Incredible Kids

Incredible Kids Trustees

The Role

Incredible Kids is a charity providing play and support sessions to children and young people with disabilities or additional needs, and their families in and around the Bristol area. The charity is motivated by Christian compassion and all Trustees are expected to have a Christian commitment and to uphold a Christian ethos. Trustees should have a strong personal commitment to the charity‚Äö√Ñ√¥s aims and objectives.

The charity is seeking to appoint new Trustees to their Board of Trustees. It is expected that each board member will have experience in at least 1 of these areas:

• 
  
• Finance/Funding
  
  
• Financial Planning and Management Audit
  
  
• Core Strategic Planning and Project Management
  
  
• Independent Sector Business Development
  
  
• Policies and Procedures
  
  
• Marketing and Public Relations.
  
  
• Legal Experience.
  
  
• HR
  
  
• Service User participation and involvement
  
  
• Members and Volunteers Management, Employment and Training
  
  

Our family play sessions are held at Whale Wharf, Littleton Upon Severn, Bristol, BS35 1NP three or four times a week throughout the year. We have over 6000 visits per year from families from the Bristol and surrounding areas. 

Role Expectations – Trustee

Purpose of role

The Board of Trustees has overall responsibility for the strategic leadership, governance and appropriate management control of Incredible Kids.  It has three primary functions:

1.            To ensure the organisation stays focused on its mission and strategy;

2.            To make policy decisions; and

3.            To provide support and constructive challenge to the management team, in particular the Executive Director.

Day to day leadership and management of Incredible Kids is delegated by Trustees to the Management Team.

The statutory duties of a trustee

All trustees are required to comply with the following statutory duties:

1.    To ensure that the organisation complies with its governing document, charity law, company law and any other relevant legislation or regulations

2.    To ensure that the organisation pursues its objectives as defined in its governing document

3.    To ensure the organisation uses its resources exclusively in pursuance of its objectives.

 4.   To contribute actively to the board of trustees' role in giving firm strategic direction to the organisation, setting overall policy, defining goals and setting targets and evaluating performance against agreed targets

5.    To safeguard the good name and values of the organisation.

6.    To ensure the effective and efficient administration of the organisation

7.    To ensure the financial stability of the organisation

8.    To protect and manage the property of the charity and to ensure the proper investment of the charity's funds

Other duties

In addition to the above statutory duties, each trustee should use any specific skills, knowledge or experience they have to help the board of trustees reach sound decisions. This may involve:

• Scrutinising board papers
  
• Leading discussions
  
• Focusing on key issues
  
• Providing guidance on new initiatives
  
• Sitting on recruitment and disciplinary and grievance panels as appropriate
  
  
• Other issues in which the trustee has special expertise
  

 

Person specification

Qualities

To carry out the above duties, the following qualities are required of all trustees.

• Commitment to the organisation
  
• Willingness to devote the necessary time and effort
  
• Strategic vision
  
• Good, independent judgement
  
• Ability to think creatively
  
• Willingness to speak their mind
  
• Understanding and agreeing with the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship
  
• Ability to work effectively as a member of a team
  
• Nolan's seven principles of public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.
  
• Expectation to follow Christian values and principles in fulfilling of duties and decision-making for Incredible Kids
  
  

Knowledge and Experience

The full board will need to include skills and experience in the following areas.  It is therefore expected that each board member will have experience in at least 1 of these areas:

• 
  
• Finance/Funding
  
  
• Financial Planning and Management Audit
  
  
• Core Strategic Planning and Project Management
  
  
• Independent Sector Business Development
  
  
• Policies and Procedures
  
• HR
  
  
• Service User participation and involvement
  
  
• Members and Volunteers Management, Employment and Training
  
  

• Marketing and Public Relations.
  
  
• Legal Experience.
  
  

 

Commitment Required

In order to fulfil the requirements of the role, trustees are expected to attend strategic Board meetings as planned annually (8 meetings per year).

 

The Board of Trustees reserves the right to co-op temporary members to the Board of trustees, from time-to-time or as needs dictate, for the purpose of assisting with specific projects, typically with a limited duration and/or specified end goal.

 

Papers are sent out in advance of the meetings and Board members will be expected to have scrutinised the papers and to contribute to discussion and questioning.

 

Trustees are expected to provide advanced written apologies if meetings cannot be attended.

Trustees are expected to attend a minimum of 1 session per month at Incredible Kids to ensure an understanding of the day-to-day delivery of service and ensure maintaining of relationship with the Incredible Kids users as well as staff and volunteers.

As well as the main Board meetings there are sub-committees.  It is expected that Board members will also be a member of one or more sub-committee dependant on particular skills, availability and interests.

 

Additionally there may be areas of work of the organisation that Trustees will be involved with, for example:

 

• 
  
• policy forums
  
  
• staff consultation events
  
  
• HR processes ‚Äö√Ñ√¨ eg. recruitment, disciplinary and grievance processes
  
  
• Publicity events