the DMD, the formation of new Councils, the admission of new Members to APRCC, the suspension of the rights and privileges of membership, the expulsion of Members, questions relating to budgetary questions.

13.3 Decisions on other questions, including the determination of additional categories of questions to be decided by a two-thirds majority, shall be made by a majority of the members present and voting.

13.4 General members will each have one vote with which to elect council members, point 8 to 8.5. 13.5 The President of the General Assembly will have a casting vote in the case of a dead lock. 13.6 A General Member of APRCC who is in arrears in their payment of their financial contributions to

the APRCC shall not be eligible to vote in the elections of council members. The General Assembly


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may, nevertheless, permit such a Member to vote if it is satisfied that the failure to pay is due to conditions beyond the control of the General Member.

14. Procedure: The General Assembly shall meet in regular annual sessions and in such special sessions as occasion may require. Special sessions shall be convoked by the Secretary-General at the request of the Crisis Council or of a majority of the General Assembly Members of the APRCC. 14.1 The General Assembly shall adopt its own rules of procedure. It shall elect its President for 3 year

periods with a maximum of 2 consecutive periods. 14.2 The General Assembly may establish such subsidiary organs as it deems necessary for the

performance of its functions. 15. The Secretariat: The Secretariat shall comprise a Secretary-General and such staff as the APRCC may require. The Secretary-General shall be appointed by the General Assembly. They shall be the chief administrative officer of the APRCC. 15.1 The Secretary-General shall act in that capacity in all meetings of the General Assembly and the

Crisis Council, and shall perform such other functions as are entrusted to him by these organs. The Secretary-General shall make an annual report to the General Assembly on the work of the APRCC.

15.2 The Secretary-General may bring to the attention of the DMD any matter which in their opinion may require the intervention of counsellors in a disaster/crisis situation within the region.

15.3 In the performance of their duties the Secretary-General and the staff shall not seek or receive instructions from any government or from any other authority external to the APRCC. They shall refrain from any action which might reflect on their position as regional officials responsible only to the APRCC.

15.4 Each Member of APRCC undertakes to respect the exclusively regional character of the responsibilities of the Secretary-General and the staff and not to seek to influence them in the discharge of their responsibilities.

15.5 The Secretary-General is responsible for hiring all staff within the secretariat. 15.5.1 The staff shall be appointed by the Secretary-General under regulations established by

the General Assembly. 15.5.2 Appropriate staffs shall be permanently assigned to the Crisis Council and to other

organs of the APRCC. These staffs shall form a part of the Secretariat. 15.5.3 The paramount consideration in the employment of the staff, whether they be paid or

volunteer and in the determination of the conditions of service shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Due regard shall be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.

16. Agreements: Every regional/international agreement entered into by any authorised Member of the APRCC after the present Charter comes into force shall as soon as possible be registered with the Secretariat and published by it. 16.1 No party to any such agreement which has not been registered in accordance with the provisions of

point 16 may invoke that agreement before any organ of the APRCC. 16.2 In the event of a conflict between the obligations of the Members of APRCC under the present

Charter/Constitution and their obligations under any other agreement, their obligations under the present Charter/Constitution shall prevail.


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17. Amendments: Amendments to the present Charter/Constitution shall come into force for all Members of APRCC when they have been adopted by a vote of two thirds of the members of the General Assembly. 17.1 A General Conference of the General Assembly Members of APRCC for the purpose of reviewing

the present Charter/Constitution may be held at a date and place to be fixed by a two-thirds vote of the members of the General Assembly.

17.2 Any alteration of the present Charter/Constitution must be carried by a two-thirds vote of the General Assembly Members.

17.3 If such a conference has not been held before the tenth annual session of the General Assembly following the coming into force of the present Charter/Constitution, the proposal to call such a conference shall be placed on the agenda of that session of the General Assembly, and the conference shall be held if so decided by a majority vote of the members of the General Assembly.

18. Funds and Accounts: The funds of the Association will be banked in the name of the Association in an account with a bank or other financial institution as the General Assembly may direct. 18.1 Proper books and accounts will be kept and maintained either in written or printed form in the

English language or in a computerised or electronic medium showing the financial affairs of the Association and the particulars usually shown in books of a like nature.

18.2 Money will be banked as soon as practicable after receipt Cheques will be signed by any two of the Secretary General, President of General Assembly, Treasurer, or other member authorised from time to time by the General Assembly.

18.3 Cheques will be crossed `not negotiable'. 18.4 Expenditure will be approved or ratified at a General Assembly meeting. 18.5 As soon as practicable after the end of each financial year, the treasurer will cause to be prepared

financial statements containing particulars of: 18.5.1 The income and expenditure for the financial year just ended; and 18.5.2 The assets and liabilities and all mortgages, charges and securities affecting the

property of the Association at the end of that year. 18.6 The financial statements will be examined by the auditor, as nominated by the GA, who will present

a report upon the audit to the Secretary prior to the holding of the Annual General Meeting next following the financial year in respect of which the audit was made.

