Doncaster Housing for Young People

BOARD OF TRUSTEE

POLICY AND PROCEDURE

DONCASTER HOUSING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Policy and Procedures Manual

Approved by: Board of Trustees Issued: August 2015

Review Date: August 2016 Version no: 1.0

Name of person approving:
Position:
Signature:

DHYP

Doncaster Foyer

Chequer Road

Doncaster

DN1 2AA

Contents Page

Section: / Heading: / Page No:
1 / General Policy Statement / 1
2 / Responsibilities / 1
3 / Officers’ individual responsibilities / 4
4 / Meetings / 5
5 / Expenses / 5
6 / Recruitment of new Trustees / 6
7 / Length of service and membership / 7
8 / Working relationships / 7
9 / Working groups / 8

Appendix 1 – Page 9

Appendix 2 – Page 11

Appendix 3 - Page 12

Appendix 4 – Page 13

General Policy Statement

Doncaster Housing for Young People was established as a charity in 1993 to provide housing intervention and support for young homeless or potentially homeless people for whom there were no clear structures of support or statutory responsibilities. Since that time there have been many changes in the provisions for young people but DHYP’s aims and values remain unchanged. They are in brief: to provide a holistic support service for the young person; determined by a professional assessment of their needs with subsequent interventions based on enabling the young person to break the cycle of disadvantage and vulnerability and to develop a more positive and independent future that benefits themselves but also the wider community. DHYP’s clients are young people who reside within Doncaster Metropolitan Borough or need to move to the Doncaster Borough.

Doncaster Housing for Young People is committed to ensuring that the organisation is governed by the most suitable people for the role for the benefit of the young people it works for.

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that members are aware of the following:

Responsibilities
Officers’ individual responsibilities
Meetings
Expenses
Recruitment of new Trustees
Length of service and membership
Working relationships
Working groups

This policy should not be viewed or operated in isolation, but alongside the Constitution, Memorandum of Articles andRole Description of members.

Responsibilities

Trustees will have overall governance of the organisation and are responsible for:

Ensuring DHYP complies with all contract requirements and quality standards
Leading the charity and making decisions on how it is run
Making decisions that will impact on staff and clients
Adhere to DHYP’s Code of Conduct for Trustees – Appendix 1
Ensuring DHYP’s finances are sound and the organisation is able to run effectively
Promoting DHYP to other appropriate organisations they come into contact with
Ensuring compliance with the Charity Commission & Companies House

Ensuring DHYP works within the law.

Officers’ individual responsibilities

Chair – Appendix 2

Working alongside the Operations Manager to prepare agendas for the meeting (in consultation with other Board members)
Ensuring meetings are run competently
Ensuring discussion and decision-making is democratic and everyone is able to participate fully in meetings
Holding the casting vote in the event of a split decision
Ensuring relevant matters are discussed and appropriate decisions made
Chairing meetings and ensuring that annual general meetings and extraordinary general meetings are carried out according to the Memorandum of Articles and business needs
Being a counter signatory to any major banking transaction.

Vice Chair – Appendix 2

Deputising in the absence of the Chair on all of the above.

Treasurer – Appendix 3

Ensuring DHYP’s internal finance proceduresproduce accurate accounts
Reporting on monthly finance reports
Advising the committee on financial matters, both positive and negative
Ensuring financial and reporting compliance with the Charity Commission and Companies House
Taking the lead on formulating and reviewing policies for finances and investments
Controlling and accounting for the organisation’s finances
Overseeing bookkeeping
Preparing the Treasurer’s report for the annual general meeting
Liaising with the appointed Auditor or Independent Examiner for the annual review of accounts
Advising the management committee of its financial requirements for the year ahead.

DHYP has allocated a Company Secretary which is the Operations Manager. Thisposition does not automatically make them a member of the board, or a member of the organisation, and they have none of the rights or responsibilities of either.Responsibilities include:

Preparing agendas for meetings (in consultation with the Board members)
Taking minutes at meetings, type up and distribute to all members
Ensuring all documentation is submitted to the Charity Commission in line with legal requirement
Dealing with correspondence
Ensuring back-up information is available at meetings where required

Board Members/Directors - Appendix 4

Following the law and the rules in DHYP’s Memorandum of Articles
Acting responsibly and only in the interests of the charity
Being diligent and use reasonable care and skill when making decisions that affect the organisation, its staff and clients
Disclosing any offenceinvolving dishonesty or deception (unless spent for the purposes of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974).

All Board members MUST NOT

Behave irresponsibly or dishonestly, causing the charity to lose money or harm its professional reputation
Putt the organisation at risk by failing to take appropriate steps to manage serious risks.

Meetings

DHYP’s Board meetings are held monthly on the first Thursday of the month and last for approximately 2 hours (5:30pm – 7:30pm) at DHYP’s office. The agenda will be agreed prior to the meeting and sent out with all reports at least one week before the meeting takes place. Standard agenda items will include:

Welcome & Apologies
Minutes of the previous meeting
Service reports
Operations Managers report
Finance
AOB

Minutes of the meeting will be sent out in draft form within one week from the meeting taking place.

