Governance

Mental Health Ireland is a not-for-profit registered charity operating as a company limited by guarantee. Our registered charity number is 20008642. We are fully compliant with the Charities Regulator Governance Code . Following the six governance principles ensures organisational fitness and our ongoing prioritisation of best practice and high standards of governance, compliance and accountability.

Principle 1 – Advancing its charitable purpose:

Mental Health Ireland has a clear charitable purpose defined and governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association, which underpin our goals, objectives, and the work that we do.

Principle 2 – Behaving with integrity:

Our team uphold the mission, vision and values of the organisation and carry out their roles with core principles of being trauma informed, recovery led, volunteer and community focused. Our people are our strongest assets and by working together with shared values, the integrity of the organisation is honoured and upheld.

Principle 3 – Leading People

Our Board of Directors lead the organisation to occupy leadership spaces within the sector, locally, regionally and nationally. This leadership value exists within all team members, whether they lead on projects, assist in campaigns, lead teams or perform administrative tasks, the team are aware of their influence and presence in the sector and the importance of their roles.

Meet our Board of Directors

Principle 4 – Exercising Control:

Ensuring good governance requires ongoing attention to internal policies and control measures to mitigate risk and maintain a high standard of compliance.

• Privacy and GDPR
• Financial reporting
• Policies
• Complaints

Principle 5 – Working Effectively:

Through coproduction, collaboration and strong community and national partnerships Mental Health works effectively to achieve the goals of national policies such as National Framework for Recovery, Sharing the Vision, and The HSE Mental Health Promotion Plan.

Principle 6 – Being Accountable and Transparent:

Mental Health Ireland are committed to maintaining full transparency and accountability at all levels. We comply with the Charity Governance Code and are a Triple Lock accredited organisation.

Our Memorandum and Articles of Association

As a company limited by guarantee, we have a constitution made up of our Memorandum and Articles of Association. This was last updated in 2018 with our members, the Revenue Commissioners, the Charity Regulator and with expert legal assistance. This underpins our activities at all times.

– Mental Health Ireland Memorandum and Articles of Association

Board of Directors

Mental Health Ireland are governed by a Board of Directors who all operate in a voluntary capacity and are not paid for their time. Directors are voted into their seats at AGM’s and serve a maximum of two board rotations (six years). Board meetings take place six times a year, with many of the board members additionally sitting on one of the two permanent sub-committees, the Audit and Finance Committee and the Governance and Risk Management Committee. Separate sub committees meet sporadically for emerging needs such as succession planning. Written Terms of Reference exist for all committees. Attendance records for all board and sub-committee meetings are maintained and reported in our annual report  and contained within compliance returns to regulatory bodies. The Board operates according to Mental Health Ireland’s Memorandum and Articles of Association (previously known as the Constitution). Board members are volunteers and receive no payment for their time. Travel expenses may be claimed in accordance with revenue guidelines and are only paid with proof of purpose, receipts and authorisation. Board member selection and recruitment is conducted to ensure that board members are capable, diverse, and questioning persons that enhance the process and quality of our decision making. Board members are provided with a Director Handbook at induction, must sign a conflict-of-interest statement annually and declare conflicts where present at every board meeting. Board Members are also required to complete regular Trustee Training.

Salaries

All Mental Health Ireland employees are paid salaries that are aligned to HSE salary scales with no top ups. Expenses are paid in line with revenue guidelines and must be authorised by a member of the executive management team. Salary and expense payments are approved by 2 authorised team members. CEO expenses are authorised by the Chairperson of the Board of Directors. Credit Cards are held by selected members of the Executive Management Team with clear and strict financial controls in place for any expenditure. Credit Card use is overseen by the Finance Manager monthly.

Lobbying

Mental Health Ireland are registered lobbyists and make quarterly return to the Register of Lobbying. Lobbying activities align with our mission vision and values and promote positive mental health and well-being.

GDPR

Mental Health Ireland is committed to protecting privacy for all who engage with our organisation and for our employees. We are committed to upholding the values of General Data Protection Regulation and comply with all Irish and EU legislation. All employees are required to complete annual GDPR training which is provided by external Data Protection experts. The below policies support the application of GDPR requirements within our organisation.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding children and vulnerable adults at risk of harm, abuse or neglect and ensuring that our employees are trained to respond to safeguarding risks is priority for Mental Health Ireland during the course of our activities. As an organisation we fully comply with the requirements of Children’s First Act 2015, and national policy protecting vulnerable adults. The below policies support Safeguarding within our organisation:

Safeguarding Policies:

• Child Protection and Welfare Policy
• Safeguarding Statement
• Safeguarding Adults at Risk of Abuse

In line with Tusla requirements for safeguarding, our Designated Liaison Person (DLP) is registered with Tusla for reporting purposes and can be contacted by email to info@mentalhealthireland.ie addressed to “The Safeguarding Designated Liaison Person”.

• Further information relating to Tusla Guidelines on Child safeguarding can be found here
• Further information relating to HSE Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults at risk of abuse can be found here

Policies

Mental Health Ireland continuously works on their suite of policies, all of which aim to embed Governance and procedural oversight into our broad spectrum of work and activities. This work is carried out by the Governance and Risk Management Committee which is a subcommittee of the Board of Directors with attendance by two members of the senior team, CEO Dr. Lisa Cuthbert and Operations, Governance and Compliance Manager Maria Walsh-Healy.

Fundraising & Volunteering

The majority of our income is received from the HSE under comprehensive Section 39 Service level Agreements. These agreements detail the conditions and standards we must achieve in order to receive funding. Depending on the HSE area these are reviewed annually or quarterly. Full details of income received from the HSE can be found here in our annual reports. We also engage in fundraising with the general public complying with the Guidelines for Charitable Organisations on Fundraising from the Public. We use SORP accounting to ensure funds are spent only on the purposes specified by the donor. We aim to act with respect, honesty, integrity and transparency. We are accountable for the funds we raise. We are committed to diversifying our funding base and to utilise all resources in a sustainable and environmentally responsible manner. We do not do cash or on street collections. All donations are acknowledged and receipted.

Complaints

Compliments and feedback are welcomed to ensure that we hear the experiences of those that work with, engage or connect with the work of Mental Health Ireland. Our complaints policy has been developed to ensure all complaints are dealt with in an open, efficient and sensitive manner with the highest regard for all parties, whether individuals, partners and stakeholders. We are registered with the National Voluntary Agency Statistics Department of the HSE and report all complaints anonymously in order to uphold compliance standards. To contact our Complaints Officer, please email addressed to “The Complaints Officer”.