18.7 The income and property of the Association will be used and applied solely in promotion of its Objects and in the exercise of its Powers. No portion of it will be distributed, paid or transferred directly or indirectly by way of dividend, bonus or otherwise by way of profit to or amongst the Members.

18.8 Nothing contained in this clause 18 will be construed so as to prevent: 18.8.1 The payment in good faith of interest to a Member in respect of money advanced by

the member to the association or otherwise owing by the Association to the member or;

18.8.2 of remuneration to an officer or employee of the association or to a member of the association or other person in return for any services actually rendered to the association.

18.9 The payment or repayment to a member of out of pocket expenses, money lent, reasonable and proper charges for goods hired by the Association or reasonable and proper charges for goods hired by the Association or reasonable and proper rent for premises demised or let to the Association.

19. Documents: The secretariat will provide for the safe custody of the books and records, documents, instruments of title and securities of the association.


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19.1 A person may not copy or take extracts of the register of members or use or disclose the confidential information of the association without the prior approval of the Secretary-General.

20. Regional Economic and Social Co-operation: With a view to the creation of conditions of stability and well-being which are necessary for peaceful and friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, APRCC shall promote:

a. higher standards of living, full employment, and conditions of economic and social progress and development;

b. solutions of international economic, social, health, and related problems; and international cultural and educational cooperation; and Universal respect for, and observance of, human rights for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion

21 Indemnity: All board members and trustees holding property for the association will be indemnified out of the property and funds of the association against all losses and expenses incurred in the discharge of their duties except any due to their own wilful act or default. 21.1 Each Board Member or trustee will be responsible only for so much money or property as he or she

actually received for, or in discharge of the business of the association, and each one will be answerable only for their own acts, neglects or defaults and not for those of any other person, on for insufficiency of any security for money invested or of title to any estate or property acquired, or for any loss or damage which may happen in the discharge of their duties unless due to their own wilful neglect or default.

21.2 An employee may be indemnified out of the property of the Association against any liability:- a. Incurred by the employee acting in that capacity, b. For the costs and expenses incurred by the employee in defending proceedings,

whether civil or criminal, in which judgment is given in favour of the employee or c. in which the employee is acquitted; or d. in connection with an application in relation to such proceedings, in which the

court grants relief to the employee. 21.3 Subject to the law, the association may pay insurance premiums in respect of insurance for the

benefit of the Assembly Members and the Association's employees when acting in their respective capacities against:- 21.3.1 Costs and expenses in defending any proceedings, whether civil or criminal, whatever their

outcome. 21.3.1 A liability arising from negligence or other conduct not being a liability incurred by the

person acting in that capacity and arising out of conduct involving a wilful breach of duty in relation to the Association or a breach of the law or of this Constitution dealing with improper use of confidential information or position.

21.4 The association may pay insurance premiums in respect of insurance for the benefit of the auditor. 22. By-Laws: The board may make, amend or repeal by-laws, not inconsistent with this Charter, for the internal management of the Association. Any by-law may be set aside by the voting members in general meeting. 23. Resignation from the General Assembly: A General Assembly Member may resign from the General Assembly by giving written notice to the Secretary-General, the notice will be effective from the date of receipt by the Secretary-General unless a later date is specified in the notice when it will take effect on that later date.


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24. Removal of General Assembly Members: For the purpose of this point a General Assembly Member is defined as either or both of the individuals who make up a General Assembly Member as per point 6.1 and either one or both may be removed if they: 24.1 Make any arrangement or composition with his/her creditors generally. 24.2 Becomes of unsound mind, or a person whose person or estate is liable to be dealt with in any way

under the law relating to mental health. 24.3 Is not a Financial Member. 24.4 Becomes an employee of the Association except as Secretary-General. 24.5 Is directly or indirectly interested in any contract or arrangement or proposed contract or

arrangement with the Association and fails to declare the nature of his/her interest in the manner required by the Act.

24.6 Becomes prohibited from being a Member by reason of any order made by a lawful court. 24.7 Otherwise ceases to be a member or to be eligible to be a member by virtue of this Charter. 24.8 The General Assembly may by resolution remove any General Assembly Member before the

expiration of their period of office. 24.9 A General Assembly Member may be removed from office or from the Crisis Council at a general

meeting of the association where that Member will be given the opportunity to fully present their case. The question of removal will be determined by a vote of the General Assembly present at the general meeting.

24.10 If a General Assembly Member is suspended from membership of an APRCC recognised counselling professional body, he/she will have to make a formal appeal to the GA as to why they should maintain their position on the GA.

24.11 GA members who have been suspended or disciplined by their appropriate professional body will be suspended from the GA as from the time of their standing down by their professional body until their appeal is heard by the GA.

