Safeguarding our vision, mission, values and reputation

Our Board

The Board of Trustees as a whole is collectively responsible for delivering the long term success of the charity.

They do this by setting and safeguarding the vision, mission, values and reputation of the charity, providing oversight of the running of the organisation and ensuring that the organisation understands and complies with its legal and regulatory obligations.

The charity’s governance framework is in alignment with the principles of the 'Charity Governance Code for Larger Charities', published by the Charity Commission in 2017, and refreshed in 2020. The charity is committed to maintaining the highest standards of governance and uses the code as a practical point of reference to drive a process of continual improvement built upon the code’s principles, rationales and key outcomes.

The Code’s seven principles cover organisation purpose; leadership; integrity; decision making, risk and control; board effectiveness; equality; diversity and inclusion; and openness and transparency.

The Board has a schedule of specific matters reserved to it for decision and it delegates specific duties to Committees of the Board.

They meet five times each year and additional meetings are convened as and when required.

The Board agrees an annual schedule of matters it wishes to consider at each of its meetings and those of its committees. The schedule ensures that all relevant matters are considered and receive appropriate attention. At Board meetings consideration is given to:

operational updates,
finance,
progress against strategic objectives,
risk and internal controls, and
various other reporting matters and items for approval that arise throughout the year.

Trustees

Trustee Directors are appointed for an initial 3 year term. They are eligible to stand for a maximum of three terms (nine years in total).

On appointment, each Director is given an induction which provides them with information regarding:

the history of the charity,
their responsibilities as trustees and directors,
the regulatory environment,
the terms of reference and membership of Board and its committees,
information about the Company’s corporate governance practices and procedures, and
the latest financial information about the charity.

New trustees meet with other members of the Board and the Executive Team and are encouraged to visit the charity’s nationwide offices.

Trustees receive regular updates throughout the year about the charity’s performance and the regulatory environment in which they operate.

Board Committees

Audit and Risk Committee

Membership: Tim Frost (Chair), Nick Caplan, Chris Stern and Lesley Titcomb.

The Audit and Risk Committee have five scheduled meetings each year and additional meetings are convened as and when required.

The Audit and Risk Committee reviews the adequacy and effectiveness of the charity’s systems of internal controls and risk management.

Remuneration Committee

Membership: Helen Dean (Chair) and Chris Wood.

The Remuneration Committee determines the overall framework of the remuneration policy.

Nomination Committee

Membership: John Griffith-Jones (Chair), Helen Dean and Chris Stern.

The role of the Nomination Committee is to review the structure, size, and composition of the Board, including skills, knowledge and experience; identify and nominate for Board approval candidates to fill Board vacancies; consider succession planning for Directors and other Senior Managers; and consider and review any conflicts of interest that may be reported by the Directors.