Independent Living Service Volunteer Roles in Battersea, Greater London

Wolfram Syndrome UK (WSUK)

WSUK is a small national charity based in West Sussex that supports children, young people and adults affected by Wolfram Syndrome (WS) and their parents/wider families. WS is an ultra-rare genetic disorder which causes a complex range of symptoms, including diabetes mellitus, vision problems, renal problems, deafness, and neurological problems. WSUK provides current, accurate and family-friendly information, raises awareness of WS among health professionals and the public, and helps to fund WS research. 

WSUK Treasurer

The WSUK Board is seeking to recruit a Treasurer to complement and extend the range of skills and experience of its current members. This voluntary role will maintain an overview of WSUK’s activities to ensure its financial viability and that proper financial procedures are maintained. Through active participation in quarterly Board meetings (on-line), this role will help WSUK to achieve its ambitions to continue to develop the activities and services it delivers to the WS community.

Skills and experience

WSUK is seeking a treasurer who is committed and motivated to help lead this small, but growing charity. Some financial experience and skills are needed, along with good independent judgement, an ability to communicate clearly and a team-oriented approach. You will become an important part of a dynamic charity, and you will be able to see how your involvement, skills and experience, directly benefit the people living with this challenging, ultra-rare condition.

The closing date for applications is Friday 13th September 2024..

Treasurer role description

Summary of the role:

The overall role of the Treasurer is to maintain an overview of the organisation’s affairs, ensure its financial viability and ensure that proper financial records and procedures are maintained.

Overall responsibilities:

The responsibilities of the Treasurer include:

· Overseeing and approving budgets, accounts and financial statements.

· Ensuring proper records are kept and effective financial procedures and controls are in place.

· Regularly reporting the financial position at Board meetings (e.g. quarterly reports), drawing attention to important points in a coherent and easily understandable way.

· Overseeing the production of an annual budget and proposing its adoption at the last meeting of the previous financial year.

· Being assured that the financial resources of the organisation meet its present and future needs.

· Keeping the Board informed about its financial duties and responsibilities.

· Liaising with members of the WSUK team about financial matters.

· Liaising at a Board level with external auditors on specific issues in the auditing process.

· Guiding and advising fellow trustees to formally approve the annual report and audited accounts.

· Contributing to the fundraising strategy of the organisation.

· Appraising the financial viability of plans and proposals.

Responsible to: This role works closely with the Chair and Board of Trustees

 Experience and skills:

The treasurer should have the following qualities:

· Financial experience. (e.g. as a Financial Director, Financial controller or qualified accountant).

· Financial analytical and evaluation skills.

· Good, independent judgement and strong leadership skills.

· Ability to communicate clearly.

· A team-oriented approach to problem solving and to management.

· Understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship.

· A willingness to devote the necessary time and effort and be available to staff for advice and enquiries on an ad hoc basis.

· A commitment to Nolan’s seven principles of public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.

This is a voluntary position although all reasonable expenses are paid (in line with the WSUK expenses policy).

This role will require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Time commitment

· The Board meets around 4 times per year, held virtually in the evening.

· The AGM is typically held as a face-to-face meeting on a Saturday afternoon in / near Worthing, West Sussex.

· Attendance at fundraising events and the Wolfram Syndrome annual conference is optional.

 The Applicant needs to reside in the UK.

IKWRO –Women’s Rights Organisation (IKWRO) is an award-winning charity founded (as the Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation) in 2002. IKWRO is a registered charity which provides advice and support to Middle Eastern, North African and Afghan women and girls living in the UK, who have experienced, or are at risk of all forms of “honour” based abuse, including; forced marriage, child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM), or domestic abuse.

We work with women and girls of all ages, including lesbian women, bisexual women and trans women. We offer services in Kurdish, Farsi, Arabic, Dari, Pashto, Turkish and English. IKWRO offers free advice, advocacy and counselling services and operates a refuge which provides safe accommodation and specialist support to single women at risk of “honour” based abuse, forced marriage and domestic abuse.

