Nominate to be a LELAN Board Member
Opportunities, Lived Experience Leadership
LELAN currently has three Board Director vacancies and members of the organisation are invited to nominate for these positions. The vacancies are for two general members and a chairperson. If more nominations are received than vacancies exist a ballot will be held.
People seeking election to the Board must be an individual member or an individual carer and ally member of the association and not be a permanent employee or have accumulated six months or more of continuous contractual engagement with the association.
Nominations to be a Board member close Monday November 25th, 2019 at 1pm. The form for nomination can be accessed here or by emailing info@lelan.org.au .
Commitment Required from LELAN Board Members:
The LELAN Board meets monthly on the fourth Tuesday of the month 6-8pm at an Adelaide CBD location. No Board meeting is held in December. Board members also participate in yearly organisational development and strategic planning activities that are usually held on a Saturday in January or February.
As well as attendance at Board Meeting’s there will be additional out-of-session communication (requiring one to two hours per month). If Board Members are a part of the Executive Group – Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson, Treasurer or Secretary – more time will be required (an additional two-four hours per month). Outside of these minimum time commitments, Board members will be invited to play active roles in the work activities of the organisation to the extent that the Board member wishes, and their lives allow.
Board Member Eligibility and Skillset:
As an organisation LELAN is by, for and with people with personal lived experience (consumers) and values the support of carers, allies, other people and organisations who join us in making a difference for how mental health issues are understood and supported in our state.
All LELAN Board members must have personal lived experience (consumer) of mental health issues or have experience as a carer of someone with mental health issues.
We are committed to inclusion and accessibility for people with lived experience and welcome Board membership of people with: broad distress or mental health experiences (including psychosocial disability); diverse cultural backgrounds (including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people); gender or sexually diverse identities (including trans and non-binary); and/or other disabilities.
To ensure good governance, meeting legal obligations and supporting the growth and development of LELAN to be a strong independent and sustainable organisation additional skill sets are sought by some Board members.
These additional skill sets may be for a person who has: experience as a current practicing lawyer; financial or accounting qualifications; marketing, communications or media experience; governance and/or Board experience; policy, organisational development and/or strategic leadership experience; and so forth.
The Roles and Responsibility of A Board:
The board of an organisation has an important role to play. The board is a collection of individuals (board members) that form the ‘leadership group’ of an organisation. The board is primarily responsible for governing, overseeing the affairs of, and making strategic decisions for an organisation and on behalf of its members. …
There are four main legal duties all board members must comply with and understand and board members who breach these duties may be held personally liable (legally responsible) for their breach. The duties are:
- Duty to act in good faith and for proper purposes
- Duty to act with care, skill and diligence
- Duty not to dishonestly use position or information
- Duty to avoid conflicts of interest
[Fact Sheet: Introduction to the Board Member Role for New Board Members by Not-for-profit Law]
LELAN’s Constitution, the ‘rules’ of the organisation, can be accessed by clicking this link.
If you would like to have a confidential conversation regarding Board membership, LELAN’s work or other areas of interest contact Ellie Hodges, Executive Director, via ehodges@lelan.org.au or 0422 888 157.
