Trustee with Lived Experience

Asylum Welcome is an extraordinary local charity supporting asylum seekers, refugees and vulnerable migrants who seek refuge in and around Oxford.

With a strong reputation both locally and nationally, our team of approximately 30 staff and 200 volunteers offer a range of services from food and clothes to advice, visits, legal support, education and assistance getting into employment.  Asylum Welcome aims to transform the lives of those it serves.

We are seeking new Trustees with lived experience to join our Board. Lived experience in this context means that you have come to the UK as a refugee or asylum seeker or have lived with or grown up alongside people who did. Both refugees and asylum seekers are eligible to apply.

The purpose of this Trustee role is to bring a lived experience perspective to ensure our services reflect the diverse needs of the people we support, and help strengthen our governance and our approach.

This is an exciting time to join us, as we prepare to welcome two new joint CEOs to lead the organisation.

No prior experience is necessary. Our collaborative and dedicated Board is keen to invest in and support new Trustees and training and support will be provided. 

Job description

Trustees are the people who lead a charity and decide upon how it is run. They are also often known as Board Members, Directors, Governors, or Committee Members.

As a Trustee you will:

a)    Actively participate in meetings, offering guidance and support to ensure that Asylum Welcome delivers the vital work           that it was set up to do, in the best possible way for clients.
b)    Scrutinise Asylum Welcome’s budgets, management accounts and financial statements, ensuring that they meet the             organisation’s needs and the relevant regulatory requirements.
c)    Ensure Asylum Welcome is complying with its governing documents and the relevant laws, as well as updating and               reviewing its own policies and procedures.
d)    Bring particular skills, experience or insight that helps Asylum Welcome develop as an organisation.
e)    Act with care and skill in Asylum Welcome’s best interests.

As a Trustee you share, with all the Trustees, equal responsibility for the charity.

Person Specification

Prospective Trustees will:

a)      Be committed to the rights and welfare of refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants and to Asylum                           Welcome’s vision, mission and values.
b)      Have a desire to use your skills and experience to make a difference for others.
c)      Provide insights and guidance to the Board to help ensure the perspectives of our clients are central to decision                     about the charity’s mission and activities.
d)      Offer insights and suggestions on Asylum Welcome’s policies, services and strategic direction, based on personal
         skills and experiences. 
e)      Be able to work in a team, recognising and respecting the difference between the Trustees’ role and that of staff or               volunteers.
f)      Contribute to and ensure Asylum Welcome’s future plans and strategic development and/or financial stability.

The Board

Asylum Welcome is governed by a Board of not less than 5, not more than 13 (currently 11) Trustees elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in September. Trustees normally serve for at least 3 years. Additional trustees may be co-opted.

Trustees are not paid but travel expenses may be claimed for attending meetings.

The Board meets (via Zoom and in person) approximately 6 times a year, currently early evening on a Thursday. Regular dates are agreed a year in advance.

There is no set time commitment, although attendance at Board meetings and some training / workshop events is expected.

Individual trustees can also join or lead the Board’s Committees (currently we have a Finance Committee and a People and Governance Committee). There are also occasional task groups on particular short-term items.

An introduction to the working of the organisation and Board will be provided. There will also be an opportunity to buddy up with or shadow other trustees, if requested.