Trustee volunteer roles

This is a pivotal leadership role for an experienced, values-driven Chair who can provide strategic direction and oversight, strong governance leadership, and visible ambassadorial support to the organisation.

Cambridgeshire ACRE is looking for a new Trustee & Treasurer to join our Board and help shape the future of rural communities across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

For more than 100 years, Cambridgeshire ACRE has supported rural communities through projects focused on affordable housing, community wellbeing, village halls, environmental action and rural leadership. We work alongside local people and organisations to help communities thrive.

We are seeking someone who can support the Board with strategic financial oversight and help ensure the long-term sustainability of the organisation.

This is not an operational bookkeeping role and we are not necessarily looking for someone with a formal accountancy qualification. We would particularly welcome applications from people who are confident interpreting financial information and contributing to strategic discussions and decision-making.

Experience in one or more of the following areas would be valuable:

• Financial management or strategic financial oversight
• Business leadership
• Charity governance
• Parish or town councils
• Rural communities or community development

The Treasurer is a full member of the Board of Trustees and chairs the Finance Committee.

Trustees are expected to attend:

• Five Board meetings per year
• Four Finance Committee meetings per year
• Four HR & Trustee Committee meetings per year
• Occasional strategy sessions and events

Meetings are held online and at accessible venues across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. All reasonable expenses are reimbursed.

About us

My Life Films is an award-winning charity that uses film and TV to enrich and support the lives of people living with dementia and their carers. My Life TV is our specialist on-demand streaming service, specifically designed to meet the cognitive needs of people living with dementia, for use within care settings and at home.

My Life TV is carefully curated to enable people living with dementia to feel stimulated and connected to the world, improving their mental health and supporting their essential care. 

Our high-quality content includes interactive shows like quizzes, singalongs, drawing and chair yoga; calming content, including animal and nature programmes and slow TV; a wide range of reminiscence programmes, from the 1960s onwards, and much more. 

Since launching in 2021 we work with highly respected content partners, as well as producing our own programming, in partnership with trusted organisations in the dementia care field, and more widely. The Alzheimer’s Society, BFI, Royal Parks, Museum of Brands, BBC Archive and National Trust are just some of the partners we are proud to work with.

We have ambitious plans to scale up its use, so we can reach and support as many people living with dementia as possible.

About the role

Stepping in at the helm of a well-established Board, and working closely with the highly experienced Executive Director, our new Chair will lead My Life Films through its next phase of growth and impact.

The new Chair will review and reinvigorate the charity’s governance, ideally including a board audit, as well as challenging and interrogating the group’s strategic plan.

This role will suit potential candidates who are ready to step-up to chair a not for profit organisation. This means they are likely to bring current or previous board experience as a non-executive or trustee. Candidates may have experience in the care sector, health sector, charity or foundation, possibly an organisation involved in supporting people living with dementia. This experience could enable candidates to draw on networks in the care, health, charity, voluntary sectors, social enterprise or foundation. It will be important that the new Chair can demonstrate a personal passion and commitment to improving the lives of people living with dementia.

The Chair will also help guide the Executive in optimising the existing model, developing new opportunities by helping expand networks and making introductions when necessary. They will act as a critical friend to Executive Director, coaching and challenging as required and providing leadership and strategic direction to the Board.

They will hold the organisation to the highest ethical standards, ensuring compliance with all regulatory requirements and that My Life Films is run in the best interests of its stakeholders.

The Board of Trustees is the governing body of the charity and is collectively responsible for its success. All trustees must take decisions in the interests of the charity.

My Life Films has a trading subsidiary – MLF Productions Limited – and it is expected that the Chair of My Life Films will also Chair the trading company.

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Selection Criteria

When applying, we ask candidates to highlight any areas of expertise they can bring in the areas identified below.

• Skills and Experience –

Governance / leadership

• Any experience of operating at Board level in the voluntary, public or private sector preferably with a knowledge of the Social Care sector.

• Understanding of good charity governance, including trustees’ legal duties, financial oversight and risk management.

• Experience of chairing effective meetings and facilitating inclusive, robust discussion and decision-making Experience of fundraising, advocacy, campaigning, or working with regulators, commissioners or major funders.

Strategy and finance

• Ability to think strategically, interrogate complex information and focus the Board on priorities, impact and long-term sustainability.

