Down Syndrome WA has a voluntary Board which is responsible for the management of the Association.  Staff are employed by the Board to carry out the operations of the Association.  Many volunteers, offer their time to assist the Association in a variety of ways.  Volunteers may be parents of people with Down syndrome, someone connected to families within the Association or members of the general community.   

Board of Management

Down Syndrome WA is managed by a voluntary Board working to ensure the strategic direction, good governance and financial viability of the organisation.  There are four Executive positions on DSWA's Board of Management:  President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary, as well as several other Board positions.  

The Association is very keen to have the involvement of people who can bring specific skills, expertise and experience to the Board, and Board members are encouraged to focus on an area of interest.  Board members can be parents with sons or daughters who have Down syndrome, and other community members.

Sub-committees of the Board are formed as required and are formal structures which assist with the smooth operation of the Board.  Currently the Finance Advisory Sub-committee and the Marketing Sub-committee are the only sub-committees of the Board.

Working parties are less formal working groups of the Board, and typically include some people who are not necessarily Board members.  They are formed in order to achieve a particular outcome e.g. the Premises Working Party.

Separate committees such as the Ball committee and Mumraisers fundraising committee are not sub-committees of the Board but have been formed by volunteers for a specific purpose e.g. to raise funds for the Association.  While these committees are less formal than sub-committees of the Board they are still required to follow Down Syndrome WA policies and procedures, to be transparent in their operations and to report regularly to the Board.   

Staff

Down Syndrome WA currently employs four permanent part-time staff:  the Executive Officer, Family Support Worker, Information and Development Officer and an Administration Officer.  The staff are all experienced parents of people with Down syndrome as well as being professionally qualified and highly skilled, and all make a significant voluntary commitment of their time in addition to their paid hours.

Staff members focus on providing emotional and practical support and information to parents, establishing and maintaining mechanisms to support and enable people with Down syndrome, raising awareness about people with Down syndrome within the community, developing the knowledge and understanding of those who work with people with Down syndrome, and with the day-to-day operations, management and development of the organisation. 

In addition, project officers and other casual staff are contracted as required e.g. the Aim High Coordinator, the Library Officer, the Administration Assistant.

Volunteers

The Association relies on a small committed team of volunteers who carry out hospital visits, organise fundraising, co-ordinate the mail-outs and much more.

Check out Who's Who.