European Network of (Ex-) Users and Survivors of Psychiatry

Vesterbrogade 103, 1.sal

1620 Kbenhavn V, Denmark
Tel: +420 224 910 552
enusp.info@gmail.com
www.enusp.org

DRAFT REVISED INTERNAL RULES

of the EUROPEAN NETWORK OF (EX-)USERS AND SURVIVORS OF PSYCHIATRY
proposed for approval at the General Assembly held 12 December 2014 in Hillerd, Denmark
________________________________________

1. THE BOARD
1.1 Board tasks:
In addition to the tasks allocated to it under the Statutes, the Board is responsible for:
a) actively pursuing the Work Programme that was adopted by the General Assembly, especially by
making every effort to ensure core public funding and providing a written record of its work in that
direction;
b) establishing and supporting taskforces/committees to develop coherent policies, strategies, and
position papers on key issues, particularly under the Work Programme;
c) choosing and supporting appropriate persons from the ENUSP Board and the wider ENUSP membership
to represent the organisation;
d) deciding on the location and arranging for the operation of the European Desk;
e) appointing, supporting, and supervising the work of the ENUSP support staff and appointing and
contracting with outside service providers;
f)

ensuring all members of ENUSP are regularly informed about, and have the chance to contribute to the
organisation's activities and policy-making, with consultation and communication to take place, for
example, via the member mailing list, the ENUSP website, the newsletter, the Facebook page, and
direct outreach by the Chair and Board Members.

1.2 Board composition:

Based on Article 6 of the Statutes, the Board consists of:
-

the Chair,

six Board Members, each one representing a different ENUSP Region, of whom one is the Deputy Chair,
Treasurer and Secretary,

six Deputy Board Members, each one representing a different ENUSP Region.

All of the above-stated persons the Chair, Board Members and Deputy Board Members should be
included in Board discussions and decision-making via e-mail and invited to Board meetings
(teleconferences).
The Board may also decide to invite or appoint (under request and motivation letter) individuals to work
with it on an ongoing basis as User/Survivor Consultants.
A User/Survivor Consultant is a person who has a special interest and expertise in specific areas, e.g. human
rights, research, fundraising, organisational development, public relations and wants to support the Board.
The User/Survivor Consultants must meet the same criteria as Board Members according to the Statutes,
i.e. they must each be at least eighteen years of age and (ex-)users or survivors of psychiatry. The
appointment or discharge of User/Survivor Consultants requires a formal decision by the Board.

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The User/Survivor Consultants should be included in ongoing Board discussions via e-mail and invited to
Board meetings (teleconferences) if the agenda includes topic(s) appropriate to their expertise and area of
interest as they are written in his/her statement to the Board.
1.3 Voting members
For the purpose of decision-making by the Board, only the Chair and the Board Members have voting
rights.
If a Board Member is unable to attend a Board meeting, his or her Deputy shall attend and vote in his or
her place. If the Deputy also cannot attend, a proxy may be given to another Board Member or Deputy.
Each voting member may only hold one proxy.
The Chair must decide how to proceed in the case of equal voting.
1.4 Resignation of Board Members, Deputies and User/Survivor Consultants
If a Board Member resigns according to Article 7 of the Statutes or is no longer able to hold office for any
other reason, then until the next General Assembly, his/her Deputy will replace him/her, and the Board
must contact the ENUSP members in the relevant Region and ask them to submit their candidacies to the
Board to fill the seat of Deputy Board Member within one month. The members in that Region shall be
responsible for electing a new Deputy Board Member to represent them within one month of the date they
are notified of the vacancy on the Board, failing which the Board may co-opt a new member from that
Region to fill the seat until the next General Assembly. The Board will apply the same principles if a Deputy
Board Member resigns or is unable to hold office.
If possible, before terminating their involvement with the Board, User/Survivor Consultants shall inform the
Board of this decision in writing and provide all useful information the Board needs one week in advance of
terminating their involvement.