• Strong financial literacy and ability to scrutinize budgets, management accounts and risk registers (not necessarily as a finance professional).

People leadership

• Track record of leading senior individuals or teams; able to coach, support and hold to account a CEO

How to Apply

If you are interested in the role, Maana Ruia a trustee with My Life Films and a member of Enter The Boardroom Community would be happy to fix up a time to talk to you. 

Please submit your application to Julian Freeston  The application should comprise a Cover Letter detailing your suitability and desire for the role (no more than two pages) and an up-to-date CV (no more than four pages).

The application deadline is 5pm, 29th May 2026

Our trustees and non-executive directors play a vital role in making sure that the group achieves its core purpose. They oversee the overall management and administration of the charity. They also ensure that there is a clear strategy and that our work and goals are in line with our vision.

Just as importantly, they support and challenge the CEO and executive team in the exercise of their delegated authority and affairs, to enable Thrive Social Housing and Emerging Futures CIC to grow and thrive, and through this, achieve our mission.

The Board operates under the leadership and guidance of the chair and works in partnership with the chief executive officer and the executive team.

Board members are expected to always act in the best interests of the organisation and its stakeholders, and to use their background knowledge and skills to work with the chair and other board members to ensure that the Board, supported by its committees, carries out its responsibilities effectively and lead from the top in demonstrating our culture, values and behaviours.

Board members have a collective responsibility. This means that trustees always act as a group and not as individuals.

Purpose of the Role

Trustees share the ultimate responsibility for governing a charity and ensuring it is effectively managed. As a Trustee of The Sussex Reptile Rescue Centre, you will help ensure the organisation is well-run, financially secure, and delivering its mission to rescue, rehabilitate, and care for reptiles in need.

Key Responsibilities

• Ensure the charity fulfils its purposes and delivers public benefit

• Comply with the governing document, charity law, and all relevant regulations

• Act at all times in the best interests of the charity

• Manage resources responsibly, ensuring financial sustainability

• Safeguard the charity’s reputation, values, and integrity

• Contribute to developing the charity’s strategy and long-term plans

• Monitor performance against agreed objectives and targets

• Prepare for and attend trustee meetings, contributing constructively

• Represent the charity positively within the community and at public events

Skills & Experience

We welcome applications from individuals with a wide range of backgrounds. The following skills are particularly valuable to our Board:

• Finance, accounting, or business management

• Fundraising, income generation, or marketing

• Animal welfare knowledge — particularly relating to reptiles

• HR, governance, or legal expertise

• Networking, partnership building, or community engagement

• Strategic planning and organisational development

Personal Qualities

• Commitment to the charity’s mission and values

• Willingness to dedicate time, energy, and enthusiasm to the role

• Ability to think strategically and make balanced, evidence-based decisions

• Strong communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills

• Integrity, reliability, and sound judgement

What You’ll Gain

• The opportunity to make a meaningful difference to animal welfare in Sussex

• A rewarding chance to apply your skills and experience to a vital cause

• Insight and experience in charity governance and strategic leadership

• Being part of a supportive, passionate, and dedicated team

Voice 21 – Trustee with fundraising expertise 

About Voice 21
Voice 21 is the national oracy education charity. We support schools to build speaking and listening into the curriculum, teaching, learning and wider school life so that every child can use their voice to thrive in school, work and life. Our training and development programmes for teachers and school leaders transform learning through talk, expanding access to high-quality oracy education, particularly for children who need it most.

Why join the Voice 21 Board of Trustees now?
Since its inception in 2015, Voice 21 has built a national movement to put oracy at the heart of education in the UK. In November 2025, the government responded to Professor Becky Francis’s Curriculum and Assessment Review by adopting the definition of oracy used by Voice 21 and by the independent Oracy Commission in its 2024 report,  We Need to Talk: ‘Articulating ideas, developing understanding and engaging with others through speaking, listening and communication’.

The government has also committed to publish national guidance on oracy, modelled on the Writing Framework, and to strengthening oracy teaching within subjects. The Schools White Paper published in February 2026 reinforced this direction, positioning oracy as the fourth “R” alongside reading, writing and maths.