IKWRO also provides training for women and girls to help them understand their rights in the UK. In partnership with other organisations, we assist survivors of abuse with accessing English language classes and education, training and employment opportunities. As well as supporting women and girls directly, we offer advice and training for professionals from the statutory and voluntary sectors, to better understand the needs of the women and girls we represent, the types of abuse they experience and to provide best practice prevention and support services.

We campaign to increase awareness and improve laws and policies to tackle all forms of “honour” based abuse and harmful practices including; forced marriage, child marriage, marital captivity, female genital mutilation, virginity testing and hymenoplasty, discrimination by sharia courts and to push for better laws and policies toprotect women’s and girl’s rights.

We are recruiting Trustees to our Board.

We are looking for Sector experience in Mental Health and Bereavement Services.

As the pioneering charity dedicated to childhood bereavement support in the UK, Winston’s Wish has been at the forefront of developing crucial services for grieving children. We continue to inspire and advocate for bereaved young people by prioritizing their voices and needs.

We are seeking individuals who share our innovative spirit and are passionate about improving the lives of bereaved young people to join our Board of Trustees. If you envision a world where every grieving child or young person receives the support, they need to lead full and meaningful lives, we would love to hear from you.

We are seeking to appoint a new trustee to our board. Given the focus of our work, we are especially interested in professionals with expertise in mental health, psychology, or related fields. 

Weparticularly want to hear from you if you identify as:

· A person of colour (racially minoritised/racially diverse)

· Live with a disability or condition affecting daily life.

· Come from a disadvantaged background.

Applicants do not have to have lived experience of bereavement or have used the Winston’s Wish services.

Person Specification

· We have a specific gap on our board for a trustee with relevant sector experience.  Given the nature of our work we are especially interested in professionals with expertise in mental health, psychology, or related fields.

· Previous governance experience in the not for profit or commercial sector is welcome but not compulsory.

· Interested individuals should be able to demonstrate an enthusiasm for the work we do, an
unwavering promise to live our values and a commitment to work collaboratively and
positively with our board and staff teams to achieve the very best outcomes for bereaved
children.

· All Trustees are appointed for an initial term of two years and are eligible to re-stand for a
subsequent term. Members normally serve for two terms to ensure a balance of
continuity and refresh.

· The Board of Trustees normally meets four times a year and in addition, Trustees are
encouraged to take on responsibility and actively participate in sub-committees, attend
events and support the staff teams as appropriate.

Recruitment Timetable

Q&A Session

We invite any interested applicants to a Q&A session to be held online (Zoom) on Wednesday 11th September 2024 (4pm until 5pm).  Please refer to the Recruitment Pack for further details on how to register for the session.

Closing date for applications: 29th September 2024 (Midnight)

Interview date: W/C 14th October 2024 (may be some evenings required)

Winston’s Wish is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We welcome applications from individuals who bring fresh perspectives and experiences. Should you require the recruitment pack or application form in a different format, or any other adjustments to the recruitment process, please let us know.

About Us 

Mary Ward Settlement was founded in 1895, and today is a multi-service charity that focuses on empowering people to enrich and transform their lives by offering inclusive education opportunities, legal advice, and community support services. Advancing equality and diversity remains at the heart of Mary Ward Settlement, born from its inception in the Settler’s Movement, and our founder Mary Ward’s vision of ‘equalisation’ for adult learning to open up educational opportunities for all. In 2018 we merged with Blackfriars Settlement, sharing a common vision and foundation, which has strengthened our offering to the communities we support in London. 

We deliver our services from our newly opened, purpose-built  Mary Ward Centre, and from Blackfriars Settlement in Southwark. It's an exciting time for Mary Ward as we now look forward to fully utilising both our new facility and increased outreach as focal points in our communities.

