Safer Communities (Formerly Safe in Tees Valley) is a community safety charity. The purpose of Safer Communities is to work in partnership to make communities safe, support victims of crime and create opportunities to changes people’s lives for the better.
For 23 years we have been providing high quality support, interventions and programmes that deliver significant life changing difference for people who engage in our services. We work with some of the most marginalised and disadvantaged communities in the country to facilitate and support change.
We now operate across the North East region providing a range of services including, Victim Care and Advice, Sexual Assault Referral Centres and Crisis Services, Restorative Justice, Community Peer Mentors, positive outreach and detached programmes for young people, uniform service cadets and families work.
Our ambition is to be a centre of excellence in community safety. We hope to develop and deliver local programmes, assess the impact and success of our work and offer evidence based models of best practice to other partners and organisations.
Strategic objectives:
- Provide a positive future for children and young people
- Transform the lives of victims of crime and support them to cope and recover
- Create safe and sustainable communities
Role of the Board of Trustees/Directors
Trustees are responsible for ensuring Safer Communities meets its obligations under the charity’s governing document and charity and company law. The Board of Trustees must always act in the best interests of Safer Communities and must act as a group and not as individuals.
Key Responsibilities
- Ensure that Safer Communities complies with and pursues its objectives as set out in the Memorandum of Association, charity law, company law and any other relevant legislation or regulations.
- Ensure Safer Communities applies its resources exclusively in pursuance of its objectives, it must not spend money on activities which are not included in the objectives.
- Contribute actively to the Board of Trustees role in supporting the Senior Leadership Team is setting the strategic direction for Safer Communities, agreeing overall policy, defining goals and setting targets and evaluating performance against agreed targets.
- Safeguard the reputation of Safer Communities through the receipt of reports monitor the financial stability of the organisation.
- Appoint and support the Chief Executive Officer and monitor their overall performance in the leadership and management of the Charity.
In addition to the above statutory duties, each trustee should use any specific skills, knowledge or experience they have, to help the Board of Trustees reach sound decisions. This may involve leading discussions, challenging discussion, focusing on key issues, providing advice and guidance on new initiatives, evaluation or other issues in which the trustee has special expertise.
We are currently looking for Trustees who have experience in the voluntary sector, safeguarding or have a legal background to complement our existing trustees.
Time Commitment
Board meetings are held quarterly and usually last a couple of hours. Trustees are expected to attend all board meetings, or to send comments to the Chair if they are unable to attend as well as tendering apologies. Additional meeting for strategic planning and board development will be agreed in advance and with plenty of notice. There are usually no more than one development session per year.
Papers are distributed one week in advance of meetings. Trustees may be asked to join one of our sub-committees.
How to Apply
If you are interested in applying for the role of Trustee, please contact Joanne Hodgkinson, Chief Executive Officer on tel: 01642 664440 or email joanne.hodgkinson@safercommunities.org.uk