Governance

In 2021, one of our key programmes of work was around our governance structure. The governance review for Girlguiding Scotland was completed in 2021 and a new model was approved by the Executive Committee in November. The agreed changes will be implemented in 2022, including establishing new trustee and operational boards and starting an exciting period of transformation for the charity.

To implement this change we used the Scottish Governance Code for the Third Sector which sets out the core principles and key elements of good governance for the boards of charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises in Scotland. It is the first Code to be produced specifically for Scotland’s third sector, recognising the need for the sector to have its own principles of governance. The Code sets out five core principles encouraging third sector organisations to look at, and improve, their governance. All five principles are of equal importance and we considered each in turn, these are organisational purpose, leadership, board behaviour, control and effectiveness. As well as focusing on our own governance, we have been helping counties with strengthening how they govern their areas. In 2021, we facilitated several mergers between counties; we welcomed Girlguiding Borders, Girlguiding Dumfries and Galloway and Girlguiding Highlands and Islands as new counties during the year. We continue to support the new leadership teams in these areas as they begin to establish new ways of working.

A suite of resources has been developed to support county executives in meeting their responsibilities including in the areas of governance, volunteer support and engagement, finance, property, staff, compliance and communications. The resources consist of information, guidance and templates drawn from existing Girlguiding Scotland resources, Girlguiding resources and from external sources (such as OSCR). These are all available via the Girlguiding Scotland website and continue to be updated and developed.