About the role 

The Board of Trustees is an integrated Board, offering strategic oversight and professional expertise across the three charities that make up Mary Ward. The Chair of Mary Ward is more than a conduit between our Board of Trustees and our Senior Management team. The Chair orchestrates support from our trustees which recognises skills and experience, provides guidance and challenge to the management team, and is a visible connector, champion, and leader of our inclusive and warm culture. Our organisation is inquisitive and reflective, excited about learning, committed to community, and our Chair helps us reflect this passion across the group and to our wider community.

Requirements/Person Specification

• Working knowledge of good governance principles 
• Strong interpersonal skills grounded in supportive and positive values
• Strong leadership skills including those of diplomacy, influence, and mediating
• General business senior management experience which includes financial understanding, staff management, operational efficiency and effectiveness
• Commitment to a truly inclusive organisation, understanding equality, diversity, and inclusion has a wide application to reach all of our communities we serve. 

How to apply

Eastside People is supporting Mary Ward Settlement in the recruitment for this role. Please apply by submitting your CV and covering letter.

Please use the cover letter (max 2 pages) as an opportunity to add to the information you have shared in your CV and ensure that you cover the following:

• Why are you interested in a Chair role, and why with Mary Ward Settlement?
• How can you contribute to Mary Ward Settlement as our Chair? Please highlight relevant experience you would like to share with us.

We welcome applications from anyone with a passion for our mission, and from a wide range of skills and experience, and we particularly welcome applications from members of underrepresented groups e.g. candidates bringing diversity in terms of age; ethnicity; socio-economic status and disability. 

We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability, and potential. Please contact us if you require any assistance or adjustments so that we can help with making the application process work for you. We would discourage you from deselecting yourself if you are in doubt about meeting all the criteria. Instead, if you have specific questions about the role, please get in touch with Melissa.

Please contact us if you require any assistance or adjustments so that we can help with making the application process work for you.

Sutton Mental Health Foundation was established as a charity in 1998. Its aim is to support individuals experiencing serious mental health issues in the London Borough of Sutton. We aim to keep such individuals well and active helping them to have a voice in the provision of mental health care in the Borough.  Our vision is to provide a community in Sutton which values mental wellbeing and understands how to respond positively to individuals’ anxiety and distress.  The Foundation works together to promote mental wellbeing resilience and recovery from mental distress.We provide nonclinical support through our Intentional Peer Support programme together with a Day Service and a Crisis Cafe at our centre in Belmont. We receive funding mainly from the NHS and the London Borough of Sutton although we are part of the Voluntary Sector. 

We are seeking to add to the expertise of our experienced, professional Board of Trustees all of whom are volunteers.  All our Trustees require excellent communication skills, the ability to work effectively as part of a team, strategic vision and good independent judgement. Although not limited to, we would particularly value the experience and skills in the following areas : 

• Company Secretary/Legal Experience 
• Fundraising in the following areas – Grant, Corporate and Public 
• Marketing 

Lived or shared experience of mental health – desirable. 

Inclusion is one of our values and we are looking for diversity in the makeup of our Board. We particularly welcome applications from underrepresented communities.

The Board of Trustees meets every six weeks, in the evening at 7 p.m. for approximately 2 hours in Sutton.  Sometimes our Board meetings are on-line.

About Kith & Kids
We provide activities, opportunities, information, and support for people with a learning disability or autism, their parents, and siblings.
For all our projects and activities we are dependent on volunteers.

Our Employability Project
10am to 3pm, Monday and/or Friday during term-time

Our Employment & Life Skills Project (ELSP) helps adults with learning disabilities or autism to access further education, work experience and visits to mainstream community opportunities. 

What you’ll do
You’ll act as a mentor to the members of the group.  You’ll be helping the group(s) develop a range of life skills, things that many of us take for granted.  These include Maths and English skills, independent living, the use of public transport, social skills and even the sourcing of employment. 

For the people in these groups, these things can be very difficult to develop and achieve without regular support. Through regular support and meetings, members and volunteers develop greater trust, skills, and confidence together.

Come along and get involved!

Requirements

What you need
You do not need experience. Full disability awareness training will be provided before you begin volunteering with us.
The only requirements we ask of you are enthusiasm, energy and to be open-minded.
Minimum age for volunteers is 20.