Oracy is now firmly part of national policy, and Voice 21 continues to build evidence of its impact on young people’s attainment, wellbeing, belonging and career readiness.

This policy shift represents a major campaigning success for Voice 21 and others who campaigned  alongside us. Our new 2030 Strategy aims to seize this moment and secure high-quality, evidence-based oracy education for every child, particularly for those children in schools serving disadvantaged communities.

Investment will be critical to achieving this ambition. Fundraising currently provides 20% of our income. Our goal is to increase this to 40%, doubling fundraised income to support delivery of our 2030 strategy.

The Role: Trustee with fundraising expertise

Voice 21 is keen to strengthen its board-level knowledge and skills by adding a fundraising specialist trustee. We are looking to appoint a strategic fundraising leader who has substantial experience of successfully developing fundraising departments and growing voluntary income. As trustee, you will provide strategic oversight, constructive challenge and advice on fundraising strategy.

Ideally your career will have focused on high value and relationship fundraising (philanthropy, trusts, corporate partnerships). As a subject specialist, you will help to expand and deepen fellow trustees’ understanding of fundraising strategy and operations, providing knowledge, guidance, challenge and advocacy.

Your expertise will be invaluable at this pivotal moment for Voice 21, as the charity prepares to launch an ambitious new strategy, with a goal to double fundraised income by 2030. Your insights will be particularly appreciated by the experienced Head of Fundraising, CEO and Director of Operations – including contributing critical/analytic skills to help evaluate fundraising ideas and opportunities – though your primary focus will be advising on fundraising at governance level.

Knowledge And Experience: 

• Significant senior fundraising experience, with proven ability to secure major income.

• Personal experience working with high profile figures, senior leaders in major companies, people with high levels of personal wealth who are seeking charitable missions like ours to support.

• Understanding of charity leadership, including developing and implementing organisational strategy.

• Broad understanding of fundraising management across income streams.

Why this role matters:

This is an opportunity to make a real difference in tackling the disadvantage gap at a pivotal moment for oracy education. You will have the chance to influence a dynamic Board and staff team with great ambitions for our 2030 Strategy.

Time commitment:

• Board meetings: three per year, in person in London (9am–12pm)

• Annual strategy day (9am - 3pm)

• Finance Committee: four virtual meetings per year (approximately 2 hours per meeting) 

• Opportunities to attend Voice 21 events throughout the year.

Safeguarding:

This role is subject to an enhanced DBS check.

Application details:

To apply:

• a CV and a covering letter of 1- 2 pages; 

Please include: 

• Details of your interest in joining Voice 21 as a trustee; 

• An outline of your current work / relevant experience; 

• A note of any training and development needs you think you’ll have if you are appointed. 

Valuing every voice

Voice 21 believes that every voice should be heard and valued. We are committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective employees and trustees do not condone discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership. Voice 21 is a diverse and inclusive workplace and we strongly encourage suitably qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply and join us.

Trustees – Education & Music Charity

Are you a senior education or finance professional looking to give back to the sector?

Services For Education is a well‑established education charity working with hundreds of schools to deliver music education, school improvement services and professional development. We are seeking new Trustees to join our Board.

What the role involves

Trustees play a vital role in:

• Setting and overseeing strategic direction
• Providing constructive challenge and support to senior leaders
• Ensuring strong governance, safeguarding impact and sustainability

The role focuses on strategy and assurance, not operational management.

Who we’re looking for

We would particularly welcome applications from individuals with:

• Primary or secondary headship, or senior leadership in a Multi‑Academy Trust
• Financial leadership or accountancy expertise

If your experience is in a different area, but think we would benefit from your perspective, then you are warmly welcomed to apply.

You do not need previous trustee experience – strong professional judgement, curiosity and a commitment to education are what matter most. We are particularly keen to hear from candidates who will bring diverse perspectives and lived experience to our Board.

Time commitment

• Approx. 6 virtual Board meetings per year
• Optional committee membership
• One annual in‑person twilight session

Please visit our Careers page for full details and downloadable Trustee briefing pack.

Purpose

The Chair leads the board of Trustees, ensuring the charity is well-governed, fulfils its mission, complies with all legal and regulatory requirements, and operates in the best interests of its beneficiaries. The Chair works closely with the Executive Director to provide strategic leadership, support, and challenge.