2. VALUES
In pursuing the aims of ENUSP stated in Article 2 of the Statutes, ENUSP's Board must:
a) be sensitive to the different cultural, economic and social realities which exist across all countries
represented in the organisation and ensure that the standpoints of all ENUSP Regions are considered,
b) acknowledge and be sensitive to the differences between 'users' and 'survivors' as the two main
streams of ENUSP and ensure that both groups are represented,
c) endeavour to divide work equitably and to ensure proper acknowledgement (and, if required on the
basis of fairness, remuneration) to contributors, and
d) when working with ENUSP, distinguish between their personal interests and the interests of the
organisation and always prioritise the latter.

3. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

3.1 Offices within the Board
Chair and Deputy Chair
Based on the outline in the Statutes, the Chair of the Board is responsible for:
a) being a public spokesperson for ENUSP, including handling external relations and key correspondence
on behalf of ENUSP in a timely way. The Chair should do the utmost to consult the Board, and, where
appropriate, the wider membership and to reflect their input;
b) being accessible to all Board Members and to all members, and ensuring correctness, fairness and
respectful communication within the Board and among members. The Chair should check his/her
personal e-mail regularly;

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c) calling and chairing Board meetings, including providing the proposed agenda, with a minimum of
seven days' advance notice, with the assistance of the Secretary;
d) signing legally binding agreements on behalf of ENUSP, always together with another Board Member.
The Chair and this Board Member must be registered as joint legal representatives of ENUSP with the
Bank of the Federation and with the relevant authorities in the country of registration;
e) delegating specific tasks to other Board Members;
The Deputy Chair shall take over these responsibilities when the Chair so decides or is unavailable, provided
that this complies with the Statutes and relevant law.
In addition, so long as nobody is employed in the position of Co-ordinator of the European Desk (see
Section 4.1 below), the Board is prima facie responsible for the performance of critical tasks of the
Secretariat, in particular:
a) maintaining the effective functioning of the Board, including the co-ordination and follow-up of tasks,
as required for the sound administration and legal status of ENUSP;
b) ensuring the preparation and completion of an Annual Activity and Financial Report, detailed Work
Programme and other documents, as required by many funding bodies and for presentation at the
General Assembly.
c) ensuring regional coordination and exploring new funding opportunities for ENUSP; working on joint
applications with member organizations.
To achieve these ends, the Chair and Deputy Chair may also delegate certain tasks to Board participants,
including User/Survivor Consultants or ENUSP committees and taskforces.
Treasurer
Based on the outline in the Statutes, the Treasurer is responsible for:
a) closely monitoring ENUSPs bookkeeping and the status of its bank account so as to ensure these
records are transparent and in good order;
b) co-ordinating requests for annual membership fee payments, with due co-operation from all other
Board participants;
c) preparing an annual accounting report, with the assistance of an accountant and presenting the report
to the Board for approval. This report must also be made freely available to any member of ENUSP;
d) presenting a financial summary to the General Assembly of the annual accounting statements of ENUSP
compiled in the years between General Assemblies for the approval of the General Assembly.
Secretary
The Secretary of the Board is responsible for:
a) supporting the Chair by ensuring the smooth and productive functioning of meetings;
b) ensuring that the administrative duties are performed timely and efficiently;
c) checking and responding to official e-mail received by ENUSP;
d) ensuring the correct recording and filing of correspondence;
e) ensuring that the Annual Report is prepared;
f)

ensuring that the membership list is kept up to date;

g) drafting and distributing the minutes of the Board meetings and keeping records of them;
h) dealing with media if appropriate.
The Secretary should be assisted in these tasks by future ENUSP support staff.

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3.2 Voting Board Members
In addition to the tasks described in the Statutes, voting Board Members are required to:
a) check their e-mail regularly and make every effort to co-operate efficiently with whoever is handling
the administration of ENUSP. If they are experiencing significant difficulty in carrying out tasks or
cannot participate in ENUSP work and communication for more than three weeks, they must inform
the Board and their Deputy so that the Deputy can provide appropriate support or step in, if necessary,
until their return.
b) take part in regular Board meetings (teleconferences). If a voting Board Member cannot attend a Board
meeting, then she or he must inform the Secretary of the Board (or the Co-ordinator of the European
Desk if one is employed) and his/her Deputy as soon as possible, and preferably one week in advance
so that the Deputy can replace him or her or so that a proxy may be given.
c) do their utmost to respond within the specified time frame, and always as soon as possible to issues
raised by the Board (usually by e-mail) outside of Board Meetings. This includes following the urgent
decision-making procedure described under Section 7 below.
d) consult with and ensure timely communication with ENSUP members in their Region, including
responding promptly to their issues and requests, in cooperation with their Deputy and the Chair.
e) maintain an up-to-date list of member organisations and key contact people in their Regions for this
purpose with the support of the Secretary of the Board.
f)

