ART THERAPISTS' ASSOCIATION SINGAPORE | Constitution
11073
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Constitution

CONSTITUTION OF ART THERAPISTS’ ASSOCIATION SINGAPORE (ATAS)

NAME

  1. This Society shall be known as “Art Therapists’ Association, Singapore”, hereinafter referred to as the “Society”.

PLACE OF BUSINESS

  1. The place of business of the Society shall be in Singapore as decided by the council and registered in the Registrar of Societies.

OBJECTIVES

  1. Its objectives are:
    1. To further develop and define the professional practice of art therapy in Singapore.
    2. Provide a reference point to local and international art therapists, students of art therapy and related disciplines, to encourage and facilitate ongoing support, professional development, education and research
    3. Promote a culturally sensitive approach to art therapy that is ethically sound, clinically credible and one that adheres to best practices locally and internationally.
    4. Maintain a roll of art therapists currently practicing in Singapore.

MEMBERSHIP QUALIFICATION AND RIGHTS

  1. Membership
    1. The Committee will receive, review and recommend the acceptance or not of application for the following categories of membership:
      • Professional member
      • Associate member
      • Student member
      • Honorary fellow
    2. Qualification requirements for each category of membership:
      1. Professional Members of the Society will hold a master’s degree in art therapy or another approved master’s degree in creative arts therapies recognised by our fellow international professional organisations.
        • Professional Members are eligible and encouraged to vote and to participate in Society business and governance.
        • Professional members are required to maintain a personal log of clinical hours (professional profile), seek regular supervision and meet all the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements indicated in section 4.4 of the “Art Therapists’ Association Singapore Code of Ethics”.
      2. Associate members are required to have a minimum post-graduate diploma in similar fields such as in the creative arts therapies.
        • Associate Members may comprise of those individuals who are within the creative arts therapies fields who have the aims and spirit of the Society objects but whose training and professional focus may differ from the specialty of art therapy.
      3. Student members are solely for students training at masters level art therapy.
        • Student members are individuals undertaking a masters degree in art therapy or another approved masters degree in creative arts therapies recognised by our fellow international professional organisations.
      4. Honorary fellows of the Society are individuals who have made substantial original contribution to the advancement of art therapy knowledge or practice, or to the development of the profession in Singapore. Honorary fellows of the Society may be proposed by Honorary fellows of ATAS or overseas art therapy societies, or by the Committee.
    3. Admission to the membership becomes effective only upon receipt of confirmation by ATAS committee.
    4. Membership of the Society shall not be cited as a professional qualification.
    5. The committee shall undertake to develop guidelines on supervision in order to guide members on this requirement.
    6. In their professional dealings, Full Members and Fellows are allowed and encouraged to use the acronym ‘ATAS’ to denote their association with the Society.

APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP

  1. Application for Membership
    1. A person wishing to join the society is required to follow the procedure indicated on ATAS public website.
    2. The office bearers will decide on the application for membership.
    3. A copy of the Constitution shall be furnished via email to every approved member upon confirmation of membership.

ENTRANCE FEES, SUBSCRIPTIONS AND OTHER DUES

  1. Membership
    • Professional member: SGD 150
    • Associate member: SGD 120
    • Student member: SGD 80
    • Honorary fellow: Free
    1. Registration of members shall take place in January annually. New members who register on or after July 1st are entitled to half the annual subscription rate. Such membership will be renewed at the full rate from January in the same year. Registrations will apply at the full rate before July 1st.
    2. Annual subscriptions are payable in advance within the last month of validity. If the subscription remains unpaid for one month after the membership validity date, membership will be automatically terminated. The committee at their discretion may at any time restore such membership upon payment of all subscription arrears.
    3. Any additional fund required for special purposes may only be raised from members with the consent of the general meeting of the members.