Background to the Charity

For the past forty years, CHIRP has enabled thousands of people to report safety concerns through our confidential reporting service without fear of identification or harming their careers, contributing to safer environments in the air and at sea. This service has evolved to meet changing needs and is still providing a unique, vital and valuable service to people working in the aviation and maritime industries.

Over the past year a new strategy has been developed focusing on:

- unlocking the barriers to reporting for those who are working in the most challenging situations;

- building coalitions for system change in safety culture and practice;

- embedding best practice safety cultures with employers; and,

- engaging new and future generations.

We also seek to further the impact of the charity by ensuring future sustainability.

We have an excellent, highly motivated team, a committed and skilled Board and a well-earned reputation for being a trustworthy and willing organisation there to help and make a difference, all of which makes this is an exciting time to join the board in this leadership role. Guided by the values of trust and integrity, safety and accountability, a just culture and expertise and collaboration we know we can make an even greater difference in improving safety culture, practice and learning. To do this, and building on the excellence of the past, we will need a Chair who is collaborative, courageous, visionary and strategic, who understands the fundraising and financing challenges of today’s charity sector and who comes with experience of building sustainability and resilience. These foundations will enable the charity to achieve its ambitious plans for future growth.

If these opportunities are what you are looking for and your values align with ours, then please read on for more details about the role and the commitment we are seeking.

Principal responsibilities

Strategic leadership

· Ensure the charity has a clear vision, mission, and strategic plan, and that these are regularly reviewed.

· Lead the board in setting and monitoring the charity’s strategic direction.

· Safeguard the charity’s values and reputation.

Governance

· Ensure the board fulfils its duties under charity law, company law (if applicable), and the charity’s governing document.

· Promote high standards of governance and encourage all trustees to actively contribute.

· Ensure the board operates effectively, with appropriate policies, procedures, and controls in place to manage risk and promote the objectives of the charity.

· Ensure that the board fulfils its duties to ensure sound financial health of the charity with systems in place to ensure financial accountability.

Board Leadership

· Chair board meetings effectively, encouraging open, balanced discussion and consensus decision-making.

· Ensure meetings are focused, productive, and quorate.

· Support recruitment, induction, and development of trustees.

· Manage trustee performance and address underperformance where necessary.

Relationship with the Executive Director

· Build a partnership with the Executive Director based on shared purpose, offering support and challenge in the interests of the charity.

· Understand appropriate separation of governance and management.

· Conduct the Executive Director’s annual appraisal and support their professional development.

 External Relations

· When required act as an ambassador for the charity, representing it to funders, partners, government, and the public.

· When appropriate support fundraising, advocacy, and profile-raising activities when appropriate.

Additional information

The above list is indicative only and not exhaustive. The Chair will be expected to perform all such additional duties as are reasonably commensurate with the role.

STAMMA is the leading charity for people who stammer in the UK.  We’re a small, award-winning organisation with big ambitions and a brilliant community, keen to create space and respect for people who stammer.

Stammering has historically been the target for humour and used to suggest inadequacy, leaving many who stammer facing daily ignorance, discrimination and disrespect.  This can affect job prospects and mental health, and cause depression and social isolation. It can make booking a GP appointment a nightmare, and prevent people from accessing a service altogether, leaving them feeling humiliated, degraded or disbelieved.  We’re here to change that.

We’ve a clear strategy for the next five years to achieve real and practical change for people who stammer by highlighting the inadvertent barriers they face within the workplace and as service users. We want to reach more people who stammer and grow our supporter base, but to do that we need to expand our training and advocacy services, whilst underpinning our helpline and family support.

We want to appoint a new Trustee with significant skills and experience within the charity sector to the Board. You’ll need to share our excitement and ambition for change. It isn’t essential that you stammer. This is an unpaid position, but travel expenses can be covered.  Trustee terms are for four years, and you will be expected to attend all Board meetings, up to five times a year, usually on a Saturday, either in-person at different locations across England, or online. There are also sub-committees and informal planning and preparatory discussions, usually held online.

