Membership terms and conditions

• Membership of Children in Scotland runs for a 12-month period.
• Membership prices are available on the website and any changes are discussed with, and agreed by, the Board. Members will be informed of any changes to prices.
• Membership benefits are subject to change throughout the year with detailed information available on Children in Scotland’s website.
• All our staff must be treated with respect and courtesy. Our members should expect the same. Our network is large and wide-ranging so differences of view will emerge from time to time. These will be managed appropriately by our staff and, where appropriate, any decision made by them will be final unless a formal complaint is made (see ‘Feedback or complaints’ section below).
• Members are responsible for informing us of any changes to the information provided at application, including their desire to cancel membership. “The wide membership and remit of Children in Scotland allows us to keep informed about policy and practice across disciplines. If membership fees are not paid by the third month of membership, then the membership will be cancelled, and all benefits will cease.
• Membership is automatically renewed each year unless you are within our free member category. You will receive a reminder beforehand.
• We must be advised in advance of the renewal date if you wish to end membership.

• Free membership is available for voluntary organisations, professional and statutory bodies with an annual income below £50,000.
• Free membership runs for a 12-month period and organisations will be contacted about membership renewal at the end of each year.
• Members have responsibility for notifying Children in Scotland if their annual income increases above £50,000 when membership is due for renewal at the end of the 12-month period.

• Local authority membership covers staff working at headquarters and regional offices. This includes the different teams, services and departments working with children and families who are based in these offices.
• Local authority membership does not include, for example, nurseries, schools, colleges, libraries who have their own identity and separate budgets. These will fall under different membership categories such as ‘organisations’ or ‘education’ categories.
• We sometimes have requests from specific departments or teams within local authorities to join in membership. These will be processed under the ‘organisations’ category depending on the size of the team or department. They will have access to some of the specific local authority member benefits such as training.

• A member can cancel their membership at any point by advising us via email or post.
• We reserve the right to cancel a membership of an individual or organisation if we feel they have created an unacceptable cost to Children in Scotland, be it financial, reputational or in terms of resources.
• If membership is cancelled by the member or Children in Scotland during the membership year, we will not offer a pro-rata refund on fees paid.

We are always keen to hear from our members, who can get in touch via telephone or email, to provide feedback or make suggestions about the work we do.

If there are any concerns or issues, we would hope to resolve these quickly and informally so please speak to one of the team at the earliest possible point.

Members can also make use of the Complaints Procedure if they feel it is necessary. This includes the right of appeal to the Children in Scotland Board if an application is not approved or membership is cancelled by us.