Call for Trustees
Job Title: Trustee
Responsible to: Chairperson, Board of Directors
Remuneration: Voluntary position
Govan HELP has exciting development plans for the future and we are looking to recruit new trustees to our Board, strengthening governance to help lead the organisation through the next phase of our development.
About Govan HELP
Govan Home and Education Link Project (Govan HELP) is a local Family Support charity based in the heart of the community in the Govan area of Glasgow. Our services aim to support children and families from the local area to overcome problems, build resilience and confidence, and achieve overall improvements in the quality of family life.
We offer six different services at Govan HELP, these being: Family Support, Play Therapy, Community Interpreters, Training and Volunteering, Adult Counselling and our most recent development, The Govan Pantry, which has evolved from a foodbank project set up in response to the pandemic. We have close links with schools, social work and health colleagues in the local area and work collaboratively with organisations to achieve stronger outcomes for children and families. In addition, we work with a wide range of third sector partner agencies to build a more holistic package of support for families, tailored to their individual needs.
We know that the kinds of issues our families face can be wide ranging and include things like physical and mental health conditions, drug and alcohol addiction, housing and debt issues, domestic abuse, and trauma. These issues are further compounded by the impacts of poverty and deprivation which is widespread in the communities of Greater Govan. Our services aim to alleviate many of the symptoms of poverty and deprivation, and we take a holistic approach to resolving the issues that families are struggling to cope with to ensure we can support families to achieve positive social, economic, and educational outcomes. Our services are often a lifeline for families who are facing complex and difficult circumstances, and aim to respond to needs within the local community by developing local solutions that are aligned closely with needs.
More information on our services is available here.
Why become a Trustee at Govan HELP?
Trustees have an important role at Govan HELP. They share responsibility for governing us as a charity, setting our strategic aims and directing how we’re run on a day-to-day basis. Trustees’ activities also include vetting and administering funding applications and representing us at events. The ultimate goal of Trustees is to ensure that everything we do maximises the benefit for our service users — that is, families in Govan.
We are a registered charity, so Trustees must ensure we comply with current charity laws and guidelines as set out by the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR). You may find it helpful to look at OSCR’s guidance for charity trustees.
Are you eligible?
We aim to have a Board that is representative of our diverse stakeholder base and anyone can apply who believes they will add value to the charity. The role of a Trustee demands commitment, but it’s also stimulating and very rewarding!
This year, we are looking to recruit up to five Trustee positions to join the Board at Govan HELP.
A full role profile can be found in the ‘Role Profile’ section of this page. In particular, we are looking for nominees with the following skills and experience:
Senior management in third sector organisations
Finance
Governance
Fundraising activities
Strategic planning
While we welcome applications from all parts of society, we are particularly interested in receiving applications from candidates from black and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.
Govan HELP Board Trustee — Role Profile
Job Title: Board Trustee
Grade: Non-remunerated, out of pocket expenses reimbursed
Role Purpose: To provide governance and guidance to the company, supporting Govan HELP’s aims of:
Supporting families before their difficulties worsen and reach crisis.
Improving children’s school and nursery experience.
Building resilience, confidence and self-worth in children and adults.
Strengthening family relationships.
Helping parents to feel more supportive, capable and responsible.
Responding to the needs of children and families the local community
Relationships
Relationships are the fundamental human experience, and you will be expected to:
Provide strong leadership and act as a role model to Govan HELP staff, volunteers and service users through demonstrating our values.
Develop positive, respectful, and compassionate relationships with staff, volunteers and service users, focusing on their strengths and aspirations as individuals.
Have a high standard of professional integrity with colleagues and other professionals
Always establish and uphold clear professional boundaries.
Represent the Board at key Govan HELP internal and external events such as staff and management conferences, stakeholder days, and fundraising events.
