Any questions about vacancies and volunteer roles? Contact HR@wandcareall.org.uk
Volunteer Trustee Role
Purpose of role:
The Board of Trustees is responsible for the overall governance and strategic direction of Wandsworth Care Alliance (WCA).
Scope and Objectives:
Trustees have a duty individually and collectively to:
- Determine the overall direction and development of WCA through good governance and clear strategic planning.
- Ensure that WCA pursues the objectives defined in its governing documents, and complies with charity law, company law, employment legislation, and with all other relevant legislation, constantly striving for best practice in governance.
- Uphold the financial responsibilities invested in their position, undertaking such duties in a way that adds to public confidence and trust in WCA.
- Ensure that WCA uses its resources in pursuit of its charitable objects.
Main duties:
- To contribute actively to the Board’s role in providing direction for WCA, in setting overall policy and in maintaining a framework of good governance and accountability, and in evaluating performance against agreed targets.
- To give clear direction, leadership, guidance, and advice to the WCA director and staff.
- To safeguard the good name and values of WCA and to act as an ambassador for the organisation.
- To provide vision, inspiration, and support to the WCA director and staff.
- To ensure the effective and efficient administration of WCA.
- To ensure the financial stability of WCA.
- To appoint the director and monitor his/her performance.
- To use specific skills, knowledge, or experience to help the Board of Trustees to reach sound decisions.
This may involve:
- Scrutinising Board papers;
- Contributing to or leading Board discussions;
- Acting as a board champion for a particular area of WCA’s work;
- Identifying and focusing on key issues;
- Providing guidance on new initiatives;
- Being part of a working group.
Duty of Care:
Each Trustee will:
- Apply reasonable care and skills as a Trustee, using their knowledge and experience to ensure that WCA is well run and efficient;
- Be ready to consider the need for external professional advice on matters where there may be material risk to the charity, or where the Trustees may be in breach of their duties;
- Safeguard the good name and values of WCA.
- Maintain absolute confidentiality about sensitive information received in the course of responsibilities as a Trustee.
Each Trustee will:
- Ensure that the charity is and will remain solvent; keeping informed of the charity’s activities and financial position;
- Avoid undertaking activities that might place the charity’s property, funds, assets or reputation at undue risk.
Each Trustee is required to act reasonably and prudently in all matters relating to the charity and must always bear the interests of WCA in mind.
Section 72(1) of the Charities Act 1993 disqualifies anyone who:
- Has been convicted of an offence involving deception or dishonesty unless the conviction is spent.
- Is an un-discharged bankrupt.
- Has previously been removed from trusteeship of a charity by the court or the Charity Commissioners.
- Is under a disqualification order under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986.
It is an offence to serve as a charity trustee while disqualified unless the Charity Commission has given a waiver under section 72(4) of the Charities Act 1993.
- For a valuable guide on what a trustee needs to know, please download The Essential Trustee: What you need to know, what you need to do. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-essential-trustee-what-you- need-to-know-cc3/the-essential-trustee-what-you-need-to-know-what-you- need-to-do
Accountability:
The law imposes a duty of care on Trustees to act responsibly and prudently in all matters relating to their charity and to act in the best interests of the charity.
WCA is a registered Charity and Company Limited by guarantee and Trustees are therefore accountable to the members, the Charity Commission, and to Companies House (as company directors).
Suitability as a WCA Trustee will include many of the following:
- Commitment to Wandsworth Care Alliance (WCA).
- Willingness to devote the necessary time and effort.
- Availability to attend meetings regularly.
- Strategic vision.
- Good, independent judgement.
- Ability to think creatively.
- Willingness to participate actively in discussions, listening to others and con- tributing accordingly.
- To use professional experience and any technical skills and knowledge to contribute to Trustee decision making.
- Ability to work effectively as a member of a team.
- Ambassadorial ability and willingness to represent WCA in a range of situations.
- Experience of involvement in community or residents’ groups and/or in building community involvement.
- Commercial awareness including, but not limited to: marketing, branding, fundraising and social media.
- Skills and experience within finance or communications.
- Valuing diversity, with experience and/or knowledge of minority issues and perspectives.
- Capacity to pursue potential sources of charitable investment in WCA.
- Willingness to take part in training and learn new skills.
Email HR@wandcareall.org.uk for more details on how to apply
Job Title: Community Research and Volunteering Project Officer
Duration: 35 hours per week (Monday-Friday). 1 year fixed term contract with the possibility of an extension.
- Are you passionate about making sure the community can access and shape health and social care services?
- Do you have experience and skills in researching and collaborating with a diverse range of people across communities?
- Are you dynamic, reliable, highly organised and do you enjoy working with a variety or people on a variety of projects?
Join us in a role that includes community-based engagement and research, and also presenting what our local communities tell us about their experiences of accessing health and social care services and their needs. Topics we discuss and champion with the community can vary, but we are often focused on health inequalities. Recent projects have included speaking to black and Asian women about support as new parents, championing more co-ordinated mental health support for people who experience homelessness. We’re now focusing on support for families awaiting an Autism diagnosis for their child and how people who usually experience barriers to healthcare may be able to more quickly get the support they need. Joining our team this year will also mean you are involved in what we turn to next.
We are looking for a flexible and proactive colleague with skills and experience in three areas:
- community research and report writing
- signposting members of the public to support when they call us and designing and leading community workshops
- and supporting and co-ordinating volunteer involvement and contributions to this activity.
Ideally you will have knowledge, skills and experience that come from living in and/or working within minority communities.
As the Project Officer you will plan, organise and coordinate collecting and reporting people’s feedback on a variety of projects that often require collaboration across our organisation and with other organisations, managing more than one project at once and negotiating the next steps and deadlines. The approach includes designing our work to ensure that the community benefits from taking part, from empowerment to capacity building.
Joining WCA will mean joining a small charity where you can make a big difference. Wandsworth Care Alliance is committed to equal opportunities and applications are welcome from everyone in our diverse community. We value diversity in our workforce and have policies to enable this including our equality and diversity, flexible working and reasonable adjustments. We’re a friendly team with a shared passion for improving health and social care, championing patient and service user voices, and helping the voluntary sector flourish within Wandsworth. If you enjoy autonomy, flexible working, good training opportunities, and an open and inclusive culture, then get in touch. Our offices are set in the vibrant hub of Tooting, in a collaborative working space, and we like to have a social every now and then too because, as much as we love working from home, you can’t beat connecting with colleagues over some delicious food!
Find out more by reading our Role Description and Person Specification on our website https://www.wandsworthcarealliance.org.uk/work-for-us/, for some of the reports about our work https://www.healthwatchwandsworth.co.uk/work-us. If you’d like to discuss the role before applying, contact Sarah Cook, sarahcook@wandcareall.org.uk before 18th September 2023.
To apply: email a completed application form to hr@wandcareall.org.uk. This includes a section for you to tell us what relevant experience you have relevant to the role description and person specification.
Application closing date: Noon on Friday 20th September 2024.
Interview dates: during the week commencing 23rd September. Please let us know if you need any reasonable adjustments to attend the interview.