How much time?
The project runs from 10am to 3pm, Mondays and/or Fridays during term-time.
Everyone gets the most out of the project if you come every week for at least a term as you'll build a close relationship with the members you'll have been supporting and will create the most impact.

What we can offer you
ELSP represents a fantastic opportunity for you to share your knowledge and experience built up through a lifetime to a group that is continuing to develop and achieve their targets.

We’ll reimburse your travel expenses and will provide excellent training and lots of helpful support.

By volunteering on our project you'll also:

• Use and develop your skills: time-management, working within a team, problem-solving and adaptability.
• Learn something new, get involved in fun activities with others.
• Increase your confidence.
• Meet like-minded people and make friends.
• Gain experience for (other) work
• Give something back to the community.
• Do something fun and satisfying in your spare time
• Challenge yourself. 

What about training?
Volunteers must attend two training sessions and complete a free DBS check before you begin volunteering.

This is a great opportunity to get to know everyone at Kith & Kids: your fellow volunteers, some of our members you will be working with, and also gives the opportunity to develop some new skills and expand your knowledge in our workshops.

Topics we cover include:

• Autism
• Safeguarding
• Creativity & Participation
• Negotiation & Boundaries
   

When do I need to come?

Volunteers must attend two training sessions and a DBS check before taking part.

We'll be running face-to-face training in north London from mid-October with lots of dates to choose from.

Training will take place in North London – once we have met you online for a chat, we will send you confirmation of our training venue details.

Family Thing Dance is a small but growing charity that provides inclusive dance classes for people with learning differences and diverse abilities. We are looking for Trustees to join our Board to offer governance and support to grow the charity. 

The dance base is commercial dance and hip-hop. Family Thing's mission is to provide opportunities for empowerment, support and a sense of belonging using dance as a vehicle to reach these aims. 

Family Thing is passionate about providing these dance opportunities for everyone.  There are many reasons why. Mencap lists the main benefits of taking part in leisure activities as improving physical and mental health, personal social skills, self-worth and confidence, and social attitudes (Mencap, 2019). Yet despite these widely understood benefits, only 16.8% of people with a learning disability take part in a sport or physical activities at least once a week, compared with 39.9% of the general population (Sport England, 2018). Additionally, there is a great deal of evidence that inactivity is a major contributing factor of ill health in people with learning disabilities. Only 9% of participants in a 2016 review met the minimum recommended guidelines for physical activity (Dairo et al, 2016).

We know that organisations like Family Thing play a role in the well-being of people with learning disabilities by providing activities that promote good physical health as well as positive psychological and social stimulation, and offers a way to overcome situations such as loneliness and anxiety. We know that a positive impact of Family Thing is the increase in social engagement and improvements in physical and mental well-being for those who participate in our classes.

Activities: Family Thing offers free or subsidised, supportive, fun and creative dance classes to diverse groups of children, young people and adults. During each session, dancers are invited to create their own ‘dance hero persona’, and have opportunities to express themselves as individuals with the support of the group. There is a focus on strengthening their sense of community through the concept of “supporting your crew”. As defined by those who attend the groups, the overall aim is to create a “big family” that’ll dance altogether basically!

What are we looking for?

At this particular time we are keen to find people with a financial services background and someone who may be willing to take on the role of Treasurer in due course and/or someone with marketing skills, including digital marketing.

Experience

• Experience of the dance community (desirable but not essential)
• An understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion and a desire to support those with learning differences and diverse abilities
• Leadership experience (desirable but not essential)
• Experience of delivering strategic organisational change (desirable but not essential)

It is not necessary to have previous board experience as training and support can be given

Skills

• A commitment to the Family Thing
• A willingness to devote half a day a month to this work and be able to attend the bi-monthly board meetings
• Good, independent judgement
• An ability to think creatively
• A willingness to speak your mind and communicate well
• An understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship
• An ability to work effectively as a member of a team
• An understanding of safeguarding practices
• Some experience of charity finance and fundraising is desirable, but not essential (and candidates do not need prior experience as a charity trustee)
• Knowledge and experience of current and fundraising activities relevant to voluntary and community organisations (desirable but not essential)  

Attitude

• Honest, open and trustworthy with an understanding of the duty of candour
• Respectful of confidentiality procedures

Special Conditions

The post requires the ability to attend online meetings and occasional face to face events.  All expenses will be reimbursed.

