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Annex 1: What Next? Induction Guidance and Training for Board Members
The following list of induction guidance and training is not prescriptive but is designed to give you an idea of the type of support that may be provided by your public body. You may wish to refer to this checklist when you are discussing your induction requirements with the Chief Executive and/or Chair of your organisation.
Meetings
1. A one-to-one meeting with the Chair immediately following appointment to discuss in broad terms what is expected of a Board member in the first year and any individual role he or she is expected to play. (The Chair and Board member will subsequently meet on a regular basis as part of the appraisal process).
2. An induction session within one month of appointment to explain such things as:
- organisational structure;
- the collective role of the Board;
- arrangements, formats etc. of Board meetings;
- details of any subsidiary Boards and committees ( e.g. Regional Boards, Audit Committee) and their responsibilities;
- the long term strategy of the organisation;
- the corporate planning system;
- current priority areas of work;
- budget and financial information, including the monitoring role of the Board;
- the public body's policies on openness and access to information - where appropriate, including the role of Board members in promoting the public body to the public and in the media;
- links between the public body/Board and the Scottish Executive and the Scottish Parliament. This should include details of where the sponsor Department fits within the Scottish Executive structure, details of sponsor Minister(s) etc;
- links to other key partner organisations;
- arrangements for Board members' remuneration and expenses;
- the organisation's Code of Conduct for Board Members; and
- where they exist, details of arrangements for monitoring and reporting on the performance of Board members.
Ideally, this session should be attended by all new Board members and by some existing Board members to allow the latter to pass on experience. Some other members of the senior management team may also attend, including the Board secretary.
3. It may also be appropriate for a Board member to meet other key staff - for example, where they have been given a specific individual role for research issues, they may wish to meet research staff; where they are to sit on the Audit Committee, they may wish to meet audit and finance staff etc.
Publications
4. The latest Annual Report and Accounts.
5. The latest Corporate Plan and Operational/Business Plan.
6. The Corporate Strategy or similar strategic document.
7. Any significant recent policy or consultation documents which the public body has published.
8. The latest in-house magazine or newsletter.
9. The latest staff newsletter.
10. A list of relevant publications.
11. The organisation's Publication Scheme under Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (if applicable).
Written Material
12. A guide to the legislation under which the public body was established.
13. A copy of the management letter/grant-in-aid letter from the sponsor Minister for the coming year.
14. A copy of the public body's current Management Statement and Financial Memorandum.
15. Standing Orders for the conduct of Board meetings.
16. Organisational structure, staff directory, office addresses etc.
17. Biographical and contact details of other Board members (and, where appropriate, those in subsidiary Boards and Committees).
18. Summary of key roles and responsibilities within the organisation - Board, subsidiary Boards and committees, Chief Executive/Accountable Officer, management team, other senior staff.
19. Where a recent Policy and Financial Management Review ( PFMR) or an alternative review process has been carried out, a copy of the report and action plan.
20. Forward programme of Board meeting dates and any other key events (press launches, conferences etc.).
21. The organisation's Code of Conduct for Board Members.
22. A copy of the organisation's Data Protection, Freedom of Information and other relevant policies and procedures relating to corporate governance and accountability,
and if they exist:
23. A list of dos and don'ts for Board members in dealing with the media.
24. A list of key acronyms relating to the public body's area of work, partner organisations etc.
Terms and Conditions
25. Guidance on claiming travel and subsistence expenses.
26. Guidance on claiming other allowances where appropriate ( e.g. child care).
27. Guidance on tax issues - e.g. for home to office travel.
28. Guidance on register of interests.
Training
29. The public body should consider providing any further training deemed necessary to assist the Board, individually or collectively, to carry out its duties, for example, the one-day On Board training course that complements this Guide or training on financial management.
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