Board Members are also responsible for supporting the development and encouraging the creation of
autonomous organisations of (ex-)users and survivors of psychiatry in their Regions and documenting
and informing Board Members of their efforts in this area.

g) Board Members should keep a running log of the issues raised in their Region. They should strive to
make all Regional issues known immediately to the Board so that they can be adequately reflected in
its policies and representations.
h) Board Members must be ready to fully co-operate in the co-ordination of ENUSP communications to
the members in their Region, including arranging for any necessary translation. They must be active in
conveying important information to them (e.g., critical results from Board meetings, news about
upcoming human rights inspections, cooperation opportunities, projects, events).
i)

submit an annual written report to the Board to be used to compile a Report for the ENUSP
membership and the General Assembly covering their contribution to achieving the Work Programme
of ENUSP and highlighting particular issues for ENUSP members in their Region.

These responsibilities are especially important while awaiting funds to employ a support staff with a Coordinator of the European Desk and Regional Coordinators.
3.3 Deputy Board Members
The role of Deputy Board Members is to support the voting Board Members and to step in if the Board
Member from their Region is unable to fulfil her or his role and to vote in their place if she or he cannot
attend a Board meeting. Deputy Board Members should be pro-active in assisting Board Members in
communication tasks. They are invited to participate in all discussions, and to volunteer to take on other
responsibilities within the Board, although they do not have voting rights unless they replace the Board
Member from their Region.
3.4 User/Survivor Consultants
User/Survivor Consultants are invited to participate in Board discussions, and to volunteer to support the
Board, particularly whilst nobody is employed in the position of Co-ordinator of the European Desk.
User/Survivor Consultants are strongly encouraged to provide a brief statement to the Board, summarising
their background, interests and other relevant expertise (e.g. languages) that they consider appropriate.
When representing ENUSP, they have the obligations and rights stated under Sections 2 and 5 of these
Internal Rules.

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4. ENUSP SUPPORT STAFF
To support the policies and activities of ENUSP, support staff shall be appointed progressively as financing
allows. The members of the support staff may also be volunteers. The staff shall include the Co-ordinator of
the European Desk, an Officer Manager and 6 Regional Coordinators who shall work as a support team and
share the basic responsibilities described below based on their job descriptions and for an appropriate
salary, if paid, approved by the Board and as funds permit. The members of the support staff shall work in
liaison with the Board.
Staff performing the positions described in this Section:
a) must not be the Chair of ENUSP or Members/Deputy Members of its Board;
b) priority shall be given to retaining (ex-)users/survivors of psychiatry because of their lived experience,
however, if this is not possible, other persons without this background may assume these positions.
4.1 Co-ordinator of the European Desk
The Co-ordinator of the European Desk is the central co-ordinator of the organisation. She or he will be
appointed by the Board to carry out co-ordination tasks, including:
a) ensuring ongoing compliance with all legal formalities in the country of registration;
b) maintaining an up-to-date database of members;
c) receiving membership applications and presenting them to the Board;
d) co-ordinating membership fee requests and keeping records of payments and donations in cooperation
with the Treasurer and bookkeeper;
e) ensuring day-to-day accounting and receipts for members and donors in cooperation with the
Treasurer and bookkeeper;
f)

managing ENUSPs memberships in other organisations (EDF, EPF, etc.) including fees due;

g) creating and maintaining various e-mailing lists (members, donors, subscribers and recipients of the
Bulletin and Newsletter, media for press releases, etc.);
h) distributing key ENUSP notices (e.g., invitations to meetings and events, including the General
Assembly) and documents (e.g., the newsletter, press releases, position papers, minutes, etc.) to the
membership and externally, where appropriate;
i)

providing administrative support for Board activities (e.g., documentation of Board Meetings and
General Assembly) and to individual projects and members;

j)

other administrative tasks requested by the Board;

k) co-operating with the webmaster/mistress in order to update the web site (providing the webmaster
with the materials to be posted);
l)

ensuring the safekeeping of all important documents.