SUPREME AUTHORITY AND GENERAL MEETINGS

  1. Supreme Authority and General Meetings
    1. The supreme authority of the Society is vested in a General Meeting of the members
    2. An Annual General Meeting shall be held in 4th Quarter of each year.
    3. At other times, an Extraordinary General Meeting must be called by the President on the request in writing of not less than 25% of the total voting membership or thirty (30) voting members, whichever is the lesser, and may be called at any time by order of the Committee. The notice in writing shall be given to the Secretary setting forth the business that is to be transacted. The Extraordinary General Meeting shall be convened within two (2) months from receiving this request to convene the Extraordinary General Meeting.
    4. If the Committee does not within two (2) months after the date of the receipt of the written request proceed to convene an Extraordinary General Meeting, the members who requested for the Extraordinary General Meeting shall convene the Extraordinary General Meeting by giving a ten (10) day notice to voting members setting forth the business to be transacted and simultaneously posting the agenda on the Society’s notice board.
    5. At least two (2) weeks’ notice shall be given of an Annual General Meeting and at least ten (10) days’ notice of an Extraordinary General Meeting. Notice of meeting stating the date, time and place of meeting shall be sent by the Secretary of all voting members. The particulars of the agenda shall be posted on the Society’s notice board four (4) days in advance of the meeting.
    6. Unless otherwise stated in the Constitution, voting by proxy is allowed at all General Meetings via email correspondence with the Council.
    7. The following points will be considered at the Annual General Meeting:
      • The previous financial year’s accounts and annual report of the Committee.
      • Where applicable, the election of office-bearers and Honorary Auditors for the following term. Any member who wishes to place an item on the agenda of a General Meeting may do so provided he or she gives notice to the Secretary one (1) week before the meeting is due to be held.
    8. At least 25% of the total voting membership or thirty (30) voting members, whichever is the lesser, present at a General Meeting shall form a quorum. Proxies shall be constituted as part of the quorum.
    9. In the event of there being no quorum at the commencement of a General Meeting, the meeting shall be adjourned for half an hour and should the number then present be insufficient to form a quorum, those present shall be considered a quorum, but they shall have no power to amend any part of the existing Constitution.

MANAGEMENT AND COMMITTEE

  1. Management and Committee
    1. The administration of the Society shall be entrusted to a Committee consisting of the following:
      • A President
      • A Vice-President
      • A Secretary
      • A Treasurer
    2. The Committee may elect the following:
      • An Assistant Secretary
      • An Assistant Treasurer
      • Ordinary Committee Member(s)
    3. The committee will be elected or re-elected every 4 years for a period of 2 terms only. (ie. The executive can serve up to 8 years)
    4. Each committee member shall have a valid honorary fellow or professional membership at the point of election.
    5. Names for the above offices shall be proposed and seconded at the Annual General Meeting and election will be based on a simple majority vote of the members. All office-bearers, including the treasurer may be re-elected to the same or related post for a consecutive term of office. The term of office of the committee is 4 years.
    6. Election will be either by a show of hands or, subject to the agreement of the majority of the voting members present, by a secret ballot. In the event of a tie, the chairman of the meeting shall have a casting vote.
    7. Committee meeting shall be held at least once every 2 months subsequent to a seven (7) days’ notice to committee members. The President may call a committee meeting at any time by giving five (5) days’ notice. At least half of the committee members must be present for its proceedings to be valid.
    8. Any member of the Committee absenting him/herself from three (4) meetings consecutively without satisfactory explanations shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the committee and a successor may be co-opted by the committee to serve until the next Annual General Meeting. Any changes in the committee shall be notified to the Registrar of Societies within two (2) weeks of the change.
    9. The duty of the committee is to organize and supervise the daily activities of the Society. The committee may not act contrary to expressed wishes of the general meeting without prior reference to it and shall always remain subordinate to the general meetings.
    10. Either the president or the treasurer is eligible to sign any single expenditure that exceeds the amount of $500 from the Society’s funds for the society’s purposes. In the event the amount is claimed by the president or the treasurer, another committee member is required to countersign. For the purposes of special projects that the society engages in, this amount may be adjusted to a maximum of SGD 1000 with the consent of the committee.

