August 17, 2015

Minutes of the meeting held on Monday 17th August 2015 at sportscotland, Caledonia House, South Gyle, Edinburgh  EH12 9DQ at 1700 hours.

Attendees:

Janice Eaglesham, Chair
Catherine Goodfellow, Vice Chair
Dave Rhoney, Director
Claire Morrison, Director
John Reid OBE, Director
Sandra Proudfoot, Director
Anna Tizzard, Director
Gavin Macleod, CEO
Jennifer Griffin, sportscotland Partnership Manager
Caroline Lyon, Company Secretary

Apologies:

Iain Smith, Director
Gerry Milne, Director

Welcome and Apologies,  Conflicts of Interest and Legal Register

The Chair welcomed everyone and particularly Jennifer Griffin to her first SDS Board meeting, and apologies were accepted from Iain Smith.

No conflicts of interest were recorded.  There were no ongoing legal matters of which SDS was aware.

Minutes of Previous Meeting –2015

The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed for accuracy.

Matters Arising

  • The Volunteer Policy was still with Gerry Milne for review. Action: GM
  • A video taken at the summer sports camp would be shown during the meeting.
  • Rob Claridge is no longer working with SDS due to ill health.
  • The CEO had spoken with Ron McArthur regarding the bowls invitation to Israel and it was indicated the team may choose to travel independently without the support of SDS or SABB.
  • A paper had been circulated on funding for the Coaching Matters programme with the cessation of sportscotland funding. After discussion it was agreed that SDS should continue to fund the programme to the value of £5,000 but suggested that SDS should aim to raise a further £5,000 from grants.  The Coaching Matters conference may be held at the start of 2016 rather than the end of 2015.
  • Some Board appraisals have been completed with three outstanding. Action: Chair
  • Spirit of 2012: The Board agreed that SDS should remain focused on the key target group of disability sport.
  • Celtic FC Foundation: SDS was the beneficiary of a fundraising dinner held in March 2015 and had been notified there would be a donation of £40,000 to fund sport programmes across Scotland for participants with a severe disability. Information had been circulated to Branches to invite bids and the CEO will update.  Monitoring and evaluation would be undertaken six-monthly.
  • Harry Richmond of the Sportsman’s Charity had indicated they would like SDS to be a beneficiary of the charity dinner held at the end of 2015. The CEO was meeting Harry Richmond this week.

Accounts

  • The draft accounts were agreed.
  • The first quarter accounts (April-June) were presented. The budget had recently been finalised so these contained the first figures and included anticipated income not yet received but pledged.  The endowment draw-down had been completed twice at £50,000 but shows in last year’s accounts, although added to this year’s so it can be seen in the budget but will not show as income.
  • There have been no large changes on the payroll. The next tranche of Tayside consultancy funding to be paid once confirmed.  Other costs were broadly the same as leading into last year’s AGM.  Developing Talent & Performance remains the highest spend, and had been budgeted for the maximum spend but this may be less than anticipated.  The only independent income SDS currently receives is from education and training courses and it was suggested this might be a topic to consider at the Board away days, possibly with assistance from Glasgow Caledonian University.

Sub Groups

Governance

  • Angus was expected to have put some policies in place during July towards their MOR accreditation and the timescale had been extended to 31st August with a view to presenting the award at the AGM or Branch conference.
  • Three policies had been due to be presented but the Anti-Bribery Policy had been amalgamated into the Anti-Corruption Policy.
  • The Use of Assets Policy and Sponsorship & Relationships Policy were under development but it was considered that the Use of Assets may be covered by the HR handbook.
  • The Vice Chair agreed to look at the Use of Assets Policy. Action: CG
  • The Anti-Corruption Policy was agreed.
  • The Risk Register had been presented in June and forwarded to the Finance Director for review with GCU HR department. The sportscotland Partnership Manager was invited to comment and suggested that only the highest risks should be presented to the Board for six-monthly review.  It was considered that IT risk should be lowered in view of the new server being in place and the CEO would amend this.  It was suggested that other governing body policies or a sportscotland template should be reviewed.  It was also agreed to downgrade loss of data and to review the register twice yearly.  The CEO should alert the Board to any concerns.  The register should be presented with changes and comments highlighted.