24.12 Suspended members of GA are not eligible to vote until their appeal has been heard. 26. Complaints Procedures: All complaints against any APRCC member will in the first instance be heard by their appropriate professional body with which they are registered as a counsellor/psychotherapist within the country where they practice/reside. 26.1 Complaints against members of APRCC who are not members of an APRCC recognised body will

have their complaint heard by the APRCC Complaints Commission that is situated within the Secretariat.

26.2 The complaint will follow the procedures as laid down by the Complaints Commission. 26.2 APRCC will recognise deregistration and/or suspension outcomes of legitimate complaints boards

from approved professional bodies against individual APRCC members. 27. Classes of Membership: There will only be one class of member to the association and that will be

a. General member. 27.1 Only financial General members are eligible to be nominated for or able to fill the following

positions: a. Council member b. General Assembly member c. Secretary-General d. President of the General Assembly e. Disaster Management Division member

27.2 Employees, members of the secretariat other than the Secretary-General, Honorary members and Patrons are not required to be General Members.


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28. Admission and Rejection of Members: Proposals for membership of the Association will upon receipt by the Association be entered, in the order of time in which the proposals are received by the Secretariat, in a Register (`Register') to be kept by the Secretary-General. 28.1 Where an application for membership of the Association is rejected, the applicant may appeal to the

next General Meeting of the Assembly for the purpose of reviewing the Secretariat's decision provided that written notice of the applicant's appeal is received by the Secretary-General within 30 days of the notification to the applicant of the rejection decision accompanied by payment of the Convening Costs.

29. Membership Fees: The membership fees will be determined by the Board and will be payable at the time and in the manner as the General Assembly determines. 29.1 Unless the Secretariat otherwise determines, Membership renewals fees will be payable annually on

the anniversary date of first joining.


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Secretariat Secretary-General, Under secretary,

Treasurer, Member Liaison

Officer

Malaysia 2 x representatives

voted in by the members

Australia 2 x representatives


New Zealand 2 x representatives


Hong Kong 2 x representatives


Japan 2 x representatives


President

President is drawn from one of the General Assembly Member countries.

Secretariat made up of: Secretary/General, (terms to be of a five year period with a maximum of 2 consecutive terms). This position is appointed by the general assembly. The secretariat also includes treasurer, undersecretary and member liaison officer nominated by the secretary general, these are non voting positions. SG has one vote in the case of a draw will have a second casting vote.

President nominated by the assembly (terms to be of a three year period with a maximum of 2 consecutive terms).

General Assembly Members: The general assembly is made up of eligible countries, each has 2 representatives (terms to be of a three year period with a maximum of 2 consecutive terms) with each country having one vote.

Korea 2 x representatives


Singapore 2 x representatives


Council &

Individual Members

Council &

Individual Members

Council &

Individual Members

Council &

Individual Members

Council &

Individual Members

Council &

Individual Members

Council &

Individual Members

Councils: Advisory council is made up of 6 members of the country member of the General Assembly will be formed to act as advisers to their General Assembly Members. Councils have no powers within the Assembly.

DMD Made up of 6 members of

General Assembly Member including

3 permanent .

DMD is to maintain a register of appropriately trained critical incident and trauma counsellors. DMD is to respond to man made or natural disasters to provide trauma services where needed and educate/train locals in trauma issues.

Attachment 1. Organisational Chart

General Assembly Members


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General Assembly Made up of a General Assembly

Member from each country

Hong Kong General Assembly Member (GAM)

Two elected members from the Council make up the GAM for

Hong Kong

Malaysia General Assembly Member (GAM)

Two elected members from the Council make up the GAM for

Malaysia

Council of Malaysian Members

Made up of six elected members from the General members.

Council of Hong Kong Members

Made up of six elected members from the General members.

Individual members in Malaysia

Individual counsellors situated in Malaysia join APRCC and are

represented by an elected council from Malaysian members

Individual members in Hong Kong

Individual counsellors situated in Hong Kong join APRCC and are represented by an elected council

from Hong Kong members

General Members (GM): Individual counsellors who join APRCC independently to register with the association as belonging to a country within the region. GM are represented by the elected Council of that country.

Attachment 2.


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General Assembly Member

Hong Kong


Korea


India


China


Singapore


Vietnam


Australia


Japan


New Zealand


Malaysia

General Assembly

is made up of all the GAM’s

Attachment 3.


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General Assembly General Assembly is made up of the following four key

positions;

2. President Elected by GAM for a term of three years, responsible for

the good order of the General Assembly

3. DMD Elected by GAM for a term of three years and responsible

for the operational and administrative running of crisis services.

Attachment 4.

1. General Assembly Members Two elected individuals per country elected from the

advisory council.


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Secretary General

Under secretary Treasurer, Administration staff

Honorary members & Patrons

Secretariat is made up of: Attachment 5.


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Corps of Honorary members: Situated within the Secretariat

Ambassador Senior Honorary member, 1 per

GAM

Honorary member 1per 1,000 General Members per

country

Attachment 6.

Policies and Procedures Asia Pacific Rim Confederation …aprcc.net/Policies and Procedures...

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