Join our Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees are the first and final decision making authority within CCABS. As a Trustee you will fulfil an important role within the organisation and your contribution and involvement within the running of the organisation will be very much valued. CCABS is an incorporated charity and as such all Trustees are the directors of the company (see booklet CC3 for more information).(Right click and 'Save Target As..' if does not open).
The Board of Trustees currently meets 6 times a year on a Wednesday evening from 6-8pm for a formal Board Meeting.
Trustees are expected to contribute at least 8 hours a month of their time, including attending and preparing for meetings. In addition to Board meetings, Trustees are actively encouraged to join working groups according to their area of expertise.
Trustees may claim reasonable travel and subsistence expenses.
All Trustees will receive a thorough in-depth induction.
CCABS is a member of the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux (NACAB) which currently trades as CitA. More information about the membership organisation can be obtained on their website - www.citizensadvice.org.uk.
Trustee Board Members - Role Descriptions |
Main duties and responsibilities
Each individual member of the trustee board has a responsibility to contribute to the discharging of the board’s duties. S/he can do this by:
- maintaining an awareness of the business of the Service
- taking responsibility for his or her own learning and development
- regularly attending, preparing for and taking a full part in meetings
- actively contributing to setting policy and strategic direction, defining goals, setting targets and evaluating performance
- monitoring whether the service complies with its governing document, whether it meets Citizens Advice standards and how well the advice needs of the local community are being met
- monitoring the financial position of the Service and ensuring that it operates within its means and objects, and that there are clear lines of accountability for day-to-day financial management
- supporting the development of the Service through participation in agreed projects
- actively seeking to further the strategic objectives of the Service, and acting in the best interests of the Service at all times
- maintaining confidentiality about any sensitive/confidential information received in the course of duties as a trustee.
Personal skills and qualities
- commitment and availability to attend trustee board meetings
- effective communication skills and willingness to participate actively in discussion
- willingness to gain knowledge of local needs and resources
- commitment to the aims, principles and policies of the CAB Service, including those relating to equal opportunities, independence and social policy
- willingness and ability to act in the best interests of the Service
- ability to understand and accept their responsibilities and liabilities as trustees and employers
- willingness to participate in democratic process which develops CAB policies regionally and nationally
- numeracy to the extent required to understand CAB accounts with the support of a treasurer
- willingness and ability to learn, and to develop and examine their own attitudes
- ability to think creatively and strategically, and exercise good, independent judgement
- ability to work effectively as a member of a team.
Officers on the Board
In addition to these general duties and responsibilities, some trustees will also be officers of the board, and will have additional responsibilities:
Chair Role Profile
The chair should take control of meetings, ensuring that everyone who wishes to has a reasonable chance to speak and take part. S/he should be able to listen to and understand a wide range of views, present information clearly and concisely, and get clarification of relevant points, thus enabling the board to make effective decisions. In addition to the general trustee board responsibilities, the chair will be responsible for the following duties (although in some cases these may be delegated to/shared with other board members).
Main Duties and Responsibilities
(It is advisable that in some cases these are delegated to/shared with other trustees).
- Ensuring board decisions are made within the remit of the governing document and the policies of Citizens Advice
- Planning the annual cycle of board meetings, and chairing and facilitating these to ensure their smooth running
- Planning the agenda for meetings with the CEO
- Developing membership of the trustee board to ensure that it contains the skills, experience and knowledge needed to operate effectively, with due consideration for community representation
- Ensuring that the board is able to seek the views of all sections of the community served by the Service
- Checking that decisions taken at meetings are being implemented
- Ensuring that the board reviews the work of the Service.
Liaising with the CEO to keep an overview of the Service's business
- Providing support and supervision for the CEO, including annual appraisal
- In conjunction with the treasurer, ensuring proper management and control of Service finances
- Representing the Service in the community and at public events
- Representing the Service in relationships with funders and negotiating for funds for staffing, premises or equipment
- Ensuring that the Service plans for the recruitment and turnover of paid staff and volunteers
- Ensuring that successors for key posts - treasurer, chair etc., are identified and inducted in good time
- Ensuring that trustees receive induction and adequate training to enable them to fulfil their roles
- Monitoring the calibre, level of commitment and attendance of all trustees.
Personal Skills and Qualities
- leadership skills
- experience of committee work
- facilitation skills
- tact and diplomacy
- excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- impartiality, fairness and the ability to respect confidences
In most circumstances it is desirable for the chair to have knowledge of the type of work undertaken by the Service.
