/ Chair of Relate BirminghamJob Description and Person Specification

Chair of Relate Birmingham

Role Description & Person Specification

Role Description

Responsibilities as a Trustee:

  • The Chair will continue to fulfil all those duties and responsibilities he/she assumed when he/she became a trustee of RelateBirmingham
  • The Chair will abide by the Code of Conduct for Relate Birmingham Board members.
  • The Chair will act in accordance with any additional organisational policies relating to trustee activity.

Responsibilities as Chair of Relate Birmingham:

The Chair will provide leadership for the Board as it fulfils its governance duties and responsibilities within the Relate Federation, in accordance with charity regulations and the Articles of Association of Relate, and the Federation Agreement. This will include setting vision, values, mission, strategy and high-level policy for the organisation.

The Chair will give priority to the following:

  1. Giving direction to the Board in making policy and setting strategy
  2. Securing financial stability for Relate Birmingham
  3. Managing supportively and, when necessary, leading in appointing, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
  4. Ensuring open, transparent and supportive relationships between the Board and the rest of the Relate Federation

Other responsibilities of the Chair will include:

  • Making sure all Relate Birmingham’s activities comply with regulations and the law;
  • Monitoring the Centre’s performance against established targets;
  • Organising and leading Board development activities such as self-assessments;
  • Ensuring that Relate Birmingham meets its obligations under the Federation Agreement;
  • Safeguarding Relate Birmingham’s reputation and values;
  • Reviewing major risks and making provisions for RelateBirminghamto respond appropriately;
  • Protecting and managing Relate Birmingham’s property and investments;

In many of the above areas the Chair’s responsibility will be to delegate duties appropriately and ensure that those delegated to Officers and other Boardmembers are undertaken thoroughly.

Specific Duties:

1.Meetings
  • Planning meeting schedules and setting agendas in discussion with the CEO and/ or members of the Senior Management Team. The Chair agrees dates, times and locations of meetings and sets meeting agendas according to board procedures.
  • Leading meetings: The Chair leads Boardmeetings and facilitates discussion, encouraging all trustees to participate and preventing any members from dominating the debate.
  • Keeping trustees informed: The Chair establishes and monitors systems for distributing information before Board meetings and keeping trustees updated between meetings.
  • Acting as a point of contact between meetings: the Chair makes him/herself available to trustees for contact between meetings
2.Board Leadership
  • Building the Board: The Chair leads trustee recruitment and induction, strengthening the group by finding capable new trustees with the necessary skills, ensuring diversity and providing for Chair succession.
  • Engaging all Board members: The Chair uses the skills and interests of all Board members and does not allow cliques or inner circles to form.
  • Developing governance effectiveness: The Chair improves the overall effectiveness of the Boardby taking steps to increase governance ability in the group and in individual trustees.
  • Seeking self-development: The Chair seeks to improve governance practice by continually seeking to improve his or her own performance. S/he encourages feedback and responds appropriately.
  • Overseeing the work of Board committees and Task Groups: The Chair oversees the establishment and activities of Board committees, ensuring that they are accountable and report properly to the Board.
  • Dealing with conflict on the Board: The Chair monitors and addresses conflict among Board members and between trustees and other parts of the organisation.
  1. Policy
  • Giving direction to Board policy-making: the Chair exercises leadership by setting priorities for the Board and steering discussion toward strategic issues
  • Monitoring the implementation of Board decisions: the Chair ensures that the Board decisions are communicated and implemented properly.
  1. Appointment and Management of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
  • The Chair is responsible, on behalf of the Board, for the ongoing management of the CEO.
  • The Chair will oversee the CEO’s role definition, selection, induction, appraisal and discipline.

Working with the CEO,in order to fulfil the Board’s governance responsibilities:

  • The Chair talks regularly with the CEO to discuss strategic and management issues;
  • The Chair is available to the CEO for advice or help when requested;
  • The Chair conducts the CEO’s assessment and gives feedback
  • The Chair offers support and encouragement to the CEO and appropriate development opportunities;
  • The Chair and CEO together seek ways to improve the Board’s effectiveness within the Relate Federation as a whole by identifying development opportunities for trustees and for the Chair.
  1. Addressing conflict in the Federation:
    The Chair monitors conflict in the RelateFederation. He or she is available to help the CEO, staff, trustees and others resolve conflicts. He or she takes steps to address conflict, acting to protect Relate’s reputation and to preserve morale.
  2. Sitting on appointment and disciplinary panels:

The Chair represents the Board on appointment and disciplinary panels, especially any for the Chief Executive Officer, unless this is not possible, due to the Chair’s own involvement in the issue concerned.

