Trustee Information Pack

Oldham Metropolitan

Citizens Advice Bureau

Charity Registration Number 519868

Company Limited by Guarantee.

Registered number 2165003 England

Contents

Introducing Oldham District CAB

            Recent Campaigns

            Vision and Values

            Service Profile

Organisation chart

            Overview of Trustee Duties and Responsibilities

Summary Role Description

Summary Person Specification

How to apply

         
Introducing Oldham District Citizens Advice Bureau

Who we are

We are a small non-profit charity which relies on funding from Government bodies, companies, charities and many others to make a difference to the lives of individuals, families and communities.

What we do

We help more than 35,000 people a year fight for their rights and get back on their feet.

We also tackle the root causes of social problems by campaigning for new laws, policies and solutions.

Advice giving

Through our direct contact with individuals and families we deal with over 50,000 problems every year. Trained advisers at our bureau offices, telephone advice line and outreach centres give free, confidential, impartial and independent advice.

Influencing Policy

We want a long-term solution to everyday social problems. So we fight for changes in law and policies, to improve the lives of local people. We lobby government and local authorities for new laws and policies. Working with our national body, we make our views known on draft bills and laws, as well as briefing ministers on the facts. We also work to improve good practice at a local level, by demanding that local authorities and government agencies help people in need.

Training

Oldham CAB is becoming one of Oldham’s foremost providers of training for agencies and individuals working in the advice sector. We provide high quality training freely to people willing to commit their time and expertise to us, and at affordable prices to other agencies.  We are backed by years of in-house training experience.

Recent Campaigns

Every day, the CAB Service makes a real difference to the lives of people in desperate need. We also collect evidence of our clients’ problems in order to campaign for changes in the policies and services that affect them. Below are just a few of the areas which we have challenged in recent years:

§         We have noted problems with Warm Front workmanship and contractor prices

§         ….excessive waiting times to receive Community Care Grant Decisions and Pension Credit decisions

§         ….poor administration of Tax Credits and gaps in receiving Tax Credits due to change in circumstances

§         …mobile phone contracts

§         The complexity of the benefit system for the most vulnerable, for example, those who may have been hospitalised or those with poor mental health, has caused real hardship.  We have assisted with research for the Nuffield Foundation to look at the ‘cost of compliance’ for claimants of benefits and tax credits.  The term compliance is used to refer to the costs for claimants in terms of time and money – and other, less easily quantifiable costs, such as psychological effects, (loss of privacy, hassle, stigma etc.) in claiming, maintaining a claim to, and leaving benefits and tax credits.  Our expectation is that this research will highlight the problems and lead to significant changes in policy.

§         Along with other bureaux we have collected evidence on ‘sale and rent back agreements’; agreements  where homeowners sell their house to a firm at a discount to market value and in return are allowed to remain in the property as tenants.  We have encountered clients at risk of losing their home due to poor administration of an agreement, The Office of Fair Trading is now investigating practices in the unregulated sector and our clients have been given the chance to voice their concerns.

Vision and values

Our vision

To be recognised above all as an agent of social change; helping the people of Oldham take more control of their lives through accessible, responsive advice and enriching society through powerful influence on social policy.

Our aims

There are two key strategic aims for Oldham CAB’s work during 2009-2012

1.   Provide the advice people need for the problems they face.

2.   Improve the policies and practices that affect people’s lives

In addition, our strategy proposes two additional key ways of working across the organisation:

1.      Get the most from our income by making our structures and processes as efficient as possible

2.      Work in partnership with other local and national agencies and bodies

Together these aims form the core of what Oldham CAB will do over the next three years.

Our values

As an organisation we achieve results, we continuously improve and we promote equality and fairness.

Service Profile

Oldham District CAB was launched in September 1939.  It was formed at the outbreak of the Second World War in response to the confusions and difficulties people faced.  The Service has developed over its 70 -year history; we have established a commitment to innovative methods of service delivery and aim to ensure that we continuously adapt to the changing needs of the people.

Oldham Citizens Advice Bureaux is a member of Citizens Advice (formally the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux).  We are a registered Charity and a Company limited by Guarantee. 

Our service operates from split sites situated in the Town Centre, with an extension service at the Royal Oldham Hospital. 

The Bureaux General Advice arm deals with approximately 40,000 – 50,000 enquiries per annum.  We provide a balance of access methods ranging from Open Door, Appointments, Outreach, Home Visits and Telephone Advice through a Call Centre based at Oldham’s central bureau.

Both Citizens Advice and the Legal Services Commission audit all the Management procedures and Casework Services provided by the District.  These audits provide the opportunity to evaluate the Bureau’s performance and ensure continued development within the policies of Citizens Advice and Community Legal Services.

The services we provide would not be possible without funding and support.  Our principal funders are:

1.  Age Concern

2.  Citizens Advice

3.  Department for Work Pensions

4.  Legal Service Commission

4.  Macmillan

6.  Oldham College

7.  Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council

8.  Oldham Primary Care Trust

9.  Shaw and Crompton Parish Council.

Oldham CAB has a budgeted turnover of over £900,000 per year.

Further information can be found at www.oldhamcab.co.uk

Overview of Trustee Duties and Responsibilities

The role of trustee carries legal duties and responsibilities. It is a voluntary role, which should be undertaken because you are committed to furthering the purposes of Oldham District CAB and have the skills, experience and personal qualities needed for the strategic management of our complex organisation.

The chair and trustees have overall responsibility for the policy and strategic management of Oldham District CAB. They control our affairs, funds, property and give ultimate direction to our activities. The day-to-day operations are conducted by Oldham District CAB’s staff, volunteers and supporters under the overall leadership and supervision of the trustees.

To serve as chair or trustee you must be over the age of 18 and not disqualified because of bankruptcy, unspent criminal convictions for offences of deception or dishonesty or a legal order for removal/disqualification as a trustee or company director. It is a criminal offence to act as charity chair or trustee while disqualified.

You must act at all times in the interests of Oldham District CAB and you will find yourself in breach of trust if you allow your interests (either personally or as representative for another person or organisation) to stand in the way of Oldham District CAB’s interests, of if you act without due care. Any conflict of interest permitted by our constitution must be dealt with strictly in accordance with the terms of that constitution.

The chair and trustees receive no fees, remuneration, salary or other financial benefits nor any other material benefits in their role as chair or trustee. They must not profit or benefit personally, directly or indirectly, from Oldham District CAB. If you improperly receive any benefit you will have committed a breach of trust and will be liable to make good the losses to Oldham District CAB from your personal funds.

Board meetings take place 6 times a year in our central Oldham bureau, usually between the hours of 5:30pm and 7:30pm. Both the chair and trustees would also be expected to attend ad hoc Oldham district CAB events.  

What about the rewarding aspects of trusteeship?

The role of a charity trustee can seem daunting, but it can also be incredibly satisfying and highly rewarding.

Through handling often demanding issues and circumstances, trustees gain unique insights into the Oldham community and further, develop new skills. Trustee involvement by way of generating ideas and opportunities to advance the charity and raise funds to support it requires creative thinking and innovative problem-solving. Policy and decision making demands team work which aids the development of negotiation and communication skills. Add to this participation in the strategic planning and management of the bureau and its staff and the immense opportunities that exist for personal development become clear.

Finally, from the perspective of personal satisfaction and civic pride, owing to your involvement in the local community, you can relish the thought that you are making a valuable contribution to society.

Being a trustee with Oldham CAB offers opportunities to:

      Use your skills and experience effectively

      Improve your personal networks

      Develop new skills

      Improve your career prospects

      Get involved in the local community

      Engage in bureau social activities

      Make a difference