Expenses

DHYP will only pay out of pocket expenses; these can include but are not limited to:

Travel by car to meetings, reimbursed at 0.45p per mile
Train or bus travel, refunded on production of a receipt
Lunch for full days commitment

All expenses must be logged on an electronic expenses claim form for the previous month and submitted to the Operations Manager no later than the 7th of the following month.

Recruitment of new Trustees

The Trusteeswill take into consideration:

Specific job responsibilities
Gaps in skills& knowledge
Personal characteristics of members in order to reflect the local community population.

In order to comply with the Charity Act DHYP will not recruit anyone under 18 years of age, a paid employee or anyone disqualified under sections 178-180 of the Charity Act 2011 for being convicted of any offence involving dishonesty or deception (unless spent for the purposes of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974); because of bankruptcy that has not been discharged; for being removed from the office of charity trustee or trustee for a charity by an Order of the Commission under sections 76(1) and 79 of the 2011 Act; or for being subject to a disqualification order under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 or The Company Directors Disqualification (Northern Ireland) Order 2002. This also applies to anyone who has been banned from working with children under part II of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000.

DHYP will recruit new members through, but not limited to, the following:

Referrals and word-of-mouth
Publicising within DHYP’s network
External promotion
Using online resources.

DHYP will follow the following steps when recruiting new members:

1.Witten application

2.References obtained

3.Interviewby Trustees and young people

4.Decision process at a Board meeting

5.Notification of outcome of application

6.Induction

7.Invited to sit in on a Board meeting

8.6 month probationary period.

All newly recruited Trustees will be registered with the Charity Commission and Companies House as a Director.

Length of service & Membership

Trustees are able to stay as a general member/director for as long as they feel able to give time to the effective running of the organisation. Trustees will not hold the same office for more than three years.

Trustees may be asked to consider their role as a member of the Board of Trustees under the following circumstances, in line with the Constitution and Memorandum of Articles:

If a Trustee does not attend three meetings in a row without sending apologies the other Trustees have the right to ask them to resign. This will be done in a quorate meeting and the Trustee contacted in writing by the Chair

If a Trustee brings the organisation into disrepute or has acted illegally the other Trustees have the right to ask for them to be removed from the Board of Trustees with a majority vote and without notice. This will be done in a quorate meeting and the Trustee informed in writing by the Chair

If a Trustee does not attend 50% of meetings within a year then the Board of Trustees will consider their position.

If a Trustee wishes to resign this should be done in writing to all other members of the Board of Trustees and, where possible, presented at a monthly meeting.

At DHYP’s Annual general meeting all Trustees, regardless of position, must stand down and be re-elected.

Working relationships

The Trustees should recognise that effective relationships between them and the operational staff are key to good governance. Trustees should respect the staff responsibilities and priorities and not become involved with the direct operational work of the Charity. Their role is to govern, not manage the charity.

A Trustee is not part of the management structure and as such management lines should not be disrupted. The Trustees should consider how best to support senior management through good times and bad.

It is recognised that effective communication is vital for ensuring strong working relationships and when it works well the relationship between the Trustees, the Operations Manager and staff team can be a generative, creative partnership.

The Trustees will ensure that all staff issues are addressed through the Operations Manager and not directly with staff.

Working groups

The Trustees will allocate working groups with defined areas of responsibility as they see fit. Staff and Trustees can often work most effectively together in small working groups set up for a specific purpose. Such groups should have a clear remit and timetable.

Each Working Group will be managed by a nominated Trustee, who is responsible for ensuring that the report to the Board is produced in time and that feedback/recommendations from the Working Group to the Board takes place.

Appendix 1

Doncaster Housing for Young People

Trustees Code of Conduct

Purpose

The purpose of this Code of Conduct is to provide Trustees with clear guidelines as to their standard of behaviour, responsibilities and best practice in fulfilling their obligations to Doncaster Housing for Young People.

A Trustee must observe DHYP’s Code of Conduct whenever s/he:

(a) Conducts the business of DHYP;

(b) Conducts the business of the office to which s/he has been elected

or appointed; or

Accountability

Everything DHYP does will be able to stand the test of scrutiny by the public, the media, members, stakeholders, funders, and Government agencies

Integrity and honesty

These will be the hallmarks of all conduct when dealing with colleagues within DHYP and equally when dealing with individuals and institutions outside it.

Transparency

DHYP seeks to maintain an atmosphere of openness throughout the organisation to promote the confidence of the beneficiaries and the public.

Commitment

Trustees must be committed to DHYP and to its objects and beneficiaries.

Competence

Trustees must bring competence to their role and are expected to develop this competence. Trustees must keep themselves aware of issues affecting the charity sector, the organisation and its charitable objects.

