Dr Bell’s Family Centre is where families with young children (under 5) living in Leith, facing disadvantage and complex situations can access a variety of support groups, drop-in services, and individual support services.
We are seeking a new voluntary Trustee who can support the development of our charity’s profile, increasing brand awareness and engagement with our services in the community.
We are looking for someone experienced in working with children and families, who is committed to our work and objectives, so we can be confident of strong governance. Our ideal Trustee is someone with experience in strategic marketing communications, whether in the private, public or third sector, possibly from the fields of social work or education.
As the needs of our families evolve, so does the work of our charity. Funding also evolves, as national and local government update their strategies and priorities. Our sustainability depends on us being able to remain in-step, and design projects that meet the needs of our families and funders. This will be a critical area of input for our new Trustee.
We work in partnership with other local organisations and families to design and deliver services that make a real difference to those who find it the most difficult to access the support they need. We deliver groups to increase parents’ employability, reduce stress, manage parenting challenges, offer social opportunities, improve health and wellbeing, and build family cohesion.
A key component to reduce barriers for parents of young children to attending such groups is the provision of childcare in the same building. Many parents in Leith do not have a support network available to them for childcare. By offering flexible childcare with our motivated, experienced and qualified staff, we reach families who benefit most from these opportunities to improve their lives.
Over the last 15 years, Dr Bell's has benefited from the skills and experience of a wide range of people in developing our charity into what it is today. We have a flexible model that works well for the people we serve. For that to continue, we must remain relevant, open to new ideas and insights, which we seek from any new Trustee, employee or volunteer.
We are seeking a new voluntary Trustee who can support the development of our charity’s profile, increasing brand awareness and engagement with our services in the community. Skills would encompass one or more of the following:
As the needs of our families evolve so does the work of the charity. Funding also evolves as national and local government strategies and priorities are updated. Our sustainability depends on us being able to remain in step and design projects that meet the needs of our users and sponsors. This is critical area of input for the Trustee we seek.
The board meets regularly, currently every 8 weeks. We foresee most meetings being virtual in future, however we would expect ot meet face to face at least twice per annum. In addition, most of our Trustees have regular direct contact with the Chief Executive and other staff to provide support and mentoring.
The Board of Trustees have a good working relationship with senior staff. The organisation is small and there is a high level of competence in the Centre's staff. We rely heavily on donations from charitable foundations, council and government funding who are increasingly looking to governing boards and management committees to ensure adequate policies and procedures are in place and followed. This requires a good deal of commitment from the Trustees to review and monitor management policies and procedures.
The Family Centre has a crèche which is regulated by the Care Inspectorate - a recent inspection graded the crèche as "Good". We closely follow the Child Protection guidelines. The demonstration of good employee management is also vital to the continuation of the charity - not only in terms of applying for funding but also within OSCR and company law. In order to support the Chief Executive and staff the Trustees need to be challenging the operational decisions to ensure we are continuing to meet the needs of our beneficiaries and target families. We need more experience of working within this sector on the Board to be confident of strong governance.
Our Trustees are involved in charity governance, and supporting the Chief Executive and staff team. This is an exciting time to be involved as we look ahead at our charity’s strategic direction. There are still many opportunities for us to develop, as the need for our support in the community remains as strong as ever.
Our Board of Trustees meets every eight weeks. We foresee most meetings remaining virtual but expect to meet in person around twice a year. Most of our Trustees have regular direct contact with the Chief Executive and other staff to provide support and mentoring.
The charity supports inclusion and equal opportunities.
