Statement from the Chairperson

Thank you in showing your interest in Board of Trustees for the YMCA Glenrothes. We are very proud of our achievements as one of the largest charities in Fife. With 36 staff, over 20 volunteers and an annual budget of over £1m, this charity plays a vital role in assisting the young, homeless and other disadvantaged groups within Glenrothes and Fife.

You should have some time to spare (averaging 1 day per month which includes training), an experience of working in the public, private, or voluntary sectors, and a genuine interest in helping youth and the wider community, particularly those who are disadvantaged. You should be interested in advising the charity with its three-year strategic programme; the alteration in property accommodation for young people and the expansion of our existing substance misuse educational and intensive support programmes.

ATrustee Application formis attached which should be completed following an intial meeting with existing Trustee(s).

Additional Documents that provided are:

  1. YMCA Information Pack
  2. Annual Report
  3. Equal Opportunities Form

We look forward to hearing from you. Any questions should be directed in the first instance by email or telephone to Mary Hill, Director at the registered office address – YMCA Glenrothes North Street, Glenrothes, KY7 5PP

With thanks

Yours sincerely

Cathy Adamson

Chairperson

YMCA GLENROTHES

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

INFORMATION PACK 2015

This Information Pack aims to provide a summary of the way in which YMCA Glenrothes is governed, the role and remit of the Trustees who make up the Board of Trustees (collectively and individually) and the nature of the relationship between the Board of Trustees, the employed Director and the staff.

It is intended for potential Trustees, current Trustees, members of staff, and any individual or agency interested in the leadership and governance of YMCA Glenrothes.

YMCA Glenrothes is an unincorporated company limited by guarantee, with charitable status.

CONTENTS

Page

  1. The Board of Trustees – its role and responsibilities 3
  1. Structures for Governance 5
  2. Skills and Expertise 6
  3. Diversity 8
  4. Appointment Procedures 8
  5. Appendix 1 – Role Description10
  1. Appendix 2 – Person Specification12
  1. Appendix 3 – Timeline 201513
  1. Appendix 4 – Role Description14
  1. Appendix 5 – Skills Audit15
  1. THE BOARD – ITS ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The following statements provide a summary of the role and responsibilities of YMCA Glenrothes’s Board of Trustees:

a)To determine the charity’s mission and vision – it is the responsibility of the Board to create, review, and develop YMCA Glenrothes’s mission and vision. Every policy decision the Board makes is designed to help the charity realise the aims laid out in its Mission Statement.

b)To engage in strategic planning – it is the responsibility of the Board to make strategic policy, and work with the Director and staff to develop long-term strategic plans. Meeting agendas can then be tied to key points in the strategic plan in order that the Board can deal with key issues.

c)To formulate needed policies – the Board creates policies to govern organisational activity, providing guidance for staff, setting up systems for reporting and monitoring, and establishing an ethical framework for all those who work for or on behalf of the organisation. It also creates policy governing the behaviour of Trustees and all aspects of Board business.

d)To approve and monitor the organisation’s programmes and services – The Board sees to it that all the organisation’s programmes and services obey the letter of the law and effectively serve the organisation’s mission. The Board’s vision for the organisation determines what determines what direction programming will take.

e)To ensure adequate financial resources – the Board ensures that the organisation has the resources to carry out its mission. Their work in this area may involve creating policies governing financial reserves and fundraising practice.

f)To provide effective fiscal oversight and ensure sound risk management – the Board approves the annual financial statement and budget, monitors spending, creates policies to manage and protect organisational assets and property and sees to it that finances are handled according to the letter of the law in the best interests of the organisation. It also protects the organisation against liability by providing adequate insurance and creating policy designed to minimise the amount of risk for the organisation.

g)To select and support the employed Director and review his or her performance – it is the responsibility of the Board to create policy and procedures which enable the organisation to determine the remuneration of the Director, recruit and select the Director, and assess their performance on an annual basis. The Board is also responsible for developing and supporting the Director throughout the year, through agreed procedures and systems.

h)To understand and respect the relationship between Board and staff – The Board recognises areas of staff responsibility and avoids interfering in matters that are properly the domain of staff. At the same time, it creates policy to guide staff activities and safeguard the interests of the charity.

i)To enhance the charity’s public image – through their own behaviour, their governance oversight and their activities on behalf of the charity, members of the Board have a responsibility to enhance and protect the reputation of YMCA Glenrothes.

j)To carefully select and induct new Board members – the Board ensures the quality of governance for the charity by carefully selecting and training new Board members. It recruits and develops individuals who can provide the best leadership for the charity.

k)To carry out Board business efficiently – The Board keeps its own house in order by conducting productive meetings where key organisational issues are dealt with in an efficient way. It creates effective committees and provides them with adequate resources and personnel. It hires consultants to bring needed expertise into the charity. It engages in regular performance appraisals, periodic self-assessment and development activities to strengthen its effectiveness.

2.STRUCTURES FOR GOVERNANCE

The Trustees form the YMCA Glenrothes Board of Trustees.

