COMMITTEES OF THE INSTITUTE OF GUIDANCE COUNSELLORS

Introduction

This document lists the current committees of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors. Their nature, number, composition, and terms of reference are a matter for determination by the National Executive of the Institute. The National Executive may from time to time, establish ad hoc sub committees, to carry out a specific task on behalf of the Institute, which are answerable to the National Executive. The National Executive may also request an individual or individuals to carry our specific roles on its behalf. All such arrangements are governed by the terms outlined in the motion adopted by the Annual General Meeting of the Institute in 2006.

Counselling Supervision

Convenor: Bill Core

Members: A Dunne, M Lally, M Finnerty, E O'Boyle, S McDermott, T Doyle C O'Donohoe, H O'Colmain.

Terms of Reference:

1. To draft a set of Ethical Guidelines for the operation of counselling Supervision structures. These guidelines would provide a template for both the participants and counselling supervisors in the operation of a counselling support structure.
2. To be a point of reference, consideration, and decision on any ethical issues, this may arise within a group or one-to-one setting.
3. To process the evaluation forms, which are completed by members at the end of each counselling supervision session, and draft an annual report on the systems currently supporting members in their counselling work?
4. To make recommendations to the Executive of the IGC, and through them to the DES and FAS, regarding changes and enhancements to the support structures for guidance Counsellors, in their work with clients, be they children or adults.
5. To provide guidelines, and be a point of reference for, the designated member in each branch, whose responsibility it is to recruit appropriately trained counselling supervisors, organise cluster groups, and arrange with the local education centre, or other appropriate meeting place, for the dates and times of supervision sessions.
6. To organise in conjunction with the lead Education Centre, currently Monaghan, an annual in-service day for the network of Counselling Supervisors, to support them in their work and to ensure uniformity in the nature and quality of delivery of service to members.
7. To support the training and recruitment, of new counselling supervisors, from within the ranks of the current membership of the IGC.

Qualification and Members

Convenor: Bill Core

Members: Bernie Lynch, Honor McAndrew, Betty McLoughlin, Mary Quirke, Geraldine Murphy.

Terms of Reference:

1. To consider applications for membership of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors and to present the names of applicants whom they deem to meet the entry criteria, to the next meeting of the National Executive.
2. To review non standard applications for membership in order to ascertain their suitability for membership and if not eligible advise the candidate on how best to proceed.
3. To review existing Guidance & Counselling courses, every three years, in order to ensure they meet the IGC criteria for membership.
4. To evaluate new Post Graduate courses in Guidance & Counselling in order to ensure they meet the IGC criteria for membership
   

Professional Development and Practice

Convenor: Rosaleen Grant

Members: Olivia Moriarty, Shane Hutton, Honor McAndrew, Patricia Wroe, Helen O Colmain, Jennifer O Rourke.

Terms of Reference:

1. To coordinate the delivery of in-service at both branch and national level.
2. To seek from members, through evaluation at national conference, feedback from branches through the National Executive, information on the in-service needs of members.
3. To devise and plan modules of in-service suitable for delivery to branches through the two-hour slot, available on the common non timetabled afternoon available nationally.
4. To recruit suitable personnel to deliver such in-service programmes and to agree rates of remuneration with them
5. To provide the Teacher Education Section of the Department of Education and Science with an annual report, outlining the programme of work undertaken in the previous year and the costs involved, plus an outline plan of the in-service plan for the coming year.
6. To work with the organising committee of each years annual conference in ensuring that the needs of members, as articulated in members feedback to the committee, is reflected in the workshops planned for delivery at conference.
7. To draft a set of guidelines and provide an annual in-service programme for holders of branch office, to familiarise them with the functions of their office.

Constitutional Review

Convenor: Gerry Flynn

Members: Mary Dowling Maher, Dolores Powell.

 

Policy

Convenor: Patricia Wroe

Members: Breeda Coyle, Honor McAndrew, Betty McLoughlin, Maureen Maughan, Ailish Greed.

Terms of Reference:

1. To examine the policy decisions of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors as mandated by each years annual general meeting.
2. To draw up and update annually, a single policy document outlining the current policies of the Institute. This document should be made available to all members, to ensure they are aware of the Institutes policies, and to avoid needless submission of motions to annual conference, that are currently Institute policy.
3. To advise the National Executive of the policy positions of the Institute, that requires their active support to ensure implementation. The committee may wish to advise the Executive, regarding potential strategies that could be adopted, to ensure that the policy positions adopted by members are brought to fruition.
4. Following the consideration of the Institutes current policy positions, the committee may wish to propose possible motions, which can be tabled by individual branches or by the National Executive, to update the Institutes current policy position to reflect changes in circumstances, since the policy was originally adopted.

