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Trustees Candidate brief September2015

WelcomefromtheChair

DearApplicant

Thankyouforyourinterestinthepositionof Trustee at ContactaFamily.

ContactaFamilyissuccessfulandfinanciallystablewithexcellentlinkstoparentsandfamilies,and otherkey stakeholders.Followingaperiodofchange, a new Senior Management structure andanexcitingandambitiousnew strategy,weaimtobuildonthispositiveworktomakeevenmoreofanimpactandreach greaternumbersof familiesthroughouttheUKwithourwiderangeofonline,telephoneand faceto face services,which provide vital information,supportand adviceforfamilies with disabled children.

We arelookingforatleasttwonew TrusteeswhowilljoinahighlymotivatedandeffectiveBoard committedtomaking Contact a Familyas successful asitcanbe.

A key requirementofthe roleisthetimecommitmenttosupporttheorganisationeffectively andweare seeking individualswhocan commit toattend Board andpotentiallysub-committeemeetings.

Ihopeyoufindall theinformationyouneedin thispack,butifyouwouldvalueaninformal,confidential discussion aboutthe role,pleasecontactLou Munden ().

Ifyou believe you have the skillsandqualities we’re seeking,weverymuch lookforward tohearing from you.

PaulStreets

Chair

AboutContact a Family

We work tirelessly to support families with disabled children across the UK - whatever the condition, whenever they need us and wherever they are. Our goal is to ensure that families with disabled children get the right support for them and feel confident to deal with the challenges they face.

Together, we want to alleviate the financial disadvantage that families face, and are committed to ensuring they are understood, valued and included as equal participants in their communities, and in society.

We have a range of services and activities that help us achieve our goals:

We give families support

National helpline

Signposting to approved agencies

Newsletters

Guides/Factsheets

Online support

Medical information

Workshops and training

Face-to-face advice

We link families together

Makingcontact.org

Workshops

Local and national support groups

Parent carer forums

Local events

We enable families to give back

Fundraising opportunities

Awareness raising activities

Campaigning for change

Volunteering

ContactaFamily’scorevaluesare:

Weworkwithfamilies, for families

Weare ambitious

Wetransformlives

Wechallenge disadvantage

Wetrustandare trusted

Our five-year strategy

We have recently launched a new strategy to help us make a real and sustainable difference for families in the future. You can read the full document here

Our five strategic aims are::

  1. Develop a sustainable business model to expand our service offer so that we can support more families to be confident, informed and able to access the support they need.
  1. Enable more families to receive and provide peer support to each other by increasing access to groups or networks
  1. Enable families to give back by developing a sense of commitment to, and a relationship with, Contact a Family.
  1. Secure changes in awareness, policy and service provision that support families with disabled children to be as stable, happy and secure as other families.
  1. All Contact a Family’s resources (people, policies, processes, systems and premises) are able to support the efficient delivery of the organisation’s strategy.

Howarewefunded?

Mostofour money comes fromstatutorygrants,theBigLotteryFundorcharitabletrusts.Followingthe adoptionofanew fundraisingstrategy,wehavebegunactivelydevelopingsupporter giving,althoughthis workisatan earlystage.

Howbig are we?

We are a small to medium-sized charity.Ourannual turnover for2014/2015was £6.3million. Weemploy125 staff andhave anumberofcommitted volunteers.

Furtherinformation

Furtherinformation canbefoundat

Role Description

RoletitleTrustee

Accountable toChairofBoard of Trustees

Rolepurpose TheBoardofTrusteesareresponsiblefortheoverallgovernanceandstrategic directionofthecharityacross theUnited Kingdom,developingthe organisation’s aims,objectivesand goalsinaccordancewiththe governingdocument,legaland regulatoryguidelines.

Main Responsibilities oftherole

1. Toensure that thecharityand its representativesfunction within thelegaland regulatoryframework ofthe sectorandin linewith theorganisations’governingdocument, continuallystriving forbest practiceingovernance.

2. Touphold thefiduciaryduty investedin theposition,undertaking suchduties in a waythataddsto publicconfidence andtrustinthecharity.

3. Totakeappropriateprofessional advice in all matterswhere theremaybematerial risk tothecharity, orwhere theTrusteesmaybe in breachoftheir duties. Thiscourse ofaction will ensurethe obligationto exercisetheirdutyofcare.

