Description

All trustees collectively have responsibility for Play Midlothian, with day to day management delegated to staff. The legal responsibilities for each trustee, under the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act (2005), are to:
· Act in the interest of the charity: Trustees should put the interests of their charity before their own interests or those of any other person or organisation.
· Operate in a manner consistent with the charity’s purposes
· Act with due care and diligence
· Ensure that the charity complies with the provisions of the 2005 Act and other relevant legislation.
Play Midlothian has identified the key responsibilities of its trustees as:
· To contribute to setting the vision and overall strategic direction for the organisation
· To ensure good financial planning, agreeing the income generation strategy and budgets
· To ensure that income and expenditure levels are regularly compared to agreed budgets and that variances are identified and explained
· To manage, safeguard and protect the assets and resources of Play Midlothian and ensure that they are used only for the purposes set out in Play Midlothian’s governing document
· To oversee the development and delivery of Play Midlothian’s business plan, including monitoring and reviewing progress against agreed activities and outcomes
· To promote a culture of evaluation and learning within Play Midlothian and with its stakeholders
· To manage and safeguard the reputation of Play Midlothian and oversee the strategy for external and stakeholder relations
· To ensure that Play Midlothian adheres to its own values, particularly in relation to service users, volunteers, staff and other stakeholders
· To ensure a commitment to equalities throughout the policy and practice of Play Midlothian

Organisation aims and objectives

We work to support children to thrive through play. We focus on play because we know how much this benefits children’s health, wellbeing and development. It is important for their lives in the here and now as well as for their future life chances. We: Provide enriching opportunities for children to play in support of their health, wellbeing and development Build family, community and professional capacity to support play Advocate for play and inform and influence decision-making

Frequency and commitment details

As a minimum, you need to be able to commit to: · Frequently attending board meetings, of which there are approximately six per year (every two months, on a weekday evening, for two hours) · Participating in HR and Finance Subgroup meetings, of which there are usually three per year (every four months, on a weekday evening, for two hours) · Attending infrequent development or strategic planning sessions (usually no more than once per year)

Restrictions

As Play Midlothian is a children’s charity, trustees must be PVG checked before they commence their role. If you are not already a member of the PVG scheme, you will need to join (which Play Midlothian will administer and there will be no cost).
Experience required: Entrepreneurs (particularly working with or leading social enterprises); change management; delivering growth for smaller organisations, ideally third sector. We have a few spaces, so do get in touch if interested but have a different skillset.
Travel details: Meetings are most often held at Play Midlothian’s offices in Gorebridge, but could be held in other locations around Midlothian
Minimum age: 16

Support

Expenses paid: Yes
Expenses details: Trustees are not paid for their duties, but are able to claim the cost of travel to and from meetings (within reason) and other appropriate expenses.
Training details: Trustees will receive an induction to enable them to understand Play Midlothian, what we do, how we work and the role of the trustees and board. In addition, trustees are offered ongoing opportunities to access training on the role of a charity trustee and other topics. Trustees are also offered opportunities to get to understand the impact of Play Midlothian’s work better, which may include; shadowing staff, attending staff team meetings, meeting service users and volunteers, or linking more closely with one specific team or area of activity.
Support: Named Contact For Volunteer,
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