Bring your voice and experience to a Board where it can shape real change. Join a national children’s health and wellbeing charity, challenge our thinking, influence our future and help us make stronger decisions for the children, young people and families at the heart of everything we do.
Compass exists for children, young people and families who need someone in their corner. For 40 years, we have delivered health and wellbeing services that give people access to the right support, at the right time and in ways that reflect their needs and communities.
We are looking for a voluntary Non Executive Director and Trustee to join our Board and help shape what comes next. This is an opportunity to use your knowledge, experience and perspective somewhere they can influence real decisions and help Compass remain ambitious, accountable and focused on the people our services exist for.
As a member of the Board, you will provide independent oversight, constructive challenge and fresh thinking. You will work alongside fellow Trustees and our senior leaders to help shape strategy, review organisational performance and ensure decisions are thoughtful, evidence informed and consistent with our charitable purpose and values.
Your role will reach across the organisation. You will contribute to discussions about service quality, safeguarding, workforce, finance, risk, performance and long term sustainability. You will ask the questions that help us think differently, test assumptions and understand the likely impact of our decisions. You will also share responsibility for ensuring Compass is well governed, uses its resources responsibly and meets its legal and regulatory duties as a charity.
This role is about more than attending Board meetings. You will have opportunities to deepen your understanding of Compass, connect with the people who deliver our services and see how Board decisions translate into practice. You will act as an ambassador for our work and help us build trust with the communities, partners and organisations around us. You will also contribute to at least one Board advisory group, bringing closer attention to an area where your knowledge, experience or curiosity can add value.
We want our Board to benefit from a range of voices and experiences. We welcome applications from people of all cultures, ethnicities, backgrounds and walks of life, including those underrepresented at Board level. This is not about asking anyone to speak for an entire community. It is about building a stronger, more representative Board that makes better decisions, challenges established thinking and understands the people it serves.
Previous experience as a Trustee or Non Executive Director would be valuable, but it is not essential. We are interested in what you can bring, whether that comes from your professional career, your community, your lived experience or a combination of these. You will need the confidence to contribute your views, the openness to listen to others and the integrity to put the interests of Compass and the people we support first.
You will be joining a Board where your contribution will be heard and valued. If you are curious about how your experience could help shape a national children’s health and wellbeing charity, we would encourage you to take a closer look.
This is a voluntary appointment. Expenses directly connected with carrying out the role, such as travel, will be reimbursed.
Registered Charity
501 - 1000
A charity providing health and wellbeing services, helping people unleash their unique potential and live healthier, safer and more fulfilling lives.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Role overview
Trustee — Policy, Advocacy & EDI
About us: Could you help us get millions of separated children Back to Family?
Orphanages don’t protect children, they harm them. Put simply: the last thing an orphanage can provide is the first thing a child needs - someone to love them.
Right now, 5.4 million children around the world are locked away in orphanages — even though over 80% of them are not orphans. Orphanages expose children to abuse and trafficking, and physical and psychological trauma that can last a lifetime. A century of evidence shows that the bond between a child and their family is what every child needs to grow, thrive and be safe.
The role
As our Policy, Advocacy & EDI Trustee, you will help shape and strengthen HHC's influence on the global stage, bringing senior expertise to bear on the policy and financing decisions that determine the pace of care reform worldwide. Working closely with our Chair, CEO and senior advocacy and programmes colleagues, you will contribute to our ambitious 2030 goal by:
- Advocacy strategy — providing strategic guidance and constructive challenge to strengthen HHC's global advocacy approach, helping sharpen our positioning, messaging and campaign strategy on care reform.
- Policy and financing influence — advising the Board and Executive on opportunities to influence the decisions of governments, regional bodies and multilateral institutions, and supporting efforts to shift public and donor financing away from orphanages and towards family-based care.
- EDI leadership — championing equity, diversity and inclusion across Board governance, organisational culture, safeguarding, and HHC's external voice, including how we portray the children, families and communities we support.
- Stakeholder relationships — using your personal networks and credibility to open doors with policymakers, multilateral bodies, coalition partners and international fora relevant to care reform.
Who we are looking for
You will bring senior-level experience in public policy, government relations or international advocacy, ideally connected to child protection, social welfare or human rights, and a demonstrable track record of influencing policy or financing decisions at national, regional or international level. Beyond that, we are looking for someone who brings:
- A strong, practical understanding of equity, diversity and inclusion principles and how to apply them to governance and organisational culture
- An active network among policymakers, multilateral institutions, donors or the wider international child rights community
- Experience working across cultures and in international contexts, including in lower income countries and fragile and conflict-affected states
- The ability to translate specialist expertise into clear, practical guidance the Board and Executive can act on
Above all, you will share our belief that every child deserves to grow up in the love and safety of a family, and our commitment to driving that change with courage, integrity, excellence and being deeply human.
What we offer
This is a voluntary, unremunerated role. In return you will:
- Engage with our work across nine countries
- Contribute to systemic change at global scale, helping to shape the future for separated children worldwide
- Be part of an organisation approaching its 2030 goal — a worldwide consensus that orphanages have no place in any child's life
Time commitment
The role requires approximately 12–18 days per year, comprising:
- Four Board meetings per year (in person, London or virtual)
- Five subcommittee meetings per year (virtual), as a key member of our Programmes, Advocacy, Research and Accountability Committee (PARAC)
- An annual two-day awayday, which may take place in one of our countries of operation
- Additional time for preparation, ad hoc queries and induction in your first year
The initial term of office is three years, with the possibility of two further three-year terms by mutual agreement.
Closing Date: The final cut off for applications is 17.00 UK time on Thursday 8 October 2026 so please get in touch if you have the right skills, experience and passion for our cause.