AGM

  • Peter Drysdale, Member at Large of CPISRA, had agreed to be the guest speaker.
  • The awards had been decided by the sub group.
  • Guests would be invited at 6.30pm for a buffet supper with the AGM beginning at 7.30pm.
  • A vote for ordinary Board members would be held at the AGM as seven nominations had been received for the six available positions.
  • The Minister was unable to attend and provide the closing remarks. Stuart Harris had been invited and the sportscotland Partnership Manager was asked to follow up.
  • Rebecca Lee had been asked to take photographs.
  • Sound & Vision had been booked for audio visual.
  • The first draft of the annual report had been received from the printer and was being proof read.
  • The nominations were still open for the Athletes’ Athlete of the Year Award with information on the SDS website and facebook page.

HR: Maternity leave paper

  • The CEO presented a paper based on a request by the Performance Manager to reduce her hours on return from maternity leave. Discussion centred around the fact that this is a new situation for the organisation and would require flexibility on all parts. This would need to be managed with all the individuals involved to ensure a smooth transition to two part time posts. All agreed that the Chair and CEO would meet with the Performance Manager to discuss the detail and look at how this is likely to work in practice. Action: Chair, CEO

Board Away Days

  • The Board away days would take place on 30/31 October 2015, probably at Stirling Court Hotel, and suggestions for content were being invited through Board appraisals.
  • Board meeting dates were circulated for consideration. It was noted that the Paralympics would finish on 18th September 2016 and the AGM may need to be re-scheduled accordingly, although consideration was also being given to merging the AGM and Branch conference.  It was confirmed that the dates were for consideration only at this stage.
  • It was noted that the November Board meeting was scheduled for shortly after the away days and it was agreed instead to hold the Board meeting on the evening of Friday 30th October.

Strategic Planning

  • The sportscotland Partnership Manager provided a brief overview of the sportscotland Corporate Plan and circulated the Plan. She agreed to check the reason for reference to sport rather than physical activity.  It was noted that it was positive to see inclusion as a priority.
  • A paper outlining staff thoughts on the new SDS Strategic Plan had been circulated for discussion and consideration. Broad headings to take to the AGM were agreed as follows:
    • Vision should be reviewed
    • The Z shape diagram should be reviewed with the content and design available for consultation
    • Some suggestions had been made by staff regarding the SIM, terminology, impact on resources, etc. as it was noted that it was well recognised.
    • Priority Areas for review as to whether they are still relevant, any others to be added, wording, etc.
    • High Level Impacts/outcomes.
  • Strategic Planning consultation dates would be displayed at the AGM and an overview of how the plan has worked so far will be made available at the consultations.

Sports/Events

  • A video of the summer sports camp prepared by the student Hatty Cumber was shown and was very well received by the Board. The Opportunities & Events Manager was commended on the huge amount of work put into the camp, which worked extremely well at a different venue from previously.
  • Lawn Bowls – 5th September
  • Senior Athletics Perth – 9th September
  • International events included the IPC Swimming Championships, the CPISRA World Games and the Boccia European Teams & Pairs.
  • Scotland lost to the USA in the group stages of the World Football Championships finishing in 9th place.
  • In the Boccia European Teams & Pairs the BC1/2 team including Scot Joshua Rowe won gold meaning automatic qualification for the Rio Paralympics in 2016. The BC4s came second and currently their ranking makes them secure of a place at Rio.  The BC3s will compete in Columbia in October giving them a chance to qualify for Rio and they are still in position at this time.  Claire Morrison was congratulated on the success of the squad.
  • CPISRA World Games – Lynne Glen and the management team were congratulated on the spirit within the SDS team. This was commented on by other people at the Games. All agreed events like this are of huge benefit in terms of athlete development

Partners

  • The BPA AGM would be held in November 2015.
  • UKSA has received funding to remain operational until June 2016 and was encouraging the Paralympic sports to take on classification. It was becoming apparent that the UKSA has a  key role in facilitating the handover.
  • INAS-FID are considering a functional disability classification.
  • Commonwealth Games Scotland are meeting on Thursday and the CEO would be attending.
  • Dave Rhoney had applied to join the Inverclyde Board and been invited for interview.
  • The GBDFA had confirmed seven Scots on the longlist. Funding was being sought for heart screening which would be required.  Neither GB nor the Scottish FA will cover travel expenses for squad training so this will be covered by SDS.  GB had been requested to look at recruiting a Scottish coach and a job description had been circulated with a requirement for an A licence.

AOB

  • It was noted that Andrew Slack had very sadly passed away. An article has been placed on the website.
  • sportscotland have awarded SDS a boccia coach apprenticeship for a retired athlete with the salary covered for three years. The sportscotland Partnership Manager fed back that the panel had been very impressed with the presentation, the information provided and the committed shown towards the post.

DONM

Wednesday 23rd September – AGM