We are looking for someone with experience of one or more of the following:

• Experience of working at a senior level in the voluntary sector, across more than one organisation, with a good understanding of how charities operate and are governed.
• Insight and leadership of people and culture (HR) function and/or service delivery and operations, and a passion for building inclusive, effective organisations
• Previous experience as a trustee or board member. Ideally having chaired a sub committee, board or similar.
• The ability to offer occasional support to the staff team during the working day (roughly two hour per month), providing guidance, insight or a sounding board when helpful
• Lived experience of stammering — whether personally or through close connection — so that the voices of people who stammer are at the heart of our work

Person Specification

• Values-led, with demonstrable passion and commitment to STAMMA and its strategic objectives.
• Proven track record as a senior leader with strategic experience within the charitable sector.
• An understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship with an ability to balance the boundaries between different leadership roles.
• Strong interpersonal skills (listening, tact and diplomacy) and relationship-building abilities.
• Ability to challenge constructively and ask questions appropriately.
• Team player, who respects and values the views of others and is able to speak their mind with tact and diplomacy.
• A commitment to EDI values and principles, including an understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Ability to commit the necessary time to the role.

As a Trustee at STAMMA you would be expected to: 

• Develop and agree our long-term strategy.
• Ensure compliance with governing documents and regulations.
• Ensure that resources are spent in accordance with our Articles.
• Work with the Board to set goals and assess performance.
• Ensure that the organisation is run efficiently and financially stable.
• Protect the charity’s assets and ensure surplus funds are properly invested.
• Manage the appointment, supervision, support, appraisal and remuneration of the CEO.
• Uphold STAMMA's values.

We are the Lincs Mid, NE and Lincoln Branch of the RSPCA. Our Branch rehabilitates and re-homes animals rescued by National RSPCA Inspectors, as well as taking in animals from members of the public who can no longer care for them. We have three charity shops as well as other fundraising activity and local partnership to raise funds for our animal care activities.

We are a passionate and ambitious team seeking a new Chair of our Board. We are currently 9 Trustees with a wide range of experience. As Chair, you will lead our monthly committee meetings as well as AGM. We are hands on as a board, with a great team of staff and volunteers who deliver our core activity.

If the Chair role isn't for you, we also have opportunities on our Board to take the lead on our Charity Retail Operations or Health & Safety. We already have Trustees with specific expertise in e.g. HR and finance, and would love you to join us if you have experience in either charity retail management or health & safety. 

Please contact me to find out more.

Lead a small trusted local mental health charity at an important moment of growth.

The Counselling Partnership provides affordable, professional counselling to adults across North Surrey, and will be celebrating its 25th Anniversary next March.  Our dual-impact model supports both individuals facing mental health challenges and trainee counsellors developing safe and effective practice.

The charity is entering a period of expansion in the scope and scale of mental health support to the local community. We are looking for someone who has big picture thinking to help provide strategic leadership and help guide the organisation sustainably into its next phase. 

Girls in Sport: Fundraising Trustee 

Note this in an unpaid role

Role Specification

1. Introduction from the Board

Thank you for your interest in joining Girls in Sport as our new Fundraising Trustee. Established in 2017, we are a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) dedicated to improving the lives of young people.We are currently working in West Africa.

Sport for Social Impact

We believe that sport can be a powerful conduit for social change - from the grassroots.In sport we are challenging gender stereotypes. With a focus on locally led interventions in protected settings, our initiatives integrate physical activity and nutrition, that focuses on facilitating grassroots initiatives in driving forward attitudes to gender in communities, by sport empowerment, and fostering literacy outcomes for girls at risk, or affected by GBV, trauma, FGM, and child marriage. We work to empower girls in some of the world's hardest to reach settings. 

As we move through 2026, we are looking for a strategic leader to help us diversify our funding and scale our impact in Sierra Leone and wider communities where we replicate our model.

2. About Girls in Sport

Our Mission:

We use the soft power of locally led sport programmes to promote sustainable development in advancing gender parity in communities facing poverty, conflict, and gender-related risks. Our Sponsor a Champion initiative uses sport and access to education to foster equal opportunities and support safeguarding awareness, literacy, and child protection.

