94 Board members volunteer volunteer roles

Rights & Security International (RSI) is offering this exciting opportunity for new volunteer Trustees to join our Board.

About us

We are a small, expert charity dedicated to promoting the freedoms of expression, belief and identity, while stopping governments from treating people as ‘terrorism’ threats simply because of who they are.

We challenge religious, racial and gender bias in national security programmes, promote justice and transparency, and ensure that the voices of communities facing discrimination are heard.

We were founded by a group of women activists in Northern Ireland in 1990 to seek justice for rights violations committed as part of the conflict in the region, and now work throughout the UK and internationally.

Today, we focus especially on ending Islamophobia and racism in counter-terrorism programmes, stopping governments from treating migrants and asylum-seekers as ‘security’ threats unfairly, and upholding the rights of peaceful protesters.

Globally, we work primarily to support civil society and expose harmful ‘security’ or ‘emergency’ laws in several parts of Latin America and East Africa; our project on environmental human rights defenders also brings together activists from Southeast Asia. We raise the profile of rights violations and help develop new narratives and strategies.

We have a large impact for our size, publishing groundbreaking investigations and carrying out effective advocacy in Westminster, at the UN and elsewhere.

About you

The successful candidates will bring a dedication to upholding human rights and equality, especially in the counter-terrorism and national security contexts. You should have a strong dedication to human rights principles and an understanding that human rights are for everyone.

You should have experience in a field that is relevant to charity work, such as community organising/grassroots activism, law, communications, advocacy, accounting, management or supporting human rights defenders.

We are especially interested in applications from candidates with lived experience of:

· Migration to, or seeking asylum in, the UK; OR

· Promoting people’s fundamental rights in El Salvador, Mexico, Honduras, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru or Chile.

About the Trustee role

As a Trustee, you will have an active role in shaping our organisation and ensuring that we are well run. We welcome enthusiastic, active governance and a curiosity about why and how we do our work. You would have an impact by shaping our strategies, helping us build our networks and (as appropriate) collaborating directly with staff. We work from the grassroots level (advising migrants) to the international one (drawing UN attention to rights violations), so your impact as a Trustee will ultimately make a difference to both individual lives and broader systems.

Trustees are expected to attend remote Board meetings approximately six times per year.

Trustees who live in/near the UK are also expected to attend one annual in-person ‘away day’ in London.

We are looking for Trustees who will enthusiastically promote RSI, including to potential donors.

All Trustee roles are unpaid, although reasonable expenses arising due to the role will be reimbursed.

Application Details: If you are interested in this volunteer role, please send a statement of interest (no more than two pages) and your CV through Charity Job.

RSI strives to be diverse, equitable and inclusive. We treat all staff, trustees and interns like team members and encourage everyone to bring their full selves to our work. We welcome applications from candidates from groups that have historically been underrepresented in the human rights, legal or policy fields, and/or who are from communities that have been directly impacted by the issues we address. All applications are considered on an equal-opportunity basis.

By submitting your application, you consent to our processing and retention of your personal data to the extent, and for the time period, necessary to consider the application. We will keep your application on file for no more than one year.

We are currently looking for a new Clinician Trustee who can use their expertise and strategic insight to support our growing charity at a critical time for cleft care and NHS reform.

The Clinician Trustee will contribute to all aspects of the charity’s governance while providing essential clinical expertise to support and enhance our work.

We are seeking an experienced professional to help drive CLAPA’s clinical impact in line with its strategic priorities. We are particularly interested in hearing from clinicians with experience of strategic leadership within cleft services, specialised commissioning, workforce development or national clinical networks, who can help CLAPA navigate a period of significant change and reform across the NHS.

In this role, you will offer insight into the patient journey across the evolving cleft care pathway, strengthen relationships between CLAPA and clinical teams and provide clinical guidance to inform our campaigns and initiatives. You will bring a strong understanding of patient centred care and use your expertise to help shape and influence improvements in services and outcomes.

Ideally, you will also draw on safeguarding experience from your clinical role to support the charity’s safeguarding function and promote best practice across our work.

If you think you have the experience, passion and leadership to help us meet the needs of the community we serve, we want to hear from you.

