Today’s governance structure
Governance is a framework for managing organisations. It guides operations and administration, ethics, risk management and compliance with relevant legislation and regulation. Find our more about different governance terms.
Our governance structure today
Our governance is more complex than some because we are in fact two separate but related organisations: British Association of Occupational Therapists (BAOT) and Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT).
BAOT is the parent company and trade union. It owns RCOT which is a charity. As a trade union and charity, there are different regulations and rules that each organisation must follow.
Why are we set up like this?
In 1972 when BAOT became a trade union, it set up a subsidiary organisation to deliver its member services that were for public benefit, and therefore charitable. Many other professional membership bodies operating within the sector are also charities as there are a number of benefits to operating as a charitable organisation, however as a trade union we need to undertake our charitable activities via a subsidiary. Some of the benefits of setting it up like this are:
- Generally, charities don’t have to pay income/corporation tax, capital gains tax or stamp duty; and, in some circumstances, a charity can get special VAT treatment. This means more of our income can be directed towards the organisation’s core purpose.
- Charities are often able to raise funds from public, grant-making trusts more easily than non-charitable bodies.
- Charities can give their members or beneficiaries the assurance that they are regulated by the Charity Commission.
How we strengthened governance last year
Last year we started our governance review and Council, following legal advice proposed a range of changes. Over the course of the year and following discussion with members we:
- made changes to the BAOT operating rules to make them fit for purpose. These were voted for by members at the Annual General Meeting in June.
- renamed the RCOT Council to the RCOT Board of Trustees in recognition of our charity status
- extended the RCOT Board of Trustees by up to four lay trustees to bring in subject matter experts to complement the majority elected occupational therapist trustees
- introduced a People and Nominations Committee to oversee trustee recruitment, succession planning and election processes. This committee is already up and running.
If you have any questions about these changes to our goverance please contact governance@rcot.co.uk