Governance - Guide Dogs Victoria

Our commitment to leading standards Governance commitment

Guide Dogs Victoria is governed in accordance with:

the Corporations Act 2001
the Guide Dogs Victoria Consitution
the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Act 2012
the Charities Act 1978

The Board, in undertaking its role in representing Guide Dogs Victoria’s Members, and in promoting and protecting Guide Dogs Victoria is committed to:

Better practice standards of governance.
Overseeing and monitoring our business using due care and diligence to ensure our long term reputation and financial sustainability, and our vision is achieved
Acting in good faith, with honesty and integrity, and in the best interests of our Members, clients, staff, volunteers and other stakeholders

The Board is comprised of up to eleven unpaid non-executive directors. Each member is elected by the Members or co-opted to fill casual vacancies. The CEO is not a Board member.

Board Committees have been established to cover the key areas of our business. Each Committee focuses on specific tasks and programs being undertaken by Management, aligned to our Strategic Directions.

Our Annual and Financial Reports are available here.

Our commitment to leading standards Our Board

The Guide Dogs Victoria Board consists of up to eleven directors. The Board is responsible for the development of our organisational strategic directions, monitoring organisational performance, and overseeing organisational governance and risk requirements. The Board operates four subcommittees:

Audit and Risk Management
Remuneration
Nomination
Marketing and Fundraising

View our Board Member Profiles

Our commitment to leading standards Board Governance Policies

Our commitment to leading standards Senior Leadership team

Our Senior Leadership team is comprised of six key positions. The Senior Leadership team is responsible for implementing the overarching organisational strategy set by the Board. The team ensures that performance goals are met and that our work and programs are undertaken efficiently, effectively and sustainably. Key Leadership Team positions include:

Chief Executive Officer
Chief Operating Officer
General Manager Client & Guide Dog Services
General Manager People & Culture
General Manager Marketing & Communications
General Manager Fundraising

View our Leadership Team Profiles.

Our commitment to leading standards Consumer Advisory Council

The Consumer Advisory Council of Guide Dogs Victoria plays an important role in facilitating the exchange of information and ideas between Guide Dogs Victoria, the Board and most importantly, the people with low vision who use our services. The Consumer Advisory council:

Provides advice and recommendations concerning the training of people with low vision and the relationship between Guide Dogs Victoria and the people using our services
Acts as a consultative forum in identifying needs and priorities in service delivery
Encourages participation and inclusion by stakeholders in our quality service planning
Encourages the community to contribute to the consultative process
Strives to make services responsive to individuals’ needs
Acts as a sounding board for various policy and service proposals
Provides our successful service applicants with support, encouragement and insight into the use of Guide Dogs Victoria services
Reviews Guide Dogs Victoria facilities and communication practices with regard to accessibility by people with low vision or other disabilities
Assists in the development of community strategies to address barriers for people with low vision

View our Consumer Advisory Council Member Profiles.

Terms of reference.

The Terms of Reference of the Consumer Advisory Council are modeled on consumer groups operating successfully in similar agencies. They include the State Disability Advisory Council of the Department of Human Services and the Graduate Advisory Council of the Guide Dogs for the Blind Inc of California.

The Council meets a minimum of twice annually. Members are selected to ensure:

Equal representation from each of our five client service groups, namely Guide Dog, Acquired Brain Injury, Children’s and Intensive Orientation and Mobility Services and Intensive Occupational Therapy
Geographical diversity — with clients from regional Victoria as well as the metropolitan area
Balance of men and women
Representation from related fields

Expressions of interest.

From time to time, we seek expressions of interest in membership to the Consumer Advisory Council. For further information, email cac@guidedogsvictoria.com.au or use the contact form to correspond with us.