4. Todeterminetheoverall direction anddevelopmentof the charitythroughgoodgovernance and clearstrategicplanning.

5. Toavoid anypersonal conflictofinterest.

Main Duties

6. Ensuring thecharitycomplies with legislative andregulatoryrequirements,and actswithin the confinesofitsgoverningdocument andinfurtherance toorganisational activities contained therein.

7. Acting in thebestinterestof the charity,beneficiariesandfuturebeneficiaries atalltimes.

8. Promoting and developing thecharity in orderforit togrowand maintainitsrelevance tosociety.

9. Maintainingsoundfinancial managementof the charity’s resources, ensuring expenditureisinline

withtheorganisations’ objects, and investmentactivities meet accepted standardsand policies.

10.Ensuring theeffective and efficientadministrationofthe charityand itsresources,striving forbest practiceingoodgovernance.

11.Acting as acounter-signatoryon charitychequesand anyapplicationsforfunds,ifappropriate.

12.Tomaintainabsoluteconfidentialityaboutall sensitive/confidential information received in the course

oftrustee’sresponsibilities tothecharity.

PersonSpecification

Itisessential thatinyourwritten applicationyougivespecificevidence,byway ofexamplesofpast personalexperience,ofeachoftheselectioncriteriainPart Oneofthepersonspecification. These responses willbedevelopedanddiscussed withthosecandidates invited forinterview,togetherwiththe other criteria listedinPartTwo.

Part One

Experience:

 Ideally,newtrusteeswillofferskillsandexperience in one or moreof thefollowingareas:

  • as parentsor carersofdisabled children
  • first-hand experience ofparent carer forums or networks
  • fundraising, potentially as aprofessional fundraiser withsubstantialexperienceofthevoluntaryandcommunitysector
  • financial qualification or significant experience of charity sector finance and risk

Successfulexperienceofoperatingwithinaboardinacharitable,publicsectororcommercial organisation

Demonstrable experience of building and sustaining relationships with key stakeholders and colleaguesto achieve organisational objectives.

 A proven track record of sound judgementandeffective decision making.

 A historyofimpartiality, fairnessandtheabilitytorespectconfidences.

 Atrack recordofcommitment topromoting equalityand diversity.

PartTwo

Knowledge,skills andunderstanding:

 Commitmenttothe organisation and awillingness todevotethe necessarytime andeffort

 Preparednesstomake recommendationstotheboard, and awillingnessto speaktheir mind

 Willingnesstobe available to staff foradvice andenquirieson anad hocbasis

 Good, independentjudgement and strategicvision

 An understanding and acceptance of thelegal duties, responsibilities and liabilities oftrusteeship

 An abilityto workeffectivelyas amember ofateam

 An understanding oftherespective rolesoftheChair, TrusteesandChiefExecutive

Terms and Conditions ofAppointment

Remuneration

Theserolesareunremunerated.

Timecommitment

A minimumof four Boardmeetingsandadditionalcommitteemeetingsas required.

Termofappointment

An initial three yearterm.

Location

Trusteemeetingsare held mainlyatourCity Road offices.

Howto Apply

Toapply for therole of Trustee,pleasesend the following to by post to Natasha Bragoli, Contact a Family, 209-211 City Road, London EC1V 1NG:

A comprehensive CV.

Asupportingstatement(maximum2sidesofA4)thatfullyaddressestheappointmentcriteria setoutinPart Oneof the personspecification.

Detailsoftwo refereeswhomwewould beable to contactatshortlist stage.

Pleasealso ensureyouhave completedandsubmittedthe accompanyingequal opportunitiesmonitoring form. Theinformationon the formwillbetreated asconfidential,andusedforstatisticalpurposesonly. Theform willnotbetreated as part ofyourapplication.

Theclosing dateforapplications isnoononMonday12thOctober2015.

Ifyouhaveanyqueriesaboutanyaspectoftheappointmentprocess,needadditionalinformationor wishtohaveaninformalandconfidentialdiscussion,Lou Munden () willbepleasedtohear from you.

RecruitmentTimetable

An indicative recruitment timetableforcandidatesisprovided below.Oncefinal datesare confirmed, these will be made available to applicantsassoon aspossible.

ClosingdateNoon onMonday12thOctober 2015

Shortlist meeting

w/c15thOctober2015

Interviews

w/c 2ndNovember2015

Confirm appointments

w/c 9thNovember2015

New Trustees join BoardAGM 1st December2015