Purpose

You will be joining Butterflies Haven at an exciting time of growth and development for the charity. We are building on strong foundations, and our plans for the future are being developed by a passionate group of staff, volunteers and trustees.

We are seeking to expand our Board of Trustees, building on and developing the skills of our Trustees as we look to maximise our impact on the local community and continue to facilitate and deliver the regular Butterflies Haven sessions to a high standard. As part of Butterflies Haven, you will be crucial in continuing our ethos of supporting children and young people, and their families as well as being an

important part of our team.

About Butterflies Haven

Butterflies Haven is a charity based in Keynsham between Bristol and Bath. We have created a caring community that offers support and social opportunities for children, young people and their families who are living with Autism or any developmental delay, whether diagnosed or not.

What We Can Offer You

At Butterflies Haven, we want our team to feel valued and important to the organisation. To demonstrate our dedication to this, we offer a variety of training opportunities, including support from more experienced Trustees and financial support with reasonable out-of-pocket expenses agreed in advance. Regular reviews will be an opportunity for us to talk constructively about your involvement with the charity and any issues either of us may be experiencing. If your child/children are living with autism, they can also attend the sessions for free.

Key Information

Location: Trustee meetings are held each month on Tuesday evenings in Keynsham

Status: Volunteer

Hours: Minimum of 4 hours per month to include preparation for and attendance at meetings, plus additional hours as needed to attend fundraising activities, observe sessions etc

What is a Trustee?

Trustees have overall control of a charity and are responsible for making sure it’s doing what it was set up to do.

Trustees lead the charity, setting the strategic vision and deciding how it is run. Being a trustee means making decisions that will impact on the lives of our members and their families or guardians.

Trustees use their skills and experience to support their charities, helping them achieve their aims.

Responsibilities of a Trustee

As a member of the Board of Trustees you will have statutory responsibilities for the running of the charity. Trustees will ensure:

 Butterflies Haven pursues its stated purposes as set out in the governing document. Trustees will help develop and agree a long-term strategy to achieve this

 The charity complies with its governing document

 The charity complies with charity law, company law and any other relevant legislation or regulations

 Butterflies Haven only uses its resources for its charitable objectives

 Butterflies Haven defines its aims and objectives and evaluates performanceagainst agreed targets

 The financial stability of the charity

 Butterflies Haven has effective and efficient administrative processes in place, including appropriate policies and procedures

 Butterflies Haven adheres to Safer Recruitment Principles in the appointment, supervision and support of staff and volunteers. This includes ensuring formal arrangements are in place for renumeration members of staff.

 Acting as an ambassador for Butterflies Haven, you will safeguard the good name and values of the charity.

In addition, you will:

 review papers presented to the board

 provide advice on any issue where you may have special expertise (eg health

and safety, safeguarding, marketing etc)

You will have

Good, independent judgement

 a willingness to listen to others

 a willingness to ask questions and express your point of view

 strategic vision

 an ability to think creatively

 an understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship

 an ability to work as part of a team

 a willingness to devote the necessary time and effort

 a commitment to Nolan’s seven principles of public life:

o selflessness

o integrity

o objectivity

o accountability

o openness

o honesty

o leadership

How to Apply

Please send your CV and cover letter (no more than 2 sides of A4) outlining how your skills and experience meet the criteria in the role description to Chris Jorgensen, Vice Chair of Trustees, info@butterflies-haven.com or by post to 20 Temple Street, Keynsham, Bristol BS31 1EH

There are 4 trustee vacancies in total. In particular we are interested in people who may have skills and experience in fundraising, marketing, safeguarding and/or health and safety, to compliment the skills of the existing board members.