Safeguarding Trustee for Family Charity

What will you be doing?

MHF trustees provide strategic leadership in line with the organisation’s objectives. Trustees use their knowledge, skills, passion and experience to ensure that the charity achieves its objectives.

As a trustee, you will represent the interests of all stakeholders & act as an ambassador. The designated safeguarding trustee is a key role that will help ensure the charity can continue its vital support for its vulnerable community, namely children, young people & young adults (8-35yrs) living with muscular dystrophy in the UK, as well as other stakeholders such as MHF Volunteers who are the life-blood of the charity.

As MHF moves closer to fulfilling it's current 657 mission established in March 2003 and likely to be realised in Q1/Q2 2026, the charity is looking to the future. The opportunity to not only support the finessing of the new mission but also joining the conversation about future proofing the organisation awaits. Exciting times ahead!

What are we looking for?

Over and above a fundamental belief in the cause, our ideal trustee will possess the following as listed below:

SKILLS NEEDED (ESSENTIAL): 

1. Values Alignment
2. Time Commitment
3. Caring / Empathetic Disposition
4. Team Player
5. Good Communication Skills 

You will bring enthusiasm, understanding and a passion for our work, underpinned by a genuine desire to want to make a difference to the lives of our beneficiary community.

SKILLS NEEDED (DESIRED): 

1. Connection to Mission
2. Charity Sector Experience
3. Governance / Policy
4. Safeguarding
5. Income Generation
6. Finance
7. Legal
8. Digital / Social
9. PR / Communications / Media

You may have experience of living with muscular dystrophy, other disabilities or life limiting conditions, but this is not essential.

For this role, we are looking for a new trustee to take the lead to support, advise & guide the board on safeguarding - as such, you will be the charity's lead trustee for safeguarding. 

Our organisation works with children, young people & adults (8-28yrs living with muscular dystrophy). By default, we follow the Working Together to Safeguard Children statutory guidance which requires the charity to have both a lead trustee for safeguarding and an operationally focused designated safeguarding lead (DSL). 

In addition, you will also act as a storyteller/advocate in promoting and championing MHF’s work across your network wherever possible, so others can learn about our work and impact, with a view to supporting the charity in some way, whether as a fundraiser or volunteer.

Of course, if you have transferable skills which you feel would be beneficial to the success of our small family-centred charity, we would also love to hear from you. You will be:

• An excellent communicator with listening, responding and interpersonal skills
• You will be able to both empower and challenge in a supportive manner
• You will have a strong commitment to equality and diversity
• Commitment and time to dedicate to the role and responsibilities of being a Trustee
• Previous experience of working collaboratively as part of a team, using sound independent judgement and collective decision making
• The capacity to grasp issues outside personal experience and the ability to contribute to high level strategy development.
• Commitment to equality and diversity in working relationships with other trustees, staff, beneficiaries and other stakeholders
• Professional or relevant experience and knowledge and/or the ability to demonstrate the necessary skills needed to support the charity’s best interests

What difference will you make?

• Have an opportunity to help improve the lives of vulnerable children, young people and adults (8-35yrs) living with muscular dystrophy, and their families
• Contribute to the governance of our small national charity, specifically ensuring that its safeguarding policy is not only fit-for-purpose but also ensuring in identifying whether there have been any external safeguarding developments and/or guidance that the board need to be aware of
• Identify whether there are any changes to safeguarding policies, procedures and work practices needed by the charity as it moves into its 23rd year of operation
• Whilst the charity procures its safeguarding training needs for example for new trustees from the NSPCC Learning platform, you will help find any additional training needs to ensure we always continues to support our community in the best possible way  
• Have strategic responsibility for a specific skill area, in this case safeguarding, working with and supporting the CEO
• More broadly, act as an storyteller/advocate in passionately promoting the charity's work across your network
• Receive induction, support and training
• Have an opportunity to bring your lived experience, in using (and further developing) your skills for the benefit of others
• Be a part of the team that will help the charity achieve its continued mission
• Informed by our Feb 2025 Stakeholder Validation Review, this is an exciting time for this small family-centred charity as it looks to stay relevant but also true to its core values
• In the coming financial year commencing 1 March 2026 and in honouring the organisational history, the charity is hoping to embark on a future-proofing conversation that will undoubtedly require intentionality, an investment of time, shared ownership and shared endeavour, a process that we anticipate our trustees and wider stakeholder community will be highly involved with

Before you apply

If you are interested in this role, please apply or if you wish to have an initial informal conversation with one of our trustees or our current Interim Chair, contact us via the Reach portal.

If you wish to apply, write a cover letter telling us about your suitability, attach your CV and answer the following questions:

Q: Why you are interested in being a charity Trustee?
Q: Tell us what difference you believe you may be able to make?
Q: How could your skills and specifically safeguarding experience benefit the charity?
Q: Do you have any direct or indirect experience of disability and/or vulnerable children / young people / adults living with a life-limiting condition?

How interviews will be arranged:

• Initial discussion with designated trustee
• CEO meeting + application, cover letter, CV, skills ratings
• Designated trustee to share applicant with trustee board
• Invitation for interview with 2 trustees + 1 external person
• Assessment based on established criteria framework
• Post interview, recommendation provided to board
• Appointment subject to checks, references, declarations

Timings / Approximate Schedule

From initial expressions of interest via the Reach platform, aforementioned discussions & associated timelines for interviews, checks etc, allow approx 6-8wks