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Delegate Responsibilities

The WFOT Delegates Manual 2018 lists the following responsibilities of Delegates:

  1. To increase the understanding of the purpose and functions of WFOT within your own country and member organisation and to encourage individual membership.
  2. To provide the Member Organisation with a list of the office bearers and Programme Coordinators of WFOT for the two years following a Council meeting.
  3. To deliver, as an interim report to the Member Organisation, the reports given by the President and Executive Director at the opening of the Council meeting.
  4. To give a detailed written report to the Member Organisation after the Minutes of the Council meeting have been circulated.
  5. To ensure that individual membership subscriptions are collected annually and sent to the Vice President Finance. The Member Organisation is to keep a list of the names of individual members.
  6. To ensure that the Member Organisation pays the membership subscription before 31st January of each year. The amount is to be sent to the Vice President Finance according to the procedures circulated by the Vice President Finance. Representatives to Council meetings from Member Organisations whose association fee is more than one year overdue may not sit at Council.
  7. To make sure the Member Organisation notifies the Executive Officers of the names of delegates and alternates, or of official representatives to Council meetings.
  8. To send biographical notes of new delegates and alternates on the official forms to the Executive Director.
  9. To make sure that, if a substitute delegate is attending a Council meeting, the Member Organisation notifies the Executive Director and endorses their credentials.
  10. To receive all communications from the Executive Director to the Member Organisation and to disseminate the information to the appropriate persons or organisations within your own country.
  11. To carry out promptly all requests from the Executive Director or Programme Coordinators that require action, for example Annual Report, Council Participation Fund award.
  12. All delegates and alternates, attending Council meetings will serve on one of the Programme teams of the World Federation during the Council meetings. They will remain members of the Programme for the next two years, even if they will not be attending the next Council meeting. At that time, a new Programme team will be formed. Members of Programme teams may not appoint a deputy to serve in their place on that Programme team.
  13. To provide comprehensive orientation and mentorship to the new Delegate. To provide a clear and seamless handover to the new Delegate.
  14. This should include specific communication with the new Delegate (e.g. face to face meeting; Skype meetings; or via specific emails) including:
    • The contents of this Manual
    • Orientation to WFOT e.g. discussion regarding the website; Delegates access; Delegates information section including Policies and Procedures Manual; Minutes from past Council Meetings; ‘About Us’ section with Management/Organisational/International information; ‘Membership’ section, Photographs etc.
    • Orientation to WFOT publications including the Bulletin; e-newsletter         
    • Your experiences of any Council Meetings that you have attended.
    • Copies of minutes, publications and other WFOT documents are to be passed from the departing delegate to the new delegate when a delegate completes their term of office.
  15. The outgoing Delegate may keep the WFOT pin, as the new Delegate will receive a pin at their first Council Meeting if they are a delegate of a full member organisation.

The WFOT Position Descriptions 2018 provides further details on the role and responsibilities of Delegates:

Roles and Responsibilities

  • Is the official representative of a Member Organisation at Council and heads the delegation.
  • Is the primary liaison of the WFOT with their member country and the first line of communication about WFOT’s activities to their national organisation and to the WFOT Individual Members in their home country.
  • Is responsible for the orientation and mentorship of the Member Organisation’s new Delegate.

Functions/Key Performance Indicators

  • Acts as liaison between their National Association and WFOT (Executive, Management Team and Delegates) on international issues pertinent to their National Association and occupational therapy practice within their country.
  • Acts as liaison person between their National Association and WFOT (Executive and Delegates) to assist in meeting the requirements of WFOT e.g. approval of education programmes, collection of fees.
  • Forwards agenda items to the WFOT Executive, within the specified deadlines, for WFOT Council Meetings and speaks to those agenda items at the meeting as the representative of the National Association of their country.
  • Forwards an annual report to the Executive Director as per the Delegates Manual.
  • Is a member of a Programme Team and actively participates in WFOT projects after participation in the first Council Meeting.
  • Acts as liaison person for projects in their country in co-operation with the appropriate Programme Coordinator.
  • Forwards WFOT agenda items to their respective National Association for consideration through their respective operating system.
  • Keeps up to date files of decisions, correspondence and reference material and hands all such information to their successor.
  • Provides a clear and seamless handover to the new Delegate.
  • Provides comprehensive orientation, handover and mentorship to the new Delegate. This should include specific communication to the new Delegate (e.g. face to face meeting; Skype meetings; or via specific emails. Refer to Delegates Manual).
  • Is a voting member of Council, provided that the country that is being represented by the Delegate is a full member of WFOT.
  • Is eligible for election to a designated position on the Executive or as a PCo.
  • Maintains an awareness of and brings to the awareness of Council national and international issues which may impact on the profession and how these may link with each programme area.
  • Keeps the alternate Delegates informed of WFOT affairs and actions that have been taken on behalf of the member association of their country.
  • Ensures a mechanism exists in the member association of their country to enable individual members to join WFOT.
  • Actively promotes the Federation’s organisational objectives and recruits individual members for WFOT.

Eligibility and Term of Office

  • Is a qualified occupational therapist who is an individual member of the Federation.
  • A Delegate to the World Federation of Occupational Therapists should have extensive experience in governance as defined by the Member Organisation and may be from a full member, associate member, or regional member of WFOT.
  • Only a Delegate from a full member country has voting rights and only one Delegate from each member country votes.
  • A Delegate shall be appointed or elected to serve a term of four (4) years and shall be eligible for re-appointment or re-election for such further terms of two (2) years as the Member Organisation may determine.

The WFOT Delegates Manual 2018 provides details of Delegates (and Alternates) Terms of Office:

  1. A Delegate shall serve a term specified by his Member Organisation recommended but not mandated to be of four years and shall be eligible for reappointment or re-election for such further terms of two years as his Member Organisation may determine.
  2. An Alternate shall be appointed or elected for a term specified by his Member Organisation recommended but not mandated to be of four years and shall be eligible for re-appointment or re-election for such further terms of two years as his Member Organisation may determine.
  3. A Member Organisation may appoint a substitute Delegate or Alternate for a specific meeting if its regular representatives are unable to attend or it may appoint in writing another member of the Council as its proxy for any specific meeting or action including voting privileges.
  4. In the event of a Delegate or Alternate not completing their term of office, a Member Organisation may appoint or elect a person to fill the vacancy so created and the person so appointed shall hold office only for the duration of the term of office of the original appointee. In this event, the person so appointed shall be eligible for re-election as if they had not held office previously and Articles 4.1.2.3. and 4.1.2.4. of the present Articles of Association shall apply.
  5. Countries who are requesting membership of WFOT are granted observer status until they fulfil the requirements for membership. This status is conferred upon them at a Council meeting.
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