DUTIES OF OFFICE-BEARERS

  1. Duties of Office-Bearers
    1. The president shall chair all general and committee meetings. He or she shall also represent the Society in its dealings with outside persons.
    2. The vice-president shall assist the president and deputize for him or her in his or her absence.
    3. The secretary shall keep all records, except financial, of the Society and shall be responsible for their correctness. He or she will keep minutes of all general and committee meetings. He or she shall maintain an up-to-date register of members at all times.
    4. The assistant secretary shall assist the secretary and deputize for him or her in his or her absence.
    5. The treasurer shall keep all funds and collect and disburse all moneys on behalf of the Society and shall keep an account of all monetary transactions and shall be responsible for their correctness. He or she is authorized to expend up to SGD 200 per month for petty expenses on behalf of the Society. He or she will not keep more than SGD 300 in the form of cash and money in excess of this will be deposited in a bank to be named by the committee. He or she shall sign for cheques from the bank according to the rules defined by the Society’s bank. For cheques above a certain amount, the signature of the president is also required.
    6. The assistant treasurer shall assist the treasurer and deputize for his or her absence.
    7. Other officers and ordinary committee members shall assist in the general administration of the Society and perform duties assigned by the committee from time to time.
    8. Officers and ordinary committee members are responsible to ensure the confidentiality of members’ personal information. According to Singapore’s data protection legal framework, personal data of members shall not be used inappropriately and without consent. (Info Comm Development Authority of Singapore, Policies & Regulation for Consumer Protection, 2012)

AUDIT AND FINANCIAL YEAR

  1. Audit and Financial Year
    1. Two (2) voting members, not being members of the committee, shall be elected as honorary auditors at each Annual General Meeting and will hold office for a term of one year only and shall not be re-elected for a consecutive term. The accounts of the Society shall be audited by a firm of certified public accountants if the gross income or expenditure of the Society exceeds $5000,000 in that financial year, in accordance with Section 4 of the Societies Regulations.
    2. The financial year shall be from 1st Jan to 31st December.

VISITORS AND GUESTS

  1. Visitors and Guests
    1. Visitors and guests may be admitted into the premises of the Society but they shall not be admitted to the privileges of the Society.

PROHIBITIONS

  1. Prohibitions
    1. Gambling of any kind, excluding the promotion or conduct of a private lottery which has been permitted under the Private Lotteries Act Cap 250, is forbidden on the Society’s premises. The introduction of materials for gambling or drug taking and of bad characters into the premises is prohibited.
    2. The funds of the Society shall not be used to pay the fines of members who have been convicted in a court of law.
    3. The Society shall not engage in any trade union activity as defined in any written law relating to trade unions for the time being in force in Singapore.
    4. The Society shall not indulge in any political activity or allow its funds and/or premises to be used for political purposes.
    5. The Society shall not hold any lottery, whether confined to its members or not, in the name of the Society or its office-bearers, Committee or members unless with the prior approval of the relevant authorities.
    6. The Society shall not raise funds from the public for whatever purposes without the prior approval in writing of the Assistant Director Operations, Licensing Division, Singapore Police Force and other relevant authorities.

AMENDMENTS TO CONSTITUTION

  1. Amendments to Constitution
    1. No alteration or addition/deletion to this Constitution shall be made except at a general or extraordinary meeting and with the consent of two-thirds (2/3) of the voting members present at the meeting, and they shall not come into force without the prior sanction of the Registrar of Societies.

INTERPRETATION

  1. Interpretation
    1. In the event of any question or matter pertaining to day-to-day administration which is not expressly provided for in this constitution, the committee shall have the power to use their own discretion. The decision of the committee shall be final unless it is reversed at a General meeting of members.

DISPUTES

  1. Disputes
    1. In the event of any dispute arising amongst members, they shall attempt to resolve the matter at an Extraordinary General Meeting in accordance with this constitution. Should the members fail to resolve the matter, they may bring the matter to a court of law for settlement.

DISSOLUTION

  1. Dissolution
    1. The Society shall not be dissolved, except with the consent of not less than three-fifths (3/5) of the total voting membership of the Society for the time being resident in Singapore expressed, either in person or by proxy, at a general meeting convened for the purpose.
    2. In the event of the Society being dissolved as provided above, all debts and liabilities legally incurred on behalf of the Society shall be fully discharged, and the remaining funds will be disposed of in such manner as the general meeting of members may determine or donated to an approved charity or charities in Singapore.
    3. Certificate of dissolution shall be given within seven (7) days of the dissolution to the Registrar of Societies