What difference will you make?

We are interested in potential Trustees who can bring experience across of range of areas. At this particular time we are keen to find people with a financial services background and someone who may be willing to take on the role of Treasurer in due course and/or someone with marketing skills, including digital marketing.

We are also keen to hear from people who can bring experience in any of these areas:

• working with charitable organisations
• developing strategy;
• project management;
• fundraising and grants management;

Bringing skills in any of these areas will make a huge difference to the work Family Thing is able to provide. 

Role Description

The Forensic Women’s Hub is a new out of hours community space for women 18+ leaving forensic mental health services, open 3 days a week; one evening and every weekend. We will be offering a safe, warm, non-judgemental social environment for women to build meaningful connections and have access to free activities and resources.

As a volunteer your role will be to support individuals using a peer approach by co-facilitating peer-led workshops, offering emotional and social support. By doing this, it provides an opportunity for service users to develop and manage meaningful and purposeful choices in an independent and empowered way.

We are looking for someone who

• Has lived experience of mental health challenges or being in prison / mental health wards / rehab and recovery communities.
• Is non-judgmental, friendly and committed to challenging the stigma faced by forensic service users.
• Is able to provide a welcoming, authentic, and positive experience for all, being inclusive and embracing diversity.
• Feels comfortable engaging with women with mental health challenges / difficult life experiences, by validating strengths and experiences and using empowering language to overcome negative self-talk.
• Is empathic and understanding towards the stigma / social bias's surrounding forensic leavers and their experiences.
• Is willing to tap into their lived experiences and use their stories to inspire hope in others when appropriate.

Time commitment and expenses:

• Flexible hours (shifts to be confirmed). Evening and Weekend availability is required. Please indicate your preferred volunteering day(s) on your application.
• We will provide volunteers with an induction, training, and ongoing mentoring to support them in the role 
• Reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed.

What's in it for the volunteer?

Volunteering at Mind is a fantastic opportunity to get involved with a nationally recognised charity, and volunteering in Safe Space is an opportunity to experience and get involved in crisis support. We provide initial and ongoing training, as well as plenty of opportunities for progression within the organisation. You will also be a part of a supportive team with great awareness of wellbeing and the mental health sector.

We're recruiting for new members of ReachOut's Board of Trustees, as well as members of our governance committees. 

If you’re passionate about supporting young people from under-resourced communities to thrive, and you have the skills and experience to help shape and guide our organisation to achieve our vision, we’d love to hear from you. 

We’re currently recruiting for the following roles:

• Trustees.
• Committee members for our Programmes and Impact Committee and Finance, Audit and Risk Committee.

For more information on the roles please download our information pack. 

Be based at our Henderson Court Hub in Hampstead with the Dementia team, facilitating and taking meeting notes from the support group that happens.

• Send out the letter of invitation to members
• Call and remind members about the meeting and confirm any travel arrangements
• Co-facilitate the meeting with a member of staff
• Take notes if necessary
• Liaise with guest speakers
• Register members on our Database system

What you will get out of it?

• Volunteers will be supported in their role by the Group Facilitators
• Travel and other agreed out of pocket expenses are reimbursed
• Gain admisitrative experience, such as using databases, organising trasnport, and organising speakers

Amazing, giving, inspiring and awesome are just a few of the words we would use to describe our volunteers.

Our volunteers play an integral part in the services we provide and the people we support. If you are looking for a rewarding role where you will really make a difference whilst gaining experience along the way, then join us here at Rethink Mental Illness.