The Board is supported by Committees, for example:

  • Finance and Audit
  • Human Resources

The Board may also appoint short life working groups, for example

  • The Awards Panel
  • Property Steering Group
  • The Nominations and Governance short life working group
  • Learning and Development Group

The Board delegates decisions to Committees, but the Board is ultimately accountable for decisions taken.

The role and accountability of each Committee should be clear to all members of the Committee and Board. Committees may invite expertise from outwith the Board.

The membership, role, and remit of these Sub-Committees, together with the remit of the Executive Group is specified by written terms and conditions (attached).

Board members may attend any sub-committee meetings as observers but may not participate in discussions unless they are members of that particular sub-committee. Attendance, however, may be restricted in the event that a confidential matter is to be considered.

Committees should be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that they are fulfilling their role effectively.

Board members are required to act in person and any decisions affecting the charity must be made by the Trustees acting together.

3.SKILLS AND EXPERTISE

The Board of Trustees is the governing body of the charity and is ultimately responsible for everything the charity does. It is accountable in law to the courts. Trustees must act in the best interests of the charity’s beneficiaries, exercising the same duty of care that a prudent person of business would in looking after the affairs of someone for whom they had responsibility. Trustees must act together as a group rather than as individuals, setting aside their personal interests and giving their time to carry out their duties for no payment or gain.

It is essential that the Board of Trustees is made up of a range of individuals who bring to the charity the right mix of skills, experiences and qualities. These skills, experiences, and qualities are key ingredients in building an effective board of Trustees. They include:

  • Knowledge of relevant YMCA Glenrothes work
  • Direct experience of youth work
  • Knowledge of local community eg through local government/church activities
  • Housing especially homeless housing
  • Knowledge of issues concerning Drugs/alcohol
  • Directorial skills
  • Financial
  • Educational
  • Health
  • Personnel
  • Fundraising
  • Public relations
  • Legal and law and order
  • Information technology/Communications
  • Property
  • Marketing
  • Education

Less “tangible” skills are often among the most important yet least recognised. People become Trustees for many different reasons and can bring many valuable experiences with them. The YMCA Glenrothes seeks to build an effective board that draws on tangible and intangible skills.

As well as specific skills, all Trustees should have certain qualities which make them suitable for holding the position of charity Trustees. The Nolan Committee identified seven principles of public life that should guide public figures. These principles are:

  • Selflessness
  • Integrity
  • Objectivity
  • Accountability
  • Openness
  • Honesty
  • Leadership

Each year, YMCA Glenrothes carries out a skills audit of its Board in order to take advantage of existing strengths and to identify gaps which may have emerged as a result of the resignation of a Trustee, or a change in charity’s strategic direction.

For recruitment during 2015 the YMCA Glenrothes seeks specific skills for the Board of Trustees as undernoted below:

Social Enterprise/Commercial Activities/Regeneration

Legal Knowledge

Education

Housing

4.DIVERSITY

The YMCA Glenrothes seeks to reflect the diverse communities that the charity serves. The Board of Trustees aims to base its membership around “strategic diversity” where individuals’ diverse skills, experiences and backgrounds contribute overall to the charity’s effectiveness so as to be responsive to the needs of Glenrothes and Fife communities.

5.APPOINTMENT PROCEDURES

A move towards a diverse Board composition also means that a Trustee’s contribution may be qualitative as well as quantitative, personal as well as professional.

The Trustees of YMCA Glenrothes are appointed to the Board through a formal recruitment and selection process led by the Nominations and Governance short life working group.

In the first instance, vacancies are advertised in the local press, in areas of community engagement and online.

Following an initial enquiry, potential Trustees receive a copy of this Information Pack and are invited to meet Board Trustees and the employed Director, if they wish, in order to build up a picture of the way the Board operates and ask any specific questions. This meeting also provides an opportunity to build up a sense of the working relationships on the Board.

Potential Trustees are then invited to complete an application form, setting out their reasons for wishing to join YMCA Glenrothes’s Board and the skills and expertise that they can bring to the Board.

The Nominations and Governance Groupwill invite selected applicants for a discussion, take up references, and make recommendations for appointment to the Board for final consideration and ratification.

On appointment to the Board, Trustees will be invited to participate in a brief induction programme and will be “matched” with an existing member of the Board for the first six months of their appointment.

Trustees are appointed for a period of three years, following which they are eligible for appointment for a further period of three years. Having served for a maximum of six years, Trustees may not be considered for re-appointment until a period of twelve months has passed.

Trustees are introduced to YMCA Glenrothes, its Board, its staff, and its activities through introductory sessions, an induction programme, briefing sessions, and any other means which will help to further their knowledge.

Trustees’ expenses are fully reimbursed, in accordance with YMCA Glenrothes’s travel and subsistence allowances.

The Charities Commission states that transparent recruitment, selection and induction procedures, which use elements of good practice should be regarded as one of the hallmarks of a good charity.

