Compliance

Rotary GB&I Compliance Statement

In this day and age of litigation it is so important that Rotary has Policies in key areas to protect members of the public at large, club members and the organisation.

Part of the purpose of having policies in place is to advise Rotarians and Club Councils to understand their responsibilities and club requirements in terms of the Law etc and to advise Councils to have people in place to act as "advisors" to assist the President and Council in their activities.

The Constitution of Rotary GB&I (Article 5, Section D) provides that every club in the Area (Great Britain, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) is bound in all things, not contrary to law, by the Constitution and the By-Laws of the Association and shall observe the provisions thereof. 

Rotary GB&I does not seek to advise clubs on matters of general law, but does try to help clubs to ensure that they comply with certain specific legal frameworks which are likely to apply to the regular activities of all or most clubs. 
To that end, Rotary GB&I has produced policy documents covering: 

• Equality and Diversity
• Health and Safety
• Safeguarding (Children and Vulnerable Adults)
• General Data Protection Regulations
• Dignity Policy

To view them go to http://www.rotarygbi.org/members/club-district-support/compliance/

and has invited clubs to adopt these policies. Adherence to these policies should ensure that no club inadvertently finds itself in breach of these areas of general law.  The annual Compliance form is there to confirm that club officers and committee has read and understood the Rotary GB&I policies! 

It is therefore requested that this document be signed by the Club President and Secretary on behalf of the club at their first Business Meeting in the new Rotary year, thereby confirming that your club has adopted the policies referred to above and that this compliance confirmation be returned to the District Secretary as soon as possible.

It is important to note that if a Club fails or refuses to comply with the policies, the law and regulations that, if a claim arises against the Club or District, the club will find themselves exposed without insurance cover.  This loss of cover will mean that the President, Club Council and individuals will be left to foot the bill for the defence of any claim and the cost of damages, own legal costs and any costs for the "other side".

The policies are only stating the law and regardless of signing the compliance form, clubs and members are still bound by these laws and there should be no reason why they should not be signed.

Further Q&A's can be found here

The compliance form can be downloaded here for clubs. Clubs Compliance Form 2018/19

For information on the Rotary GBI Insurance click here(Sign in required)

District Compliance Officer - Mike Lade (mikelade1975@gmail.com) 07803 038858