Becoming a Trustee of the Kensington and Chelsea Social Council

About us   
Kensington and Chelsea Social Council (KCSC) is the Council for Voluntary Services for the borough of Kensington and Chelsea.  Our vision is for powerful, engaged communities driving change and our mission is to strengthen and champion local communities and the voluntary and community sector.  

We are a membership organisation, registered as a charity and company limited by guarantee and represent 600 voluntary and community organisations on our database and to whom we aim to provide a range of services, some of which include: 

• Advice, guidance and information to help organisations run as effectively as possible 
• Bringing voluntary organisations and community groups together to network and support partnership building 
• Working closely with residents, resident associations and social action groups to address key local issues and ensure their voices are heard at decision making level
• Advocating on behalf of the local voluntary and community to help influence and shape local decision making  

We are especially keen to ensure long-term sustainability of our local community by working with everyone to develop an inclusive, active borough.   

You can read more about KCSC on our website. 

What it means to be a Trustee of the Kensington and Chelsea Social Council (KCSC)?
This is a great opportunity to get involved in a charity with an ambitious and exciting vision set in Kensington and Chelsea.  We would like to appoint new trustees to our Board to help deliver our vision for the future and to support and champion our purpose and strategy of working with the community to enable this vibrant part of London to thrive.  

Acting as a trustee also provides you with the opportunity to develop or enhance your skills as you become more involved in some of the areas listed below:   

• Strategy: you will work together with our other trustees to set our strategic direction as well as with our management team, to ensure the business plan is delivered effectively; 
• Oversight: you will develop and maintain an awareness of how KCSC operates and meets its targets;
• Governance: you will understand how an effective board works and meets its legal regulatory requirements; 
• Advocacy: you will act as an advocate for KCSC and for the VCS, supporting our core mission as a local infrastructure organisation. 

What’s involved? 
As with any charity, trustees have overall responsibility for making sure it is running well and is doing what it was set up to do. This includes ensuring the charity: 

• Spends its money sensibly on the activities it was raised for;  
• Does not break the rules in its Articles - the charity’s governing document;  
• Continues to meet our commitments to the communities we serve in accordance with our charitable objectives;  
• Follows the law, including preparing reports and accounts to send to the Charity Commission.  

Who are we looking for? 
Ideally, we would like to hear from people living and/or working in the Kensington and Chelsea area who are enthusiastic about making a positive contribution to the future direction and development of the Kensington and Chelsea community.  We would also like to bring people with real commitment to our charitable purpose and our vision who: 

• Can demonstrate a genuine empathy with, and an understanding of, the needs and opportunities of the local community. Ideally this will have been gained through living and/or working in, or close to, Kensington and Chelsea; 
• Will help broaden the diversity of the Board;  
• Will be a compelling advocate for the organisation within the local community and more widely;  
• Cares about improving the lives of the local community in Kensington and Chelsea.  

What skills and experience do we need? 
If you have skills and experience in one or more of the following areas, we’d like to hear from you: 

• Senior leadership (CEO &/ or Chair)
• Community development
• Cultural change  
• Economic development
• Change Management
• Environmental/sustainability matters   
• Charity and wider law
• Human Resources  
• Equality, diversity and Inclusion  

What’s expected from KCSC Trustees? 

This role is unpaid but reasonable expenses will be reimbursed. The term of appointment is three years in the first instance, with six years being the normal maximum term. You can typically expect to spend from four hours up to one day per month on Trustee business with most meetings taking place in the early evening.   

If you join the board then you will be expected to attend quarterly board meetings as well as other board/KCSC development meetings when required.  There will also be a requirement to consider aspects of the organisation’s business as they arise outside of these meetings – usually by email or telephone.  The Board’s work is supported by the Chief Executive, senior management team and staff. 

Would you like to know more? 
For an informal discussion about this opportunity, please contact our CEO Angela Spence. 

If you would like to apply for this position, please send a comprehensive CV and a supporting statement of no more than two pages of A4 to Angela Spence by email by Wednesday 23rd October. Your supporting statement should set out in compelling terms why you would like to be part of the next chapter at KCSC and what special skills and experience you could bring to the role, with particular reference to the skills and experience stated above. 

KCSC is committed to celebrating diversity and ensuring equality of opportunity.  We welcome applications from all sections of the community.  

Other considerations to be aware of 
Conflicts of interest. All potential conflicts should have been discussed openly with current   trustees. 

• Confirmation that the trustee is not disqualified from holding a trusteeship 
• People under the age of 18, unless the charity is a registered company;  
• Anyone convicted of an offence involving deception or dishonesty unless the conviction is spent;  
• Anyone who is an undischarged bankrupt;  
• Anyone who has previously been removed from trusteeship of a charity by the Court or the Commissioners;  
• Anyone who is under a disqualification order under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1996.  
• In certain cases, the Charity Commission has the power to grant a waiver and allow a person disqualified from trusteeship, under section 72 (1) of the Charities Act 1993 to accept a trustee post. We only agree in those cases where the charity can clearly demonstrate that the waiver is in the best interests of the charity. 

What happens next?  
Once we receive your application, it will be assessed based on what we are looking for as specified above and you will be notified of the outcome.  If invited to interview you will meet a panel of three which includes two trustees and the CEO.   If successful we will invite you to observe a board meeting in action before confirming with you whether you would like to join the board.  If appointed, we will organise a tour of the office to meet the staff and agree any necessary training required. 

We actively encourage people who are under represented on Boards within the charity sector including people from minoritised communities to apply, 

KCSC’s Board operates under the guidance of the Charity Governance Code and Trustees are appointed on the basis of signing up to the declaration of eligibility and responsibility.