AGM

Convenor: Jane Byrne

Members: Brian Mooney, Gerry Flynn, Eilis Coakley, Michael Gleeson, Bernie Lynch, Honor McAndrew, Betty McLoughlin, Elizabeth Tynan.

 

Finance

Convenor: The National Treasurer: Elizabeth Tynan.

Members: Eilis Coakley, Gerry Flynn, Jane Byrne, Honor McAndrew, Brian Mooney, Dorothy Ryan.

Terms of Reference:

1. To consider all proposals of the Institute that involves additional expenditure.
2. To prepare an annual budget for the Institute outlining planned expenditure under all headings.
3. To prepare annual accounts for the Institute, for presentation to the Annual General Meeting.
4. To consider and to propose to the National Executive any amendments to the financial terms and conditions of all direct employees of the Institute.
5. To consider and to propose to the National Executive the terms and conditions of any persons contracted by the Institute to carry out specific roles on its behalf. Such terms and conditions are to form part of a written agreement of service delivery between the individual/individuals and the Institute.
6. To assist the National Treasurer in ensuring that all branches keep up to date accounts of all funds held in the branches name and that branches make appropriate annual returns to the National Treasurer.

Guideline

Convenor: Gerry Flynn

Members: Fred Tuite (editor), Elizabeth Tynan, Mary Quirke.

Terms of Reference:

1. To produce four times annually, Guideline and distribute it to members and potential advertisers.
2. To arrange with an appropriate organisation for the timely printing of each issue, to ensure its availability to members at a time of the Institutes choosing.
3. In consultation with the National Executive to decide on the issues that may be dealt with, that are of particular interest to members.
4. To source and organise, the writing of a range of suitable articles for each issue covering the interests of members working in all sectors of guidance activity.
5. To consider the copy of each proposed issue to ensure that it is appropriate for publication taking into account all journalistic and legal considerations.
6. To bring Guideline to the notice of all potential advertisers, that the Institute would consider appropriate to ensure its financial viability.

Psychometric Test Use

Convenor: Patricia Wroe

Members: Eileen Kelleher, Olivia Moriarty.

Terms of Reference:

1. To liaise with all domestic providers of post graduate training for Guidance Counsellors, to ensure that their courses provide members with modules on Psychometric test use, that are recognised by the appropriate National and International authorities, i.e. P.S I. and the B.P.S.
2. To work with the Professional Development and Practice committee to ensure that members are provided with appropriate and ongoing opportunities to update and maintain their skills in psychometric test use.
3. To work with the Department of Education and Science to ensure that the list of tests published for use in schools is up to date and appropriate for use with students of that age group.
4. To work with all other appropriate authorities, to ensure that the tests suitable for use with adult clients are identified and made available to members.

Guidance and the Labour Market

Convenor:

Members: Shane Hutton, Eileen Kelleher, Dermot Twomey, Dolores Powell.

Terms of Reference:

1. To represent the interests of all Guidance Counsellors with the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment, and the various State agencies with an interest in Labour Market supply issues, e.g. Forfas, Expert Skills Group on Future Skills Needs, FAS etc.
2. To Liaise with employer representative bodies such as IBEC, and with Industry representative bodies, representing various employment sectors, e.g. Engineering, Pharma/Chem, ICT etc., to ensure that there is a clear understanding within these bodies of the role of the Guidance and Counselling services provided to both children and adults as it impacts on the needs of all employers of labour.
3. To help build a mutual understanding of each other's roles, between the Guidance and Labour Market sectors.
4. To assist the providers of information on Labour Market opportunities, to understand the specific needs of our various client groups, so that the information available can be formatted and presented in a format, and through a media, suitable for the groups in question.
5. To build relationships with all Labour Market providers, to facilitate their engagement with our members in their work, on terms acceptable to the environments in which we work. The quality of these relationships can also facilitate their financial support for our various National and Local events.
6. To integrate the information generated through this relationship, into the channels of communication used by both members and their clients, Qualifax, Guideline, IGC website etc.

Adult Guidance Services

Convenor: Mary Quirke

Members:

Terms of Reference:

1. To serve the specific needs of those members working with adult clients in the Adult Education Guidance Initiative, in Further and Higher Education, in FAS employment services and in the Adult private sector.
2. To recommend the name of an appropriate representative of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors to the National Executive, to sit on bodies dealing with Adult Guidance services, where we are requested to provide such a person.
3. To consider and make recommendations to the Policy committee and to the National Executive concerning issues of particular concern to members working with adult clients.
4. To work with the various representative bodies for Adult Guidance Counsellors working in the Third Level Sector, FAS, and the AEGI's to ensure that the Institute of Guidance Counsellors is aware of the specific sectoral interests of these groups, and works to support them in the overall interest of the life-long, life-wide guidance.
5. To provide expertise to the various committees and sub committees of the IGC when and where issues of specific concern to those working with adults arise.

