Governance

Important Information for EUSE Board Members 

Who We Are

Our Name is the European Union of Supported Employment (EUSE). EUSE is registered as a Dutch Vereniging (Association) which is an association registered with the Rotterdam Chamber of commerce. 

Definition 

The definition of supported employment accepted and agreed by EUSE board is “the provision of support to people with disabilities or other disadvantaged groups to secure and maintain paid employment in the open labour market”.

 Objectives 

The objects of the EUSE board are found in our Articles of Association (Please refer to this document for more detail) below is a summary:

  • To provide a means of consultation and cooperation and a means of effective communication between members 
  • Furtherance and development of supported employment
  • The collection and dissemination of information on Supported Employment methodologies.
  • The promotion of the exchange of knowledge and experience in the field of Supported Employment to build the capacity of member organisations.

Membership 

Members of the Association can be national organisations within the countries of Europe which are committed to the Stated objectives under Article 3.  More than one national association can be accepted as a member when the territory of this association is linked with a specific region.

Executive Committee 

  • The Council shall comprise 2 representatives from each member nation.  The Council shall appoint directly the President, and up to 4 Vice-Presidents, 2 of whom who will have responsibility of Secretary and Treasurer and each nation can have only 1 representative office bearer.
  • In order to ensure that the Council is representative of the broad range of stakeholders at European level, the Council will have the power to co-opt a representative from a European NGO of people with disabilities or for issues of social disadvantage and/or a European NGO of Employers.  

 Meetings and Annual General Meetings  

  • The Council shall meet at least three times between designated General Meetings and/or whenever the President or 40% of other Council members deems or deem such meeting desirable. 
  • The meeting shall be presided over by the President or the Vice-Presidents; the Vice President with responsibility for the Secretariat shall take minutes of the business transacted at the meeting.  In the absence of the President, one of the Vice-Presidents shall be in charge of the presidency of the meeting, respectively of the taking of minutes of the business transacted thereat. 
  • The Council shall take resolutions by absolute majority of the votes cast. 
  • No resolutions can be taken, if less than 35% of the Council is present and voting at the meeting.  If the votes are equal the President or the person who has the presidency of the meeting has a casting vote.  Voting with respect to persons shall always take place by means of ballots. 
  • Each nation shall have the right to cast one vote; blank votes or void votes shall be regarded as not having been cast.  In circumstances agreed by the Council, proxy voting may be permitted. 
  • The Council members can decide unanimously to have a voting procedure without attending a meeting for specified items of business.
  • A general Council meeting shall be held every 18 months in conjunction with the EUSE Conference.  When a EUSE conference.  does not take place in that time period the general Council meeting shall be held later, but within 24 months after the last formal general Council meeting. 

Finance and Auditing  

  • The Year of the Association and the financial year shall coincide with the calendar year.
  • The Council shall take due care to see and ensure that the balance sheet, the statement of revenue and expenditure and the annual report as made and drawn up shall be available at the office of EUSE as from the day on which notice of the Council intended for their consideration has been given. 
  • The Council shall every two years give instructions to a chartered accountant hereinafter called “the auditor” – to examine and audit the balance sheet and the statement of revenue and expenditure, with the explanatory notes thereon, drawn up by the Executive Committee in conformity with the provisions laid down in paragraph 3 of Article 393 of Book 2 of the (Dutch) Civil Code. 

The auditor shall report to the Council on his examination and audit and shall lay down the result of his examination(s) and audit(s) in a certificate referred to in paragraph 4 of Article 15 of these Articles of Association 

  • If there has not been submitted a certificate, as meant in Article 15, paragraph 4 of these articles, to the Council, the Council appoints every two years a committee consisting of at least two members, which persons may not be an Office Bearer.  The auditing committee then examines the balance-sheet and the statement of revenue and expenditure with the explanatory notes thereon, and reports the result of its examinations to the Council.  The Council is obliged to provide the auditing committee all the information required for the purpose of its examination, to show, if necessary, the cash and the values and to grant leave to inspect the books and records of the association

Code of Conduct 

It is a great responsibility to be a member of the board of EUSE, we have a code of conduct available for all members which we expect all members to adhere to.