Appendix 1

TRUSTEE OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF YMCA GLENROTHES

ROLE DESCRIPTION

The duties of a Member of the Board of Trustees of YMCA Glenrothes are:

To ensure that the charity complies with its memorandum and articles, charity law, company law and any other relevant legislation or regulations;

To ensure that the charity pursues its objects as defined in its memorandum and articles;

To ensure the charity applies its resources exclusively in pursuance of its objects i.e. YMCA Glenrothes must not spend money on activities which are not included in its own objects, no matter how worthwhile or charitable those activities are;

To contribute actively to the Board of Trustees’ role in giving firm strategic direction to the charity, setting overall policy, defining goals and setting targets and evaluating performance against agreed targets;

To safeguard the good name and values of the charity;

To ensure the effective and efficient administration of the charity;

To ensure the financial stability of the charity;

To protect and manage the property of the charity and to ensure the proper investment of YMCA Glenrothes’s funds;

To appoint the employed Director and monitor his/her performance.

In addition to the above statutory duties, each Trustee should use any specific skills, knowledge or experience they may have to help the Board of Trustees reach sound decisions. This may involve scrutinising board papers, leading discussions, focusing on key issues, providing advice and guidance on new initiatives, or other issues in which the Trustee has special expertise.

Appendix 2

TRUSTEE OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF YMCA GLENROTHES

PERSON SPECIFICATION

A commitment to the charity

A willingness to devote the necessary time and effort

Strategic vision

Good, independent judgement

An ability to think creatively

A willingness to speak their mind

An understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship

An ability to work effectively as a member of a team

Nolan’s seven principles of public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.

Appendix 3

TRUSTEE OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF YMCA GLENROTHES

TIMELINE 2015

March:

Advertisement for new Trustees - at enquiry stage – pack to include:

  1. Information Pack sent to prospective Trustees
  2. Invitation to clarification meeting if requested
  3. Invitation to interview

Post meeting stage – information to be made available to Prospective Trustee during probationary period.

  1. Completion of application form and return by designated date
  2. Induction programme details
  3. Strategic Plan*, Departmental Plans
  4. Staff terms and conditions of employment
  5. Staff - sample contracts and exemplar job role descriptions
  6. Policies & Procedures
  7. List of meetings for 2015 (Tuesday 26th May, 25th August and 27th November)
  8. PVG checking

At appointment:

  1. List of Board of Trustees contact details
  2. Contract/service level agreement details

Appendix 4

ROLE DESCRIPTION - TRUSTEE OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF YMCA GLENROTHES

Title: / Board Trustee
Organisation: / YMCA Glenrothes
Version: / 5 / Date Prepared: / February 2015
Purpose of Role: / To provide leadership and direction, ensuring long-term sustainability and overseeing the legal, financial and operational management of the YMCA Glenrothes.
Key Responsibilities:
  1. To ensure that the YMCA Glenrothes operates within the boundaries of its constitution and the law.

  1. To agree the YMCA Glenrothes’s aims and objectives, strategic and operating plans, reviewing and monitoring these on a quarterly basis.

  1. To monitor the YMCA Glenrothes’s financial performance, ensuring that it remains solvent, and in the event of insolvency to immediately place the Company in either voluntary liquidation or receivership.

  1. To ensure that all statutory requirements are satisfied, and necessary documents lodged with Companies House, H M Customs & Excise and Inland Revenue.

  1. To take responsibility for ensuring that a broad range of skills and experience are maintained on the Board – undertaking additional training or seeking professional advice when necessary.

  1. To actively promote the YMCA Glenrothes within the local community and beyond.

  1. To act always in the best interests of the YMCA Glenrothes, making any actual or potential conflicts of interest known to fellow Trustees.

  1. To comply at all times with the YMCA Glenrothes’s policies and procedures.

  1. To provide support to the YMCA Glenrothes’s paid and voluntary staff.

  1. To declare a disqualification from acting as a charity trustees in accordance with the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 (Section 69)*
  2. To declare
  3. To attend meetings of the Board of Trustee

I have read and agreed to undertake the responsibilities of this position, and am aware that this is done on a voluntary and unpaid basis.
Signed: / Date:
Name:

*Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator

Guidance for Charity Trustees

2.3 Disqualification

“The constitution or governing document of a charity should specify who is eligible to be elected or appointed to the governing body. However, under section 69 of the Act the following are disqualified from acting as charity trustees:

•someone with an unspent conviction for dishonesty or an offence under the Act

•an undischarged bankrupt

•someone who has been removed under either Scottish or English Law or the courts from being a charity trustee

•a person disqualified from being a company director

It is also in the interests of the charity for the charity trustees collectively to ensure that no charity trustees are disqualified from being a charity trustee.

Anyone who acts as a charity trustee whilst disqualified is guilty of an offence punishable by a fine or imprisonment, or both. The disqualified person may apply to OSCR for a waiver to lift the disqualification generally, or in relation to a specific charity or type of charity. However, a waiver lifting a disqualification will not be given lightly by OSCR.”