Find out more about the Council of Governors

• Can I come to a Council of Governors’ meeting?

  Yes, the Council of Governors meets formally, in full and in public about 4 times a year. Members and the general public are welcome to attend Council meetings. We do try to make meetings as accessible as possible so that you also get a chance to share your views.
  
  To arrange to come to our next Council of Governors’ meeting, contact the Foundation Trust office.

• How do I get in touch with my Governor?

  If you want to talk to or write to your Governor you can arrange this through the Foundation Trust office. Our Governors are very approachable and will want to help you with your enquiry in whatever way they can.
  
  Council of Governors / or individual Governor’s name
  c/o The Foundation Trust office
  Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust
  Western Bank
  Sheffield
  S10 2TH
  
  Email: ftoffice@sch.nhs.uk
  
  Telephone: 0114 226 0678

   

• How do I become a Governor?

  Only members can be elected as Governors. To find out more about  membership and to become a member click here.
  
  Colleagues from our partner organisations can be nominated as Partner Governors.

   

• Are Governors paid?

  Governors are volunteers and unpaid, however expenses are paid to ensure that Governors can fulfil their duties - for example, travel to meetings.

   

• What is the difference between a Governor and a Director?

  There is quite a big difference between our Board of Directors and our Council of Governors both as groups and as individuals.
  
  Directors run the organisation. They are accountable and if something goes wrong they will be held responsible. Half of our Directors (Executive Directors) work full time and are paid a salary like any other member of staff. The other half work part time and also have other roles outside of the Trust. Non-executive Directors are paid a remuneration and are somewhat independent of the Trust.
  
  Governors are volunteer representatives of our local communities, patients and carers, our staff and our partner organisations. They have certain powers but they are not held accountable if things go wrong within the Trust. If there is a failure of leadership within the Trust the regulator would work closely with the Council of Governors to appoint new Board members and to monitor improvements.

• What does a Governor do?

  Our governors are provided with comprehensive training. They attend meetings, take part in tours and visits and meet with members and the general public at events. Governors may also be involved in projects and other work.
  
  Governors have a number of statutory duties that the Trust supports them to fulfil. These duties are:
  • Advise and support the Foundation Trust in setting its long-term strategy
  • Be a source of ideas about how the Foundation Trust can provide services that meet the needs of the communities it serves
  • Represent the views and interests of members and partner organisations
  • Appoint and remove the Chairperson and other Non-executive Directors
  • Decide the remuneration (pay and conditions) of the Non-executive Directors
  • Approve the appointment of the Chief Executive
  • Appoint and remove the financial auditor
  • To oversee the development of membership strategy
  
  In practice, small groups of governors work on most of these issues and then present their recommendations to the larger group of governors. This is done through committees, workshops and projects.
  
  The governor role is interesting and varied and allows the trust to understand the perspectives of our patients and their carers, the general public, our staff and our partners in the development of plans and changes at the trust.
  
  If you would like to talk to someone about becoming a governor yourself contact the foundation trust office.

• Why do we have young governors?

  As an organisation that provided healthcare for children, we feel that it is very important that children and young people have a voice in the highest levels of the trust.
  
  The rules set by our independent regulator mean that the minimum age for governors is 16 years old.
  
  We have 3 seats on our Council of Governors specifically for patients (or recent patients) of the trust. This ensures that patients are represented by at least 3 young people and they have a voice and influence in the development of the trust. In addition public seats can be taken by young people from the age of 16 providing their members elect them and they may be competing against adults for those seats.

• Why are young people aged 14 and 15 asked to vote in governor elections?

  Our consultation in 2005 to become a foundation trust made it clear that our patients and the public supported the involvement of young people. They agreed that the age of 14 is a point when many young people are comfortable making independent decisions about their own health, life choices (like school subjects) and who they would like to represent them e.g. in school councils. We therefore made sure that from the age of 14 members would receive the same information as older members and be invited to vote for a governor to represent them.

   

• What about younger children aged 13 and under?

  Our younger members are known as young associates. This means that they will be eligible to receive information and attend visits and events, but will not have a vote or be eligible to stand for the election to the Council of Governors.

   

• Declarations of interests

  All governors are asked to declare their interests to the foundation trust office. At the start of every meeting governors and directors declare any interests they have in the items on the agenda, the chairman of the meeting will usually ask the person declaring to either abstain from that section of the meeting or to leave the room depending on the matter. If you would like a copy of the declaration of interests please get in touch with the foundation trust office.