4.2 Officer Manager and 6 Regional Coordinators

Based on the division of tasks in their contracts, the Office Manager and 6 Regional Coordinators shall be
responsible for:
a) coordinating all activities, including Board activities;
b) summarizing requests and other incoming information for the Board;
c) managing e-mails and postal correspondence of ENUSP;
d) following-up Board decisions and assistance with implementation;
e) exploring the needs and priorities of member organizations for joint actions, events and projects with
ENUSP by designing and distributing a questionnaire among members and Board Members;

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f)

getting feedback and listing needs and priorities in order to decide on project idea(s);

g) searching for funding opportunities;

h) sending information about project funding opportunities to members;
i)

working on joint applications with member organisations;

j)

exploring new funding opportunities for ENUSP and managing applications together with the Board and
the Co-ordinator, especially as regards mandatory documentation.

In addition, based on the priorities of the Board, they shall also provide support for:
a) drafting position papers on issues concerning our members;
b) ensuring closer relations and improving communications with other NGOs, such as EDF, EPF, WNUSP
and EU and international bodies (FRA, WHO, CE CPT, UN CAT, etc.);
c) drafting policy guidelines on representation in these various organizations, consulting members,
finalizing the guidelines for submission to the Board for approval and distribution to members;
d) exploring membership possibilities in the European Social Platform and other Pan-European NGOs;
e) exploring further possibilities for ENUSPs representation in European policy and legislation making
bodies and forums such as UN bodies, Council of Europe (including CPT), EU Parliament, EC
Directorates, FRA, WHO;
f)

drafting guidance for ENUSP representatives in European policy and legislation making bodies,
consulting members and finalizing the guidelines for submission to the Board for approval and
distribution to members;

g) drafting policy and guidance on representation at conferences and events for ENUSP representatives,
consulting members and finalizing the guidelines for submission to the Board for approval and
distribution to members;
h) surveying members on a regular basis regarding the issues that concern them and in particular reforms
of national mental health laws and level of compliance with the UNCRPD;
i)

publishing position papers and press releases which reach a consensus among members of the Board;

j)

organising training sessions for ENUSP representatives in public speaking and on the issues involved;

k) raising funds to ensure participation of ENUSP representatives at relevant European and international
events.
Until funding is available for these paid positions, volunteers from the ENUSP membership and in particular
Board Members shall be relied on to complete these tasks.

5. OUTSIDE SERVICE PROVIDERS

In addition the internal support staff, outside service providers may also be retained.
5.1 Bookkeeper
Key tasks and obligations of the bookkeeper shall be described fully in his/her contract with ENUSP.
Work by the bookkeeper will be overseen at least quarterly by the Treasurer. The bookkeeper is generally
accountable to the Board and the ENUSP membership in accordance with his/her contract.
5.2 Webmaster
Key tasks of the webmaster shall be described fully in his/her contract with ENUSP. ENUSP shall retain full
ownership of and intellectual property rights to all content and data connected with the web site, including
all domain names and passwords. The webmaster is generally accountable to the Board for the protection

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of the web site and the maintenance of all site content and changes. He or she may only upload new
documents to, or delete old documents from, the ENUSP site with the prior agreement of the Board.
In cooperation with the support staff, the basic responsibilities of the webmaster shall be:
a) collecting content from members;
b) allocating responsibility for the content and updating of the website with the approval of the Board;
c) training of at least two persons on how to upload documents and perform minimum updating;
d) revamping the ENUSP Forum to ensure high-quality information and exchange on line among
(ex)users/survivors, organisations and interested parties;
e) managing a Board-member only section of the web site, including archives of minutes, reports, etc.
5.3. Editor (Advocacy Update newsletter, bulletins and web site)
A volunteer Editorial Committee shall be responsible for the production of the newsletter of ENUSP
(Advocacy Update), regular Bulletins and proposed content of the web site. The Editor shall be paid as an
outside service provider, and priority shall be given to retaining (ex-)users/survivors of psychiatry because
of their lived experience, however, if this is not possible, other persons without this background may
assume these positions. If funds are available, an Assistant Editor or journalists may also be remunerated
for their work.
The Editor shall be under contract with ENUSP and may be dismissed by way of a simple majority vote of
the Board in the event of failure to fulfil the conditions in the contract. The Advocacy Update newsletter
and bulletins shall be designed with complete editorial independence from the ENUSP Board. These media
belong to the members of the organisation and the Editor is accountable to them. The ENUSP Board may
not control its content.
The Editorial Committee's main responsibilities include:
a) developing the structure and format of Bulletins and issues of Advocacy Update;
b) appointing a graphic designer for the layout;
c) collecting content from member organizations;
d) producing a draft, ensure final editing and publication;
e) releasing and distributing the Bulletins and Advocacy Update.
Until funding is available to pay outside service providers, volunteers from the ENUSP membership shall be
relied on to complete these tasks.