Key Areas of Impact:

• Sport for Social Impact: Using sport to challenge attitudes to gender, and to empower young women to build self-reliance, resilience, and confidence to achieve the same aspirations as the boys. 
• Education & Literacy: Closing the gap in literacy between boys and girls through targeted school sponsorship interventions. 
• Social Welfare: Beneficiary and community sensitisation in safeguarding and protection, targeting the most at-risk beneficiaries, and signposting pathways to social welfare and trauma-support stakeholders in-Country. 
• Location: Remote:Secretariat - Girls in Sport UK (GISUK)

3. Job Description: Fundraising Trustee

Role Purpose:

The Fundraising Trustee will advise the board and head of programmes in the provision of strategic oversight of our income generation, ensuring Girls in Sport has the resources needed to sustain its international programmes. You will oversee the development of a diverse funding mix, with a specific focus on high-value partnerships and institutional grants.

Key Responsibilities:

• Governance: Act as a member of the Board of Trustees, sharing legal and financial responsibility for the charity’s management.
• Fundraising Strategy: Provide advice and support on strategy, focusing on Trusts & Foundations, Major Donors, and Corporate Partnerships.
• Income Generation: Champion fundraising at Board level and encourage supporters to contribute to income-generation efforts.
• Compliance: Ensure all activities adhere to fundraising regulations and best practices, including the Code of Fundraising Practice.
• Ambassadorship: Act as a spokesperson for the charity, promoting its work and helping to raise its profile within philanthropic networks.

4. Person Specification

Essential:

• Commitment to the charity’s mission and values regarding gender equality, sustainable development, and youth empowerment.
• Robust knowledge and experience of fundraising (e.g., trusts, corporates, or major donors).
• Strategic thinker, able to balance long-term planning with practical advice.
• Understanding of the legal duties and responsibilities of charity trusteeship.
• Experience of fundraising in an international development or small charity context.
• Existing networks that could support the charity’s fundraising efforts.

Desirable:

• Familiarity with Sierra Leone, West Africa or regional sub-Sahara socio-economic contexts and cross-border programming challenges in navigating funding and grant-making agencies 
• Existing networks that could support the charity’s fundraising efforts.

5. Commitment & Timeline

• Time Commitment: Approximately two hours per month.
• Meetings: We currently hold bi-annual Board meetings (online/in-person mix) plus occasional sub-group meetings.
• Term: two years, renewable three times. 

6. How to Apply

To apply, please submit a CV including relevant expertise, and an expression of interest and commitment to the mission.

Girls in Sport (Charity No. 1175997). Registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation in England and Wales.

Help Us Become the “Best Wee Hospice in the UK”

Ardgowan Hospice is on a journey of radical transformation. We are an 

extraordinary organisation providing a "cloak" of love, care, and compassion to over 1,000 patients and families in Inverclyde each year.

As we enter a vital new 5-year cycle, we are looking for dynamic, innovative, and proactive Trustees to help shape our future

The Opportunity

Our Trustees are the heart of our governance, ensuring we meet the highest standards of care while navigating a challenging financial landscape. This is your chance to use your professional expertise to make a tangible difference in your community.

We are particularly interested in candidates with backgrounds in:

• Clinical Care/Health & Social Care: To support our goal of becoming a centre of excellence in palliative and end-of-life care.

• Accountancy/Finance: To help us manage our £12 million capital building project and achieve a balanced budget.

• Marketing/Communications: To champion our work and grow our supporter base across Inverclyde and beyond.

• Law: To ensure we remain compliant with legislative requirements and best practices.

Want to learn more? 

 Contact our CEO, Graham Gardiner, to arrange an informal chat or a visit.

St Basils is looking for a new Non-Exec Director / Trustee to join our Board as the Designated Safeguarding Board Member.

About Us

St Basils works with young people aged 16-25 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, to enable them to find and keep a home, grow their confidence, develop their skills, increase opportunities and ultimately prevent homelessness.

We help just over 4,000 young people each year across the West Midlands, with services in Birmingham, Coventry, Sandwell, Solihull, Warwickshire and Worcestershire. Our services range from providing supported accommodation to outreach, advice, support, employability and engagement services to help young people regain the stability they need to rebuild their lives, gain skills, confidence and employment and move on. The aim is to help them successfully break the ‘cycle of homelessness’ so that they can go on to experience a bright, fulfilling future and never return to a state where they are at risk of homelessness again.

About our Board

We are a registered provider of social housing, a charity and a company limited by guarantee, meaning our Board members are both Directors and Trustees.

