1.  Name

The group shall be known as George Still Forum.

2.   Aim

The aim of the forum shall be:

• To exchange ideas
  • To increase professional awareness
  • To liaise with other professional groups
  • To influence public policy decisions where appropriate
  • To share information in relation to current issues in providing services to individuals and their families and
  • To improve care and increasing awareness of ADHD in children and adolescents in the British Isles.

3.  Membership

1. The membership is open to all those fellows, members and associate members of Royal College of Paediatrics who are involved in assessment and management of ADHD. Those seeking election to the George Still Forum (GSF) shall be proposed by a member. Applications must be made in writing, which must be received by the GSF Administrator at least one calendar month before the Annual General Meeting at which election is sought. Such nominations will need be approved by the executive committee and ratified at the next Annual General Meeting.
   
2. The Executive Committee shall consider all proposals for membership and reserve the right to seek further information and to decline or defer proposals as appropriate.
   
3. Election to the GSF membership shall be confirmed by a two-thirds majority vote of the members present at the Annual General Meeting.

4.  Honorary Membership

I.      Other allied professionals contributing to the advancement of ADHD such as child psychiatrists, other medical practitioners, ADHD nurses, educational representatives including psychologists, members from youth offending team, social workers and from voluntary organisations may be nominated for honorary membership.

5.  Officers of the Association

1. The Officers shall comprise a Chairman, Convenor, Honorary Treasurer and five committee members who will be elected by the ordinary members for a term of three years.
   
   1. A three year period of office shall commence at the completion of the Annual General Meeting. A ‘year’ represents the length of time between consecutive Annual General Meetings and might not correspond with a calendar year.
      
   2. The Chairman shall be elected at the AGM one year prior to the retirement of the current office holder and shall serve for that year as Chairman Elect and the following three years as Chairman.
      

iv.              The Convenor shall be elected at the AGM one year prior to the retirement of the current office holder and shall serve for that year as Convenor Elect and the following three years as Convenor. The terms of office of Chairman and Convenor should not coincide.

1. The Chairman, Convenor and Treasurer may be nominated for re-election for a second term of office.

vi.              Only ordinary fellows, members and associate members of the college will be eligible for nomination to become Officers of the Association. Nominations must be submitted on the appropriate form, to be received by the Convenor at least three calendar months before the next Annual General Meeting so that, if necessary, a postal ballot can be arranged and the results announced at the Annual General Meeting. If a postal ballot is necessary, only ordinary members are eligible to vote.

In the event that only one nomination is received, the Executive Committee shall consider the nomination and, if approved, the appointment shall be announced at the Annual General Meeting.

The Executive Committee shall reserve the right to seek further information and to decline or defer proposals as appropriate.

1. In the event that a Chairman or Convenor is unable to complete the full term of three years (and where there is no Chairman Elect, Honorary Secretary Elect already in place), Convenor may act as an Acting Chairman, Acting Convenor shall be appointed from amongst members of the Executive Committee until the due process of nomination and election is completed at the next AGM.

6.  Executive Committee

1. The Executive Committee shall consist of the Officers of the GSF, Representatives elected from the membership, and, when appropriate, the Chairman Elect Convenor and Honorary Treasurer Elect.
   
   1. The Representatives shall consist of five paediatricians. Each of the Representatives shall have a deputy who shall attend meetings of the Executive Committee in the absence of the Representative for whom he or she is deputising.
   1. Each of the five paediatricians who are Representatives (and their respective deputies) shall represent members working in:
      1. The North part of England
      1. The South part of England
      1. Scotland
      1. Wales
      1. Ireland (If the Representative for Ireland works in the Republic of Ireland then the deputy shall be from Northern Ireland and vice versa.).
   1. The Representatives and their deputies shall hold office for three years. On retirement, the Representatives shall be replaced by their deputies. Only ordinary members shall be eligible to become Representatives on the Executive Committee. Nominations from ordinary members must be submitted in writing to be received by the Convenor at least three calendar months before the next Annual General Meeting. If a postal ballot is necessary only ordinary members will be eligible to vote. If the ballot is for a representative with regional boundaries, only ordinary members working within the relevant regional boundaries shall be eligible to vote.
   1. The Executive Committee shall meet at least once between Annual General Meetings. A quorum shall be four of whom one must be the Chairman or Convenor.
   1. For the smooth running of the forum, various subcommittees may be formed. Each such subcommittee will have one chair and three members, who may be nominated from fellows, members, assoc iate members of the college

or from honorary members. The chair will be preferable from a person from the executive committee.

7.  Annual General Meeting

1. There shall be one Annual General Meeting at a venue and date to be arranged at least one year in advance. Usually the Annual General Meeting and a meeting of the Executive Committee shall take place in conjunction with a spring meeting of Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in York in March/April..
2. Observers shall be invited for the annual general body meeting from organisations and professional bodies involved in or connected with ADHD care. (Examples of such organisations include Child & adolescent psychiatry, ADHD nurses, education, social services, voluntary agencies etc.)
3. The Executive committee will meet once between the two annual general body meetings.
   

8.  Finance

The financial affairs of the Association shall be managed by a Honorary Treasurer. There shall be no annual subscriptions from the members. Any subscription charges must be approved at an Annual General Meeting preceding the proposed change. Any fund acquired shall form the basic source of income for the forum. Honorary Treasurer will have the authority to disburse funds for the benefit of the forum as appropriate and shall submit a statement of accounts to each Annual General Meeting.

9.  Changes in the Constitution

Ratified in the executive committee and annual general body meeting on 17 April 2008