To apply, please upload your CV and a brief covering letter indicating why you are interested in joining the Hope and Homes for Children Board and how your experience, skills and values map to the requirements of this role.
Diversity
Hope and Homes for Children actively encourages equity, diversity and inclusion, and we look to recruit a diverse range of people to reflect the communities in which we live. We are keen to see a diverse membership of both the trustee body and committees as we believe diversity brings us closer to our mission of eliminating orphanages.
Thank you for considering this role. Every child deserves to grow up in the love and safety of a family
Contract type
Volunteer
Hours
12 - 18 days per annum
Salary
Voluntary (expenses paid)
Thank you!
Using Anonymous Recruitment
This organisation is using Anonymous Recruitment to reduce bias in the first stages of the hiring process. Submit your application as normal and our system will anonymise it for you. Your personal information will be hidden until the recruiter contacts you.
About Care4Calais
Care4Calais is a volunteer-powered charity supporting refugees in northern France and the UK. We work alongside people seeking safety to provide daily essentials, fill the gaps state support leaves, and open up access to justice. We also press the public and policymakers to act. Our vision is an inclusive society where people seeking safety have a safe home and a bright future free from inequality.
In northern France we operate year-round from Calais, providing warm clothing, shelter, services and assistance to people living in dangerous conditions. In the UK, our Field Operations teams distribute clothes and essentials, run language lessons, sports and music workshops, and connect people to medical, educational and specialist services; our Legal Access teams secure legal representation and make sure people are informed and empowered throughout their asylum claim.
Our work is informed by an Advisory Board of people with lived experience of seeking safety, who provide strategic input and feedback.
About the role
We're appointing more Trustees with lived experience of seeking asylum. You'll join as we begin a strategic review that will shape our priorities for the coming years - so your insight will help decide where a charity working on the front line of the hostile environment puts its energy next, and make sure those decisions reflect the realities and aspirations of the people we exist to serve.
As a member of the Board, you’ll be working to set Care4Calais' strategic direction, hold us to our governing documents and legal duties, and support and challenge the leadership team so the charity can grow and thrive.
You don't need previous governance experience. We will support you and give you what you need to do the role well.
What Trustees do
Purpose and compliance
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Ensure Care4Calais complies with its governing document, charity law and other applicable regulation
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Ensure we pursue our charitable objects, and that all activities and resources advance that purpose
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Contribute to regular reviews of our own governance
Strategy and direction
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Shape and review strategy, and advise on our purpose, vision, goals and activities
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Review what we're achieving and how effective our activities are
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Stay alert to changes in our operating environment and ensure our purpose and activities remain relevant
Risk, finance and oversight
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Ensure key and emerging risks are identified, monitored and mitigated
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Oversee financial plans and budgets, monitor progress, and review and approve financial statements
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Ensure robust processes for handling money and accurate record keeping
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Ensure income generation is on target, lawful, and doesn't expose us to undue risk
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Ensure the effective and efficient administration of the organisation
Judgement and stewardship
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Use your own judgement to make decisions that are honest, lawful and in Care4Calais' best interests
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Avoid conflicts of interest or loyalty where you can; declare and record those you can't
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Support and challenge the leadership team in exercising their delegated authority
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Promote our aims and reputation through your skills, knowledge and contacts
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Attend Board meetings prepared to contribute
Who we're looking for
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Lived experience of seeking asylum
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Willingness to understand and accept a trustee's legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities, and to act in the charity's best interests
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Strong commitment to our cause, values and strategic objectives
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A strategic, critical thinker who is comfortable asking questions, challenging assumptions and sharing views with respect and confidence
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Ability to work as part of a team, understanding that trusteeship is collective
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The time to do the role well - attending meetings and taking an active part in discussion
Support you'll get: structured onboarding, a buddy from the Board, and external mentoring through the Experts by Experience Employment Network.
Terms of service
The role is voluntary, with reasonable expenses reimbursed. Trustees are appointed for a 3 year term which is renewable. We expect trustees to attend all scheduled Board meetings, with reasonable allowances for extenuating circumstances.
As a small charity, there will be times we need you beyond Board meetings — scrutinising papers, advising on new initiatives, or lending expertise on a particular issue. Trustees are encouraged to visit our operations in the UK and northern France.
All appointments are subject to the standard requirement that candidates are not disqualified from acting as a charity trustee under the Charities Act; you'll be asked for the relevant declarations.
How to apply
Send a CV and a letter of interest (1–2 pages) setting out why you want the role and how you meet the person specification.
Skills and insight come from a wide range of life experiences, not only paid work - tell us about any experiences, learnings or perspectives you think would help you thrive here.
You will never be asked to describe your lived experience at any stage of this process unless you choose to.
Want an informal chat first? Contact Wilf Sullivan, Chair of the Board wilf [@] care4calais .org
Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed online after the closing date.
We can help with digital access or a quiet space for interviews. Tell us about any reasonable adjustments you need and we'll arrange them.
Equality and safeguarding
Care4Calais is an equal opportunities employer and an anti-racist organisation. We actively encourage applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, people from refugee and migrant backgrounds, LGBTQ+ individuals, disabled candidates, and those with lived experience of the immigration system.
We are a proud member of the Experts by Experience Employment Network (EBE), which works towards a charitable sector led by people with lived experience of the asylum system. We've moved away from one-size-fits-all recruitment to make our process fair, supportive and accessible. Applicants are welcome to use the guidance at ebeemployment .com and to contact the EBE support team for help with your application and, where available, one-to-one interview preparation.
We are committed to safeguarding. Our selection process includes rigorous background checks and assessments to ensure post holders demonstrate attitudes and values aligned with a culture that promotes safeguarding.
Registered Charity
21 - 50
Volunteer-run charity supporting refugees in the UK, and France. We believe everyone deserves a safe home.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.