Corporate Governance
The Board of Trustees are the most senior officers and are expected to work towards the best interests of the organisation. Through this you will be expected to:
Ensure that the company applies its resources exclusively in the pursuance of its objectives.
Make certain it pursues its charitable objectives as defined in its memorandum and articles of association.
Approve policies, plans and budgets to achieve those objectives, and monitor performance against them.
Agree all policies and decisions on matters which might create significant risk to the organisation, financial or otherwise.
Set and maintain frameworks of delegation, internal control, and risk management.
Ensure effective and efficient administration of the company and support the Chief Officer as necessary in this regard.
Hold the Chief Officer to account for the exercise of their delegated responsibilities and for the implementation of Board decisions.
Deal with appointment of the Chief Officer.
Ensure the financial viability of the company, its stability and good performance.
Ensure that Govan HELP complies with its memorandum and articles of association, charity law, company law, any other relevant legislation or regulations and the requirements of all relevant inspection and regulatory bodies.
Protect and manage Govan HELP’s property and ensure the proper investment of its funds.
Use any specific knowledge or experience to help the Board of Trustees reach sound decisions. This will involve scrutinizing papers, leading discussions, focusing on key issues, and providing advice and guidance on new initiatives, or other relevant issues.
Strategic Oversight and Development
The Board of Trustees are responsible for the overall strategic direction of Govan HELP, ensuring that we meet our charitable objectives using the resources available. Through this you will be expected to:
Determine strategy and provide strategic leadership.
Work with senior staff to propose and develop new initiatives.
Monitor the achievement of long-term goals.
Work with senior staff and service users to improve the participation of our service users in the ongoing development of our work.
Overview of the Pension scheme.
Personal & Professional Development
Govan HELP encourages people to be actively involved in their own and the organisation’s development and you will be expected to:
Have an up-to-date knowledge of current trends and developments across the sector and political landscape.
Actively contribute to the development of the organisation and of individual services.
Attend and participate in training and share learning experiences.
Promote Govan HELP services through agreed media.
Strive for continuous personal and professional development.
The Volunteer Coordinator of Govan HELP will provide line management with regular supervision and an annual appraisal review.
Commitment Required
You must be able to attend the meetings of the Board of Trustees, as well as our AGM. There are ten Board meetings a year.
Please note, Trustees are not paid — by law, it is a voluntary role — but they may claim related expenses for their work for us, such as travel costs.
Location
The post will be based at the Govan HELP offices – 635 Govan Road and 840 Govan Road.
Hours of Work
The post will be for 22 hours per week. There will be occasional evening work, to facilitate volunteer trainings and events. There is no additional payment for overtime and unsociable hours, but time off in lieu will be given for hours worked in excess of contracted hours.
Funding
This post is funded until February 2019 with funding from SEGF (Social Economy Growth Fund).
Transport
Reimbursement will be made for expenses incurred on business travel - for car use an allowance of 0.45p will be paid.
Pension
The post-holder will be eligible to join NEST Pension Scheme after 11 weeks of employment. The employer contribution is 3%.
Annual Leave
Part time staff will receive a pro-rate entitlement of FTE of 20 days leave plus 12 public holidays with additional 5 days after 5 years’ service.
Probation
There will be a probationary period of six months followed by a review.
Notice
The notice period will be one month.
Review
This job description is open to review by the Chief Officer and Management Board of Trustees, as and when appropriate, in consultation with the post holder.
Recruitment Process
Applications close 28th February 2023.
Assessment of applications by Govan HELP Board of Trustees by 8th March 2023.
Informal Meeting with potential candidates week beginning 6th March 2023.
Observation of Govan HELP Board Meeting Tuesday 28th March 2023 @ 5pm.
Invitation to join Govan HELP Board of Trustees.
APPLY
To apply, please email your CV and a covering letter (max. 2 sides A4) which outlines why you are interested in the role and what skills and experience you bring to the Board of Trustees
If you have any questions about your application, please email hello@govanhelp.org.
