As specified in Article 3 of the Articles of Association of the company, it is the Governing Body that has the power to admit new members to the Association. The Governing Body has established a committee for the purpose of determining who is to be accredited as fulfilling the conditions of membership, namely the Accreditation Committee (hereafter referred to as ‘the Committee’).

The Committee shall consider all first time applications for membership and determine whether or not the applicants are to be accredited as fulfilling the conditions of membership. The Committee shall also consider all applications from those members who apply for first time re-accreditation through Bye Law 2B.

The Governing Body shall ratify the accreditation of those whom the Committee determines as fulfilling the conditions of membership.

The constitution and operation of the Committee is dealt with in this Bye Law.

1.1 The Committee shall consist of up to ten accredited members, honorary members or retired members of IAHIP, at least 2 of whom have been re-accredited, appointed as follows:

a. Four members shall be appointed to the Committee by the Governing Body, at least one of whom is a member of the Governing Body who shall be the Governing Body representative on the Committee.

b. Six members shall be elected by the voting members at the Annual General Meeting or at an Extraordinary General Meeting.

1.2 The Chairperson of the Committee shall be appointed by the Governing Body.

1.3 The Committee shall elect from among its members:

a. a Committee Secretary; and

b. a Minutes Secretary

1.4 If it is necessary for an officer or committee member to assume an acting role in the case of the non-availability of an officer, e.g. Chairperson, such person shall take full authority in that role for the duration of the meeting.

2.1 Appointments and elections to the Committee shall be for a period of two years. Members may be reappointed or re-elected for further periods of two years but no member shall serve on the Committee for more than eight consecutive years at a time.

2.2 The appointment of the representative of the Governing Body shall lapse automatically when that person leaves the Governing Body otherwise, they shall have the same term limit as all other members of the Committee.

3.1 The Committee will meet as and when required as determined by the Chairperson of the Committee or as instructed by the Governing Body.

3.2 Minutes will be taken at all meetings by the Minutes Secretary with such minutes being kept and available on the IAHIP server.

3.3 A majority of the members of the Committee shall constitute a quorum for meetings of the Committee unless determined otherwise by the Governing Body and communicated to the Chairperson of the Committee.

3.4 Other operational procedures of the Committee (such as target times for decisions on applications, etc.) shall be determined from time to time by the Governing Body in consultation with the Committee.

4.1 The function of the Committee shall be to:

a. examine first time applications for membership of the Association; and

determine whether or not applicants are to be accredited as fulfilling the conditions for membership as laid down in the Bye Laws that govern first time accreditation and such other qualitative requirements as are approved by the Association from time to time.

b. examine applications for first time re-accreditation through Bye Law 2B; and

determine whether or not such applicants are to be re-accredited as fulfilling the criteria as laid down in Bye Law 2B, and such other qualitative requirements as are approved by the Association from time to time.

c. Examine applications where the Governing Body has referred a first time request for accreditation that does not meet the necessary criteria in any of the relevant Bye Laws; and

determine what criteria such an applicant needs to fulfil in order for their application for accreditation to be approved.

4.2 A secondary function of the Committee shall be to offer advice to the Governing Body on any issues relating to Accreditation. Such advice may be offered in response to a request from the Governing Body, or at the initiative of the Committee itself. The advice of the Committee shall be considered by the Governing Body but shall not be binding on it.

4.3 In carrying out its work the Committee shall take into account all relevant Bye Laws of the Association and shall operate within the terms of the Association’s Constitution and Policies, and of the Association’s Codes of Ethics and Practice.

5.1 In its deliberations, the members of the Committee shall attach utmost importance to impartiality, fairness and respect for privacy. In particular, the names and addresses of applicants whose applications are in the course of being processed by the Committee or any other information that might identify such applicants shall be kept private in so far as this may be practicable.

5.2 If any member of the Committee has such knowledge of or connection with any applicant as could cause a conflict of interest or cast doubt on their impartiality, that member has a duty to declare such potential conflict and to step aside from any involvement in the consideration of the application.

5.3 If the member refuses to step aside from involvement in the consideration of the application, then the Chairperson may remove the member from the process and the Governing Body in its sole discretion may remove them from the committee.

6.1 Before making its final decision, the Committee may seek further information from, or meet with, the applicant.

6.2 The Committee may liaise with all other relevant committees of the Association.

6.3 The Committee may also, when necessary, consult with and avail of the expertise of experienced members of the Association.

6.4 All such liaising and consultation must respect the privacy of the applicants and of the accreditation process.

7.1 The Committee shall forward the names of each applicant whom it judges to fulfil the conditions of membership to the Membership Secretary to ascertain whether any valid reason (such as an outstanding complaint) exists to deny or postpone accreditation of that applicant.

7.2 If the Membership Secretary confirms that no such reason exists, the Governing Body shall, at its next meeting, admit the applicant to membership, and the Membership Secretary shall inform the applicant that they have been admitted to membership and request payment of their membership fee.

7.3 Accreditation as a member of the Association through Bye Law 2A is valid for two years (or for such period as the Association shall, from time to time, decide), subject to the member complying at all times with all membership conditions. After that period, or during that period if all necessary criteria have been met, members must apply for first time reaccreditation through Bye Law 2B.

7.4 Accreditation as a member of the Association through Bye Laws other than 2A is valid for five years (or for such period as the Association shall, from time to time, decide) subject to the member complying at all times with all membership conditions. After that period members must apply to the Re-accreditation Committee for re-accreditation to continue as an accredited member of the Association, otherwise their membership will lapse.

7.5 Those whose applications have not been approved by the Committee must be informed in writing by the Committee Secretary and a report stating the grounds for the decision must be provided to the applicant. A copy of this report shall be kept by the Committee.

7.6 Applicants are allowed no more than two attempts within three months after receipt of notification that their application has not been approved to correct deficits. An entirely new application, plus payment of all relevant fees, is required after this period has elapsed.

8. Right of Appeal

8.1 Applicants for accreditation, whose applications are refused by the Committee, may appeal this decision if the Committee did not properly follow its own procedures.

8.2 The appeal must be made in accordance with the procedure for Appeals set out in Bye Law 10A and must be made within 20 working days of receipt of the decision being appealed.

9.1 The Governing Body representative on the Committee shall have the task of liaising between the Committee and the Governing Body and submitting regular reports to the Governing Body.

9.2 The Committee must report on its activities to the Annual General Meeting or, if requested by the Governing Body or by a quarter of the membership of the Association, to an Extraordinary General Meeting.

10.1 The Committee shall consult with the Governing Body to ensure that all documentation relating to accreditation is updated in line with all other Association documents.

10.2 This Bye Law should be reviewed by the Committee and the Governing Body at least every 3 years.