The Legal Framework

Trustees must act in accordance with company (if relevant), charity and general law and with the Constitution of the organisation.

Preparation and Attendance

Trustees must spend an appropriate amount of time reading papers and preparing for committee meetings.

Decision-making

Trustees must act and make decisions only in the best interests of DHYP and present and future beneficiaries. Where trustees lack specific knowledge or experience, they should always seek professional advice.

Authority

Trustees are not executive directors and have no executive authority outside the Committee meetings except where specifically delegated by the Committee. Trustee decisions (except where delegated) are only made collectively at Committee meetings; trustees are jointly and severally responsible for their decisions.

Corporate responsibility

Trustees are expected to support any Committee decisions outside Committee meetings. Committee decisions should be communicated to staff (where relevant), volunteers, beneficiaries and others in a unified and appropriate manner. Matters of a confidential nature must remain so outside the confines of the Committee. Trustees are required not to bring themselves or DHYP into disrepute.

Benefits

Trustees must not receive any financial or other benefit as a result of their trusteeship that is not specifically authorised in the constitution. Trustees must, within 28 days of receiving any gift or hospitality over the value of £25, provide written notification to the Administrator of the existence and nature of that gift or hospitality.

Conflicts of interest

Trustees must not exert any influence based on their connection with DHYP to obtain preferential treatment for themselves or others. Any conflict of interest must be declared at the earliest opportunity. A trustee declaring such an interest must absent themselves from the Committee meeting during discussion of and decision about that item.

Appendix 2

Chairperson

Role description & person specification

The Chairperson has a strategic role to play in representing the vision and purpose of the organisation. The Chairperson ensures that the Board of Trustees functions properly, that there is full participation at meetings, all relevant matters are discussed and that effective decisions are made and carried out.

Ensure the management committee functions properly.

To plan and run meetings in accordance to the governing document.
To ensure matters are dealt with in an orderly, efficient manner.
To bring impartiality and objectivity to meetings and decision-making.
To facilitate change and address conflict within the board.
To review governance performance and skills.
To plan for recruitment and renewal of the Board of Trustees.

Ensure the organisation is managed effectively.

To liaise with the Operations Manager, as appropriate, to keep an overview of the organisation’s affairs.
To co-ordinate the committee to ensure responsibilities for particular aspects of management (e.g. personnel matters, financial control etc) are met and specialist
expertise is employed as required.
To facilitate change and address conflict within the organisation, liaising with the chief
officer to achieve this.

Ensure support and supervision is provided to staff.

To ensure line management, regular supervision and annual appraisal takes place for the Operations Manager.
To sit on appointment and final appeal grievance panels, as appropriate.

Represent the organisation.

To communicate effectively the vision and purpose of the organisation.
To advocate for and represent the organisation at external meetings and events.
To be aware of current issues that might affect the organisation.

Qualities and Skills Required.

Good leadership skills.
Good communication and interpersonal skills.
Impartiality, fairness and the ability to respect confidences.
Ability to ensure decisions are taken and followed-up.
Good time-keeping.
Tact and diplomacy.
Understanding of the roles/responsibilities of a Board of Trustees.
Experience of organisational and people management.

Time Commitment: The role of Chair requires an estimated commitment of between 7-10

hours per month.

EXAMPLE

Appendix 3

Treasurer

Role description & person specification

The overall role of a treasurer is to maintain an overview of the organisation’s financial affairs, ensuring its viability and ensuring that proper financial records and procedures are maintained. The role and person specification are summarised below.

General financial oversight.

To oversee and present budgets, accounts and financial statements.
To liaise with designated staff about financial matters.
To ensure that appropriate accounting procedures and controls are in place.
To ensure compliance with relevant legislation.
To ensure any recommendations of the auditors are implemented.
To ensure accounts meet the conditions of contractual agreements with external agencies such as funders and statutory bodies.

Financial planning and reporting.

To present financial reports to the committee.
To make a presentation of the accounts at the annual general meeting (AGM).
To advise on the organisation’s reserves policy and investment policy.
To advise on the financial implications of the organisation’s strategic and operational plans.
To advise on the fundraising strategy of the organisation.
To ensure that there is no conflict between any investment held and the aims and objects of the charity.

Other.

To sit on appraisal, recruitment and disciplinary panels as required.

Qualities and Skills Preferred.

Experience of financial control and budgeting.
Experience of fundraising and pension schemes.
Good communication and interpersonal skills.
A willingness to be contacted on an ad hoc basis.
Ability to ensure decisions are taken and followed-up.
Good time-keeping.

Time Commitment Required.

The role of the Treasurer requires an estimated commitment of between6-10 hours per month.

Appendix 4

Trustee

Role description & person specification

The Board of Trustees takes on the ultimate legal and financial responsibility for all the activities of the organisation. They maintain an overview of policy and strategic direction rather than being involved in day-to-day operations. The role is summarised below.