6. SUB-COMMITTEES AND TASKFORCES

The Board may appoint committees or taskforces to undertake certain tasks on behalf of ENUSP, including
the formulation of policies, the drafting of key documents, fundraising, membership issues, preparation of
the General Assembly, etc.
Membership of the committees or taskforces is not limited to Board Members and participants may be
from any member organisation or individual members on the condition they are (ex-) users or survivors of
psychiatry of at least eighteen years of age.
The Boards intention to establish a committee or taskforce on a particular topic should be announced to
the general membership in advance. The announcement should include a description of the purpose of the
committee or taskforce and the responsibilities involved. Details of potential remuneration should also be
included.
In selecting the members of the committee or taskforce, the Board should endeavour to ensure a good
gender balance and representation of diverse regions and user/survivor orientations.

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ENUSP committees/taskforces are accountable to the Board, which will decide whether, and to what
extent, to accept any recommendations/draft documents.

7. FEEDBACK AND DECISION-MAKING BY THE BOARD

Decisions by the Board must be made at Board Meetings where a majority of voting Board Members are
present according to the rules in Article 10 of the Statutes, which set out the required voting majorities.
The Board will hold Skype (or alternative) teleconferences for decision-making at least once a month,
particularly in the period when it is establishing itself.
Board Members must realize the importance of and are responsible for giving timely feedback (e.g. on a
draft document, strategy), particularly when an urgent decision is required.
In urgent cases, a Board meeting may be called with less than seven days' advance notice, on the condition
2/3 of the Board members are present or represented. If 2/3 of the Board Members are not present or
represented, the Chair shall initiate a vote via e-mail requesting Board Members to vote on the case within
24 hours. The decision shall be made by way of simple majority of the Board Members who vote within this
time limit.

8. REPRESENTATION OF ENUSP
In deciding on the appointment of people to represent ENUSP (e.g., at conferences and in decision and
policy-making bodies), the Board will:
(a) highlight opportunities, whenever practical, to the wider ENUSP membership, and
(b) endeavour to ensure a good gender balance and representation of diverse regions and user/survivor
orientations.
If a member receives an invitation to attend a conference or a meeting of a decision or policy-making body
and would like to represent ENUSP, they must contact the Board as far in advance as possible. The Board
shall promptly agree or disagree to authorize the member to speak on behalf of ENUSP.
The Board will help prepare and support representatives in their work for ENUSP, including helping them
with any research preparations, and/or with practical and financial concerns with external bodies. The
representative should take into account all position papers published by ENUSP.
The objective is to have a group of representatives competent in different areas of interest who can be
called on by the Board to attend these events. Representatives should submit to the Board a motivation
letter, summarising their background, interests and relevant expertise for representation.
In general, persons representing ENUSP should:
(a) reflect the aims and values of ENUSP, as indicated in Article 2 of the Statutes, and in Section 2 of these
Internal Rules;
(b) consult the Board as much in advance as possible, as well as the wider ENUSP membership wherever
possible, and endeavour to reflect the members' views in contributions on behalf of ENUSP;
(c) report back to the Board and, if possible, the wider membership as soon as possible on their experience
and potential follow-up;
(d) be compensated for any costs they incur in representing ENUSP. Reimbursement from ENUSP can
generally only be paid retrospectively, and full receipts must be submitted for this purpose along with
details of the claimants bank account to the Bookkeeper using the claim form provided. If a claim is
approved, then reimbursement should follow within 30 days.