About the role

We are looking for Volunteer Befrienders to support our Brent Mental Health service in the London Borough of Brent. Volunteers must be based within this area to take part in face-to-face befriending activities.

As a Volunteer Befriender, you will be required to travel across Brent to meet with service users and carry out your role. Ideally, you will be able to commit a minimum of 2 hour per week to volunteering. 

There will also be opportunities for you to support staff who deliver wellbeing and recovery workshops to service users e.g. managing anxiety or confidence and self-esteem, if this is something you would like to get involved with.

You will be supported by Befriending Volunteer Coordinators who will provide regular supervision to ensure you feel confident in your role. You can read more about the benefits of volunteering on the full advert on our website.

About the service

Our Brent Mental Health service provides support to people aged 18 and above, who live in the Borough of Brent, and who have a mental illness and are known to the local NHS trust Central and North West London (CNWL).

The aim of the Befriending Service is to;

• Reduce social isolation of service users
• Increase the confidence of service users in accessing community resources independently
• Provide meaningful activities and peer support for service users 
• Help service users to live happier, healthier, independent lives
• Provide volunteering opportunities for people with mental health issues
• Reduce stigma and raise mental health awareness

What you will be doing as a Volunteer Befriender:

• Meeting with service users in locations and times which meet their needs (including evenings and weekends)
• Provide befriending support to a maximum of 2 services users at any one time
• Provide emotional support based on your own lived experience
• Support service users to access and build social and community networks and activities
• Act as a community connector to local services

What will make you a great fit for this role?

• You will have lived experience of mental illness, either as a carer or as a person who has experience your own mental health need
• You will have good communication skills
• You will be flexible in order to meet the needs of the service users
• You will live within the London Borough of Brent

If would like to express an interest for this opportunity, please complete an application as soon as possible as the advert may close early if we receive a high level of interest.

Who are we?

We’re Rethink Mental Illness, a leading charity provider of mental health services in England. We support thousands of people through our groups, services, policy, campaigns and advice and information. Our work supports us in delivering on our mission: “A better life for everyone severely affected by mental illness.”

We welcome applications from everyone, applicants with lived experience, those who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ ), people with a disability, or those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are actively encouraged to apply. We are proud to have also been awarded Disability Confident employer status. We have an ambition of becoming an anti-racist organisation and we recognise there is more to do in ensuring our recruitment is fair and inclusive, which is why we are recruiting new roles in helping us to achieve this.

We believe all dance professionals should be able to lead a fulfilling life in dance safe from hardship.  We are looking for new Trustees to help us achieve our aim. 

Who are Dance Professionals Fund? 

Dance Professionals Fund is an award-winning registered charity providing financial and wellbeing support to dancers, dance teachers and choreographers. Our dedicated services bring together a range of effective ways of supporting dance professionals, including financial grants, signposting to support services, rehabilitation, career upskilling support and access to professional counselling. Dance professionals will receive unbiased support from us whatever their situation. 

Role Description 

We are seeking several trustees to join us from mid-January 2025 for an initial term of three years.  We are looking for a range of skills and experience, including: 

• Knowledge and/or experience of dance or of dance teaching 

• Background in a finance/accounting role within a charity 

• Experience of benevolent funds and how they work

• Background in a legal role, knowledge of charity governance 

• Experience of charity marketing, digital advancements

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills 

We welcome applications from anyone who is passionate about helping the Dance Professionals Fund achieve its objectives. Full trustee training will be provided.  

We encourage applicants from all backgrounds and especially those from global majority groups. We are keen to add more voices with lived disability experience to the Board – helping us evolve our aims with all disabilities in mind.  

Salary 
All Trustee roles are voluntary. We will cover the travel costs of attending in-person meetings, and other costs such as childcare when required. 

Location 
Dance Professionals Fund is based at The Dance Space, 2 Market Square, Circus Street, Brighton BN2 9AS.

Board meetings are held four times a year in central London in accessible locations. Committee meetings dates are in line with each Committee’s remit and are held in person or online. 