What we do

Respair Therapy C.I.C. began in 2023 with a simple belief: dance belongs to everybody, and every body. Like many of the people we work with, Respair does not fit neatly into one box. Our work exists on a spectrum, from the gloriously frivolous to the deeply serious.

At one end, we hire out silent disco equipment so that people can turn their living room, kitchen or garden into a dancefloor. We create joyful events where people can put on a pair of headphones, choose their music and dance together without worrying about what they look like. Income from silent disco hire goes back into Respair, so a party in someone’s garden can help another person access psychological support.

At the other end is Dance Movement Psychotherapy, or DMP. This is not a dance class or an informal wellbeing activity. It is a recognised form of psychotherapy in which movement, the body and the relationship between client and therapist are central to the clinical work.

In the UK, Dance Movement Psychotherapists complete postgraduate training at Master’s degree level, including clinical placements, personal therapy, supervised practice and academic research. Qualified practitioners register with the Association for Dance Movement Psychotherapy UK and work to professional and ethical standards. DMP is used within NHS services, as well as in schools, mental health services, social care, charities and private practice. It is serious clinical work that can support people experiencing trauma, abuse, anxiety, depression, loss, relationship difficulties and other forms of psychological distress.

Between these two ends are projects such as Babe Club, our silent disco for parents, carers and babies; therapeutic movement in schools; and work with neurodivergent people, adults with learning disabilities and people living with dementia.

Our work is inclusive, trauma informed and anti oppressive. Whether we are helping somebody throw a brilliant party or supporting a person through specialist psychotherapy, we are creating more opportunities for people of different ages, backgrounds and abilities to experience movement, connection and psychological support.

How do we what we do

Respair is run by a Founding Director and team of Supporting Directors who volunteer their time. The Founding Director is also the Lead Psychotherapist and Facilitator. We meet quarterly to discuss the finance, legal and compliance aspects of the work. We have an accountant and a book keeper and we use Quickbooks to keep everything in one place. We apply for funding from local and national funding bodies. We have been successful in securing over £24,000 in restricted funds, and we have plans to apply for more. 

What we need

Respair is a creative and responsive organisation, so new ideas and opportunities can appear quickly. We need a Finance Director who can help us pause, understand the numbers and decide what is realistic.

The right person will be financially experienced, practical and approachable. They will look beyond whether the figures add up to help us understand what they mean, ask difficult questions and give clear advice.

Essential skills and qualities

The successful candidate will:

• Have substantial experience using QuickBooks.
• Have experience working with a charity, Community Interest Company, social enterprise or other small mission driven organisation.
• Understand restricted grants, funder budgets and financial reporting.
• Be able to prepare and interpret annual budgets, project budgets, cash flow forecasts and management accounts.
• Compare actual income and expenditure against agreed budgets, identify significant differences and recommend action.
• Assess the financial impact of new projects, contracts, staffing decisions and significant purchases.
• Develop proportionate financial policies and controls, including reserves policies and spending limits.
• Read annual accounts and ask sensible questions before they are approved.
• Explain financial information clearly to people without a finance background.
• Give honest, independent advice and offer thoughtful challenge, including when the Managing Director or Board may have hoped for a different answer.
• Be trustworthy, reliable and able to handle sensitive information confidentially.
• Support Respair’s commitment to inclusion, fairness and accessible mental health support.

The Finance Director will work closely with Debbie, our Founding Director, so a warm, straightforward and respectful working relationship will be important.

Desirable skills and qualities

It would be helpful if the candidate also has:

• A recognised finance qualification, such as ACA, ACCA, CIMA or AAT.
• Previous experience as a finance director, treasurer or board member.
• Knowledge of payroll, PAYE, pensions, Corporation Tax and Companies House reporting.
• Experience working constructively with bookkeepers and external accountants.
• An interest in mental health, therapy, community work or the creative arts.

We do not expect one person to know every answer. We do expect them to recognise the limits of their knowledge, ask questions and seek specialist advice when needed. A sense of humour and an understanding of the slightly unpredictable nature of a small, growing organisation would also be very welcome.