To navigate our challenging regulatory landscape, we need to be tightly governed. At the heart of this is a Board with the right knowledge, values, skills and diversity, all whilst working towards our vision that homelessness should not be part of growing up.

As a member of St Basils’ Board, you will be a guardian of St Basils’ charitable purpose. You will be responsible for holding the Senior Leadership Team to account through constructive challenge and support, and for ensuring St Basils’ strategic priorities are met.

You will form part of St Basils’ governance framework, providing oversight of key business areas, such as business planning, safeguarding, risk, finance, health and safety, EDI and business development. 

Our Board is made up of 14 members, 2 of which are designated for young people who have lived experience of homelessness and / or St Basils’ services.

St Basils has adopted the RACE Equality Code and is actively seeking applications for Board members from Black communities to ensure our Board is reflective of both the young people that we serve and our dedicated workforce.

About the Role

We are looking for a voluntary Director / Trustee with a professional background in safeguarding to join our Board as the Designated Safeguarding Board Member. Our new Board member will need to have a strong understanding of safeguarding, ideally with experience in supporting vulnerable young people.

As the Designated Safeguarding Board Member, you will:

• Work with St Basils’ Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) to regularly review safeguarding reports, trends and serious incidents
• Act as a safeguarding champion at Board level, supporting other Directors / Trustees to develop their understanding and confidence in safeguarding
• Provide oversight of allegations or safeguarding concerns relating to staff, volunteers or Board Members
• Attend regular meetings and engage with services, staff and young people to maintain visibility of safeguarding in practice
• Support the Chair, CEO and DSL in ensuring appropriate governance oversight of serious safeguarding incidents, including reputational considerations
• Ensure the Board receives appropriate assurance on safeguarding risks and how they are managed

Our new Director / Trustee will sit on our Service Delivery & Development Committee which oversees both the housing elements of our services as well as the support / progression we provide to our young people. This committee meets virtually, one a quarter.

Although the role is voluntary, reasonable expenses will be paid for costs incurred in undertaking the role.

About You

You will be a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) or have significant experience in a senior safeguarding role.

You will demonstrate sound judgement and be able to challenge confidently and constructively, although you do not need to have Board experience.

You will work within the principles of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion and understand the needs of the diverse young people we serve.

You will put the needs of young people first, be passionate about ending youth homelessness and share our mission, vision and principles.

Time Commitment

You will need to be able to attend the majority of Board and Committee meetings, one of each is held each quarter (8 meetings total per year). Each meeting will last around 2 hours and will normally be held late afternoon/early evening (usually 4pm – 6pm). Board meetings are held in person at St Basils’ Head Office in Birmingham, and Committee meetings are held virtually via Microsoft Teams. The dates for meetings are set by calendar year, towards the end of the previous year.

Meeting papers will be shared via an online portal one week in advance of the meeting to allow for sufficient preparation time.

A Board away day is held each year, usually October, and every other year this includes an overnight stay. This will be fully paid for by St Basils.

We encourage Board members to visit our accommodation services to deepen understanding of our work and support effective governance and decision-making. We would like all Board members to make 2 visits a year if possible.

All travel expenses incurred in attending Board meetings / conducting site visits will be reimbursed by St Basils.

What’s in it for you?

We offer a series of essential online training courses (for example GDPR, Cyber Security, EDI, Safeguarding, Risk Management) and the opportunity to do additional online or in-person training, such as Psychologically Informed Environment training. As part of our commitment to race equality, we provide mandatory Anti-Racism training for all staff and Board members.

You will be part of a knowledgeable and supportive Board and have the opportunity to work alongside young people with lived experience.

You will have the guidance of a knowledgeable Chair to support your development as a Director / Trustee, and you will have access to St Basils’ Senior Leadership Team to help you fulfil your role.

St Basils is a learning organisation and therefore we are able to support and develop Board members who are new to the role. In addition, St Basils has membership with the Board Development Agency, which provides our Board Members with access to webinars and development tools specific to housing sector Boards.

Being a Director / Trustee at St Basils is more than just attending meetings – if you would like to contribute to an organisation that has young people at its core, where you can visibly see the difference you are making, then this is the role for you.

For further information please see the link to the full job pack.

We welcome early applications and will interview on a rolling basis.