7.Representing the Centre
  • Acting as a spokesperson for Relate Birmingham when required: The Chair speaks for the Centre when authorised to do so.
  • Representing the Centre: The Chair represents the Centre at public gatherings when appropriate.

Chair of Relate Birmingham

Person Specification:

Essentials

  • understanding of and commitment to Relate
  • ability and willingness to put appropriate time and effort into the Chair role
  • understanding of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship
  • a team player with people and business management skills
  • understanding and respecting the distinction between governance and management

Personal Qualities

  • good, independent judgement
  • impartiality, fairness and confidentiality
  • willingness to speak his or her mind
  • tact and diplomacy
  • respect for others
  • willingness to learn new skills
  • demonstrate the Nolan principles on Public Life
  • Selflessness
  • Integrity
  • Objectivity
  • Accountability
  • Openness
  • Honesty
  • Leadership

Specific Abilities

  • strategic vision
  • creative thinking
  • leading meetings
  • working effectively as a team member
  • good communication and interpersonal skills
  • retain focus on strategy and governance rather than becoming distracted by operational details

Experience

  • previous chairing experience essential
  • previous leadership position
  • experience of committee working

Last updated March 2017

RELATE BOARD MEMBERSHIP

Relate Birmingham is an independent local charity governed by a Board of Trustees. We are also a member of the Relate Federation of Centres and adhere to the Member Agreement with Relate Ltd (Relate UK).

Our area of operation includes Birmingham, Solihull, Sandwell, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Dudley and South Staffordshire.

Relationship breakdown has a major influence on people’s physical and mental health and family breakdown is a major contributor to poverty, social exclusion and homelessness. We work to combat this through the provision of relationship support services including counselling, sex therapy, education and training, group work and professional development.

Relate Birmingham’s Constitution

Relate Birmingham is both a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee. Board members act as directors of the company and charity trustees.

The minimum number of trustees is seven and the maximum is eighteen. One third (or the number nearest one third) of the Board must retire each year or at each AGM, those longest in office retiring first. A retiring member of the Executive who is eligible may be reappointed.

Board Meetings

Relate’s Board meets quarterly, on a Monday evening between 6.00pm and 8pm. Times of meetings are reviewed regularly to meet the Trustee’s needs. From time to time additional meetings will be held as required. Trustees are expected to attend at least 4 Board meetings each year.

Apart from attendance at Board meetings there are opportunities to participate in sub groups (such as Finance and HR) and forums at local and national Relate level.

Board members are routinely invited to all Relate Birmingham staff days, CPD and training events and social occasions and may also be asked to attend other events or meeting when possible in connection with networking or fundraising.

Centre Trustees’ commitment to Relate

  • to act solely in the interests of Relate, declaring all actual or potential conflicts of interest
  • to act collectively and promote corporate decisions
  • to respect confidentiality
  • to make available skills and experience to Relate
  • to prepare fully for Executive committee and other meetings, regularly attend and contribute actively to these meetings, and explain and promote the committee’s policy decisions to others in the Centre
  • ideally to get involved in other ways in the work of the Centre eg delegated representational tasks on behalf of the Centre with outside contacts, sitting on other Centre committees / working groups, or acting as the Centre’s Delegate to the Relate Federation.
  • to support and advise the Chief Executive and work in partnership with the staff to achieve Relate’s mission, understanding and respecting the different but complementary roles of trustees and staff
  • where appropriate, to challenge current thinking, the method of governance and management of Relate but always to do so constructively and always acting solely in the best interest of Relate
  • to undertake training as required
  • regularly and collectively to reflect on how Centre trustees fulfil their responsibilities as trustees (and directors) of Relate and how the trustees bring added value to the achievement of Relate’s objectives.

Relate’s Commitment to Centre Trustees

  • to provide trustees with timely, high quality information in order to enable the trustees to govern well
  • to provide trustees with timely advice ensuring that external professional advisors are available as and when needed
  • to work in partnership with trustees to ensure that the trustees fulfil all their statutory and legal responsibilities
  • to provide appropriate induction and opportunities for ongoing training in order to help develop good governance
  • to provide trustees with the necessary administrative and other support that they will need to govern well
  • to reimburse trustees’ out-of-pocket expenses incurred in the course of their duties as trustees (and directors).

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