MAC-UK’s new Trustees will bring deep awareness of and connectivity across the  communities and systems that they serve. They will be conversant in public health and alternatives to  mainstream mental health approaches, and well placed to support and advocate MAC-UK’s youth-led,  co-produced approaches. They will also be confident leading the Board and ensuring a healthy and  collaborative relationship with the MAC-UK team. 

MAC-UK is particularly keen to hear from individuals who have experience of being excluded by the  systems it seeks to change, especially care, criminal justice and mental health services.

Looking ahead, MAC-UK is committed to: 

• Increasing opportunities for excluded young people to co-produce services; 

• Advancing equalities and inclusion across their team and partnerships; 

• Enabling youth-led service design and commissioning in the systems that affect young people’s lives; 

• Influencing a public health and preventative approach against violence and inequalities based on  creative, therapeutic and relational investment rather than punitive deterrents. 

• Improving our fundraising strategy

Treasurer main responsibilities:

• Overseeing the presentation of budgets, internal management accounts and annual financial statements to the Board of Trustees.

• Ensuring that proper accounting records are kept, and that appropriate accounting procedures and controls are in place.

• Ensuring that robust and comprehensive financial policies are in place and being implemented, and supporting the development of policies covering financial reserves, and cost management.

• Monitoring and advising on the financial viability of the charity.

• Overseeing financial controls and adherence to systems, regularly liaising with the Co-Leadership team.

• Advising on the financial implications of the charity’s strategic plan, including overseeing the charity’s financial risk-management process

• Lead on the appointment of and liaison with external auditors.

• Oversee the development and implementation of systems for appraising, mitigating and reporting corporate risk.

• Ensuring that the accounts are prepared and disclosed in the form required by relevant statutory bodies, for example, the Charity Commission and/or the Registrar of Companies.

• Keeping the board informed about its financial duties and responsibilities and liaising with the Co-Leadership team to develop the financial understanding of the Board of Trustees.

The deadline for expressions of interest is Tuesday 1st October 2024 at 5pm.

Interviews will take place the week commencing 9th October 2024.

As a Trustee you must:

• Always act in the best interests of GMWSA exercising the same duty of care that a prudent person of business would in looking after the affairs of someone for whom they have responsibility.
• Act as a group and not as an individual

Duties of a Trustee Board Member:

• Ensure that GMWSA complies with charity law, company law and any other relevant legislation or regulations
• Ensure that GMWSA pursues its objectives as defined in the Strategy and Business plans
• Ensure that GMWSA applies its resources wisely and applies ‘best value’ principles
• Contribute actively to the Board of Trustees' role in giving firm strategic direction to the CEO in setting overall policy, defining goals and setting targets and evaluating performance against agreed targets
• Contribute actively to Board Meetings and other appropriate events and activities
• Safeguard the reputation and values of GMWSA
• Ensure the financial stability of GMWSA
• Ensure that the accounts are audited in the manner prescribed by Charity Commission regulations, and any recommendations of the auditors implemented
• Ensure that GMWSA has an appropriate reserves policy
• Be assured that the financial resources of GMWSA meet its present and future needs

In addition to the above statutory duties, each Trustee should use any specific skills, knowledge or experience they have to help the Board of Trustees reach sound decisions. This may involve leading discussions, focusing on key issues, scrutinising board papers, providing advice and guidance on new initiatives, evaluation or other issues in which the Trustee has special expertise.

Person Specification-
Each Trustee must:

• Have commitment to the mission and values of GMWSA
• Show willingness to devote the necessary time and effort
• Act with integrity and have a willingness to speak their mind
• Employ a strategic vision
• Have an understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of Trusteeship
• Have the ability to work effectively as a member of a team and to take decisions for the good of GMWSA.

Minimum time commitment:

• Trustees are expected to attend an induction meeting with the Chair of the Board and the CEO prior to attendance at their first Board meeting.
• Trustees are expected to attend all Board meetings, which are 6 time per year, online and in person.