Indigenous Working Group

Terms of Reference

  1. OVERVIEW

The Indigenous Working Group operates in association with the Operational Management Committee. The role of the Working Group is to coordinate the implementation of initiatives to engage Indigenous patients in their hearings.

  1. OBJECTIVES

The Working Group is established to:

identify issues related to engaging Indigenous patients in their hearings

identify strategies to address these issues

coordinate the implementation of these strategies

evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies

The Indigenous Project Working Group (multimedia projects) and Indigenous Steering Committee report to the Indigenous Working Group

The Indigenous Working Groupreports to the Operations Management Committee.

3.MEMBERSHIP

The members of the group are:

Consumer Consultant

Principal Hearings Coordinator

Client Services Manager

4.CHAIR

Meetings will be chaired the Client Services Manager.

5.CHANGES TO MEMBERSHIP

Changes to Membershipmust be approved by the MHRT Operations Management Committee.

6.WORKING PARTIES

Working parties may be formed to undertake specific tasks defined by the Working Group.

7.OTHER PARTICIPANTS

The Indigenous Working Group may invite or approve other persons to attend meetings. Such persons do not assume membership of the group.

8.SECRETARIAT

The Executive Support Officer of the Tribunal will assume the role of Secretariat to the Working Group.

9.FREQUENCY OF MEETINGS

The Working Group will meet every two months.

10.ATTENDANCE AT MEETINGS

Members of the Working Group will attend meetings. Where attendance is not possible, a written contribution may be submitted.

11.AGENDA ITEMS

Agenda items will be called within one week prior to any meeting. Any member of the Working Group may submit agenda items. There will be a standing agenda item of “Other Business” under which emerging issues can be addressed.

12.MINUTES OF MEETINGS

The Secretariat shall minute the outcomes of each meeting of the Steering Committee. The minutes shall be circulated to each member of the Steering Committee within one week after each meeting.

13.ACCESS TO INFORMATION / CONFIDENTIALITY

Individual cases will not be discussed within the Steering Committee. Other than confidential information, members of the group will have access to information and documents relevant to the issues being considered.

Any information that is to remain confidential to the Steering Committee should be declared as such prior to tabling. If the group does not accept the information as being confidential, the individual may elect not to table the information.

14.DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION AND OUTCOMES OF THE MEETINGS

A summary of issues discussed and outcomes, will be tabled at the Operations Management Committee meetings, and may be published to members through the MHRT Members’ Bulletin.