Vice Chair Profile
The vice-chair will carry out the chair's duties in his/her absence, with the acknowledgement of the board as being capable and appropriate to do so. S/he will also provide support and assistance to the chair in carrying out his/her responsibilities and should act as a ‘critical friend’ and sounding board. S/he may agree to take on specific responsibilities from the chair, e.g. inducting new trustees. Other board members may approach the vice-chair if they are concerned about the work or judgement of the chair. The vice-chair will then discuss any issues arising with the chair.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
- Carrying out the chair's duties in his/her absence, with the acknowledgement of the board as being capable and suitable to do so
- Providing support and assistance to the chair in carrying out his/her responsibilities, acting as a 'critical friend' and sounding board
- Taking on specific responsibilities from the chair, e.g. inducting new trustees
- Being open to approaches, where appropriate, from other trustees about the work or judgement of the chair. The vice-chair will then discuss any issues arising with the chair.
Personal Skills and Qualities
- leadership skills
- experience of committee work
- facilitation skills
- tact and diplomacy
- excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- impartiality, fairness and the ability to respect confidences
In most circumstances it is desirable for the vice-chair to have knowledge of the type of work undertaken by the Service.
Treasurer Role Profile
The treasurer is an officer of the Service trustee board and not a paid worker. The role of the treasurer is to ensure that all the finances and the supporting financial control systems are kept in order. The treasurer is not the book-keeper. S/he does not hold or maintain the financial records nor is s/he the sole custodian of the cheque book. The treasurer will delegate day-to-day financial management to the Service manager or other staff.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
- Guiding and advising the board in the approval of budgets, accounts and financial statements, within a relevant financial policy framework
- Keeping the board informed about its financial duties and responsibilities
- Advising on the financial implications of the Service's strategic plans and key assumptions in the operational plan and annual budget
- Understanding the accounting procedures and key internal controls to be able to assure the board that the charity's financial integrity is sound
- Ensuring that a realistic budget is produced which meets all the Service's needs and that there is an appropriate reserves policy
- Monitoring the Service's income and expenditure position, and presenting reports to the board at least quarterly, in a format accessible to the board members
- Ensuring that full financial records are kept for all transactions, and that proper financial procedures and controls are in place to safeguard the Service's resources
- Ensuring that money received is only spent on the purposes for which it was given, and, where required, ensuring that reports and accounts demonstrating this are submitted to funders
- Ensuring that accounts are prepared at year-end in compliance with the SORP Accounting for Charities and making arrangements for them to be audited or independently examined, as required by the Charity Commission
- Ensuring that annual accounts are submitted to the Charity Commission and/or Registrar of Companies, within the deadlines set
- Presenting the accounts at the AGM and drawing attention to important points in a coherent and understandable way
- Liaising with the CEO about financial matters
- Playing a key role in planning a clear fundraising strategy to raise money for future activities and developments
- Chairing any finance committee, and reporting back to the full board.
Personal Skills and Qualities
- financial qualifications and/or experience
- some experience and/or knowledge of charity finance, fundraising and pension schemes
- the skills to analyse proposals and examine their financial consequences
- preparedness to make unpopular recommendations to the board
- willingness to be available to staff for advice and enquiries on an ad hoc basis.
Company/Charity Secretary Profile
All companies limited by guarantee are required to appoint a company secretary. The secretary is legally responsible for ensuring that relevant information is submitted to Companies House and the Charity Commission. The Company/Charity Secretary can incur personal liability if s/he breaches certain requirements under the Companies Acts.
The Company/Charity Secretary may be either a member of the board or a senior member of staff, e.g. the CEO.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
- Ensuring that all meetings are held and conducted according to the governing document
- Ensuring that all necessary documentation is sent to Companies House and the Charity Commission within the deadlines set
- Ensuring that trustees are correctly appointed according to the law and the governing document
- Arranging and administrating meetings, including practical arrangements, preparing and circulating agendas and papers, ensuring that meetings are properly convened, constituted and quorate, confirming what decisions have been made and monitoring their implementation, keeping minutes and ensuring that proper records are kept
- Providing trustees with additional information to facilitate decision making, especially in regard to their powers and duties under the governing document
- Providing the board with guidance about charity and company law and the provisions of the governing document
- Ensuring that all general meetings are convened in accordance with the governing document, and that any decisions at general meetings, including changes to the constitution, are made in accordance with legal requirements
- Ensuring that insurance requirements are fulfilled
- Developing and implementing a periodic 'legal health check', e.g. to monitor employment procedures, audit the governing document, review property leases etc.
- Ensuring compliance under contractual arrangements and company and charity law
- Ensuring that the Service's stationery, orders, invoices and other documents include all details required under company, charity and, where appropriate, VAT law
Personal Skills and Qualities
- organisational ability
- knowledge or experience of business and committee procedures
- knowledge of charity and/or company law
- ability to become conversant with the provisions of the Service's governing document, and to advise on their implications in board discussions
- ability to understand the basic principles of relevant legislation, and to identify potential points of contention
- ability to exercise independence and professional judgement, especially where the law and/or governing document conflicts with the wishes of the board
- minute-taking experience, if this is not being delegated to staff.
If you feel you have skills and experience to contribute towards our Trustee Board please download an application form here and return it to June Chapman, Holborn CAB, 3rd Floor Holborn Library, 32-38 Theobald's Road, London WC1X 8PA.
