Strengthening our governance
We have big ambitions for RCOT and the occupational therapy profession, and to be able to deliver on them, we need our governance to be fit for purpose and future-proof
Over the coming years Council will consider how we can strengthen our governance by looking at:
- our legal structure
- compliance with charity, trade union and company law, regulation and good practice
- how Council can get the expertise it needs to govern all the key aspects of the organisation
- transparency and accountability about how we are run and make decisions
- improving the understanding of the differences between BAOT and RCOT
- how our governance can support a stronger unified message on the things that are important to the profession.
Our governance today
Our governance is more complex than some because we are made up of two separate but related organisations.
- British Association of Occupational Therapists (BAOT) which is a trade union
- RCOT is a registered charity and owned by BAOT.
Why are we set up like this?
In 1972 when BAOT became a trade union, it set up a subsidiary organisation to deliver its member services that were for public benefit, and therefore charitable. Many other professional membership bodies operating within the sector are also charities as there are a number of benefits to operating as a charitable organisation, however as a trade union we need to undertake our charitable activities via a subsidiary. Some of the benefits of setting it up like this are:
- Generally, charities don’t have to pay income/corporation tax, capital gains tax or stamp duty; and, in some circumstances, a charity can get special VAT treatment. This means more of our income can be directed towards the organisation’s core purpose.
- Charities are often able to raise funds from public, grant-making trusts more easily than non-charitable bodies.
- Charities can give their members or beneficiaries the assurance that they are regulated by the Charity Commission.
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