 

Standing Orders Committee

Convenor: Patricia Wroe

Members: Nominated by branches annually.

Terms of Reference.

1. The chairperson of the Standing Orders Committee shall be the non-voting National Executive representative.
2. Prior to the Standing Orders Committee meeting, the Chairperson shall examine the motions submitted and allocate them to different categories to be approved by the Committee.
3. Motions must be drafted according to the format supplied by the Standing Orders Committee Chairperson and approved by the National Executive. They must be proposed and seconded by the branch members and signed by the Branch Secretary and Chairperson.
4. Branches are to receive notification of the Annual General Meeting / Conference together with the necessary forms for motions, nominations to Standing Orders Committee and the National Executive four months prior to the Annual General Meeting.
5. The Standing Orders Committee shall:
   • examine motions submitted for the Annual General Meeting
   • propose composite motions where appropriate
   • edit and/or re-draft, where necessary, any individual motion, which is phrased in an ambiguous, incomplete, and/or incorrect manner without altering in any way the meaning of the original motion before submitting it to the Annual General Meeting
   • edit and/or re-draft composite motions/amendments for submission to the Annual General meeting
   • arrange motions into groups under general topic headings according to a sequence of descending order of priority, and to specify which motions and in which order they are to be discussed at the Annual General Meeting.
   • decide what urgent motions if any should be brought before the annual General Meeting.
   • meet under the supervision of a representative of the External Auditors of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors, who shall act as Returning Officer, to count the votes for the elections of President and Vice-President at a time and place set by the National Executive, which shall make provision for the secure holding of the sealed ballot papers.
6. The Standing Orders Committee may make such other necessary rulings in relation to motions as are necessary for the proper conduct of the business of the Annual General Meeting.
7. Motions referring to pay and condition of service are dealt with by the Trade Union Movement.
8. The Standing Orders Committee shall decide whether or not to allow the inclusion before or after one or more motions, of any supplied brief written statement or explanatory notes on the printed list of motions for submission to the Annual General Meeting.
9. The Standing Orders Committee shall ensure that all who are issued with voting cards are bona fide Fellow, Chartered, Qualified or Retired Members of the Institute Of Guidance Counsellors.
10. The Standing Orders Committee shall act as tellers during voting on motions at the Annual General Meeting, and at the request of the President, they assist the National Executive in any other work for the proper and efficient running of the Annual General Meeting.
11. The Standing Orders Committee will present a report to the National Executive after each Annual General Meeting.

 

Role Document

Convenor: Maureen Maughan

Members: Breeda Coyle, PJ McGowan, Dolores Powell, Patricia Wroe, Mary Quirke.

Public Relations

Convenor: Michael Gleeson

Members: Bill Core, Geraldine Murphy, Marion Quinn.

 

Specific Liaison Roles

Higher Options: Jane Byrne

NCCA: Eilis Coakley

NCCA JC: Gerry Flynn

NCCA SC: Eilis Coakley

NCGE: Breda Coyle, Eilis Coakley

CAO: Eilis Coakley, Gerry Flynn, Patricia O Flaherty.

UCAS: Brian Howard

STEPS: Patricia Wroe

Head Office: Dorothy Ryan, Eilis Coakley, Elizabeth Tynan

Calendar / Yearbook: Gerry Flynn, Elizabeth Tynan

Archives: Anne Talbot
Role: To archive the relevant documents generated by the activities of the IGC on an ongoing basis.

IGC Website: Brian Howard
Role: To manage the data that is made available to both the public and IGC members through the IGC Website.

IGC Diary: AG Services
Role: To produce and distribute to members and other persons nominated by the IGC, an annual desk diary. The profits from this venture are divided by virtue of written agreement between the IGC and AG services on a 50/50 basis.

IGC Wall Chart of Career Events: Tom Farrell
Role: To produce and distribute an IGC wall Chart of Career Events for distribution to all members, school principals, colleges and other interested parties.

Members Handbook: Anne Pilkington
Role: To extract the appropriate membership data from the IGC database, following the receipt of any change of membership data received from members in October/November each year and organise for its printing and distribution to members in January. There are a small number of paid advertisements on the cover of this publication the organisation of which is a matter for the National Executive.

IGC Directory of Leaving Certificate Entry Requirements: Brian Howard
Role: To collate and produce an annual publication listing the subject entry requirements of every course in the CAO application system.

National Help Lines: Honor McAndrew
Role: The organisation of the staffing requirements of the national help lines organised by the NPC/Irish Independent and the Irish times. Any negotiations of a non-financial nature regarding the operational details of service delivery. The costing of the service provided by the IGC is a matter for negotiation between the President of the IGC and the help line providers.