Boards and branches
As with most professional bodies supporting and providing a service to subscribing members, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy has a network of regional boards and branches. This network serves as a communication channel between the Society's members, its Council and the officers employed at the CSP.
Boards
The Society currently has 12 regional boards. These each operate as a large committee, drawing their membership from a wide range of interested constituencies in their area. Members could include representatives from:
- branches in the region
- managers, private practitioners and other occupational groups
- educators and students from schools of physiotherapy in the region
- regional stewards and other stewards as appropriate
- Most boards have approximately 15 to 20 members. An elected member represents the board on Council.
The prime function of the boards is to act as the first line of contact between Council, its committees and the membership. Many matters are referred to the boards for discussion by Council at its meetings; representatives bring members' views back to the Council. As all branches send at least one representative to board meetings, there is also a channel of communication with the entire membership at branch level.
Branches
On joining the Chartered Society, all members are allocated to a branch. Usually, this is determined according to a member's postal address (the address used to register with the Society). However, members can choose to be registered with a different branch if they wish. Branches receive a capitation fee for each registered member. Branches usually cover accessible geographical areas, so that regular meetings can be held.
A small committee has responsibility for running each branch. This involves organising a programme of business meetings, as well as clinical and social events. These meetings can be a useful way of meeting members who work in a variety of environments, including private practitioners, those in occupational health and those employed in independent hospitals. Physiotherapists taking a career break, or those who have retired, also find branches useful for maintaining links with the profession and keeping up-to-date with local activities.
