Trustee

TrusteeCandidate PackA letter from our ChairThank you for your interest in joining our board.PiP works in the Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster communities tosupport adults with learning disabilities and autism to achieve their potential,move towards independence, and live a life of their choice.Established in 1983 by parents wanting more challenging and ambitioussupport for their children, we have delivered 40 years of impact and supportin our communities. Our history is rich & varied, and we have grown from 25students a decade ago to nearly 100 beneficiaries today.From our custom-adapted centre on Kensal Road where we moved in 2022, werun four key curriculum areas: Creative and Performing Arts; Employability,Health & Wellbeing, and Independent Living Skills. Alongside this work we runa number of services in the community like our Vocational Training Enterprisese.g. Fruitful, Seedlings, Craftworks or Gig Buddies which supports with adultswith learning disabilities to access social events and make lasting friendships. The organisation is led by a chief executive with deep sector experience, askilled and settled management team, and a board of eight trustees with adiversity of experience and perspectives.As we embark on the next exciting stage of our journey, we are looking fornew trustees to support PiP with our vision. We are delighted that you may beconsidering this position, PiP is a unique charity in impact, ambition, and heart.We are on a sound financial footing and are actively exploring new ways tosupport our students. As a charity we are well established and you will havegood support structures in place as you get to grips with the role and ourorganisation.I hope the following information on PIP captures your interest and we lookforward to hearing from you.Yours sincerely,Micah GoldChairWho we are: PIP works in the Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster communities tosupport adults with learning disabilities and autism.With 32 staff and a Board of 7, we work to empower nearly 100 adults withLearning Disabilities and Autism every year to achieve their potential, movetowards independence and live a life of their choice. We believe our staff andvolunteers are our greatest asset with development and progression a majorfocus point for our team. Our approach is student-led and each student's timetable is the result of acollaborative approach with students, families, and social workers. Studentgoals range from learning to cook and building friendships to exploringcreativity and securing part-time work. Each student at PiP is referred by ourLocal Authority partners and with a waiting list of over 40 students we areconfident we offer a top-tier service.Financially we are stable with strong financial reserves and an income mixcirca 75% commissioned services and 25% philanthropic partnerships. From thisposition of strength, we plan to invest in our team and projects to expand ourprovision and secure more impact in our community.Why we need you: PiP needs trustees who share our values and want to see people with learningdisabilities gain skills and confidence and get the best possible opportunitiesto live the life they choose.    Today, as we recruit new trustees, we’re looking for people with vision,leadership, and a strategic mindset to plan and oversee our next stage.Considering questions like:How to diversify our offer to meet all the needs of those we support How to better support students ready to leave PiPWhat new projects and services would reach more people in morecommunities. Who we support and why:At PiP, our focus is on teaching and learning life skills; so those we work withself-identify as PiP students. Ranging in age from 18 to 68, our averagestudent is around 34 years old.PiP students have a range of learning disabilities including Down's Syndrome,Fragile X, Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC), dual diagnosis with mentalhealth problems and/or physical health conditions such as Diabetes andEpilepsy.PiP’s team deliver person-centred support to each of our students to identifytheir strengths, interests and passions. We support them and their families &carers to maximise opportunities in their community through signposting andworking in partnership with like-minded organisations.Structural inequalities in society mean that people with learning disabilitiesare not always recognised for their skills and talents and given theopportunity to live independent lives. Our board and staff team want tochallenge that, making sure that every PiP student has a voice and can maketheir own choices about their own lives.We are keen for our students to always have a voice, inside and outside ofPiP. To support this, we run advocacy sessions and every week our studentshold a student's meeting with their own agenda where they can express theirviews on PiP and ask about anything like new staff, our leisure programmes,or fundraising. Our student council is made up of student representativeswho provide feedback to senior management and the Board.Our Board Each Board member serves for three years and is able to serve two terms. Youwill be serving alongside the following trustees(links to LinkedIn and PiP profiles for further information):Chair of Trustees: Micah GoldTrustee: Patrick Brown Trustee: Terri Cash Trustee: Theresa EkenduTrustee: Tilly LangTrustee: Judy Wilcox Trustee: Leanne WilliamsWhat we're looking forBelow outlines the broad criteria that PiP desires from the person who fills thispost. We expect that the individual appointed may not meet all the criteriabelow, and that experience, skills, and understanding of our work may comefrom many areas including voluntary or lived/caring experience.As Trustee your primary responsibilities will include:Ensure our charity is carrying out its purposes for the public benefitComply with our charity’s governing document and the lawAct in our charity’s best interestsEnsure our charity is accountableManage our charity’s resources responsiblyAct with reasonable care and skillWe’re looking for someone with the following skills & experience: Experience in one or more of social care, legal, governance, finance, post-16education, local knowledge, commercial, or lived experience.Good communication skills with the ability to inform and engage a widerange of audiences An understanding of the importance of PiP’s work and our person-centredapproach to addressing inequalities for adults with learning disabilitiesA willingness to commit time and effort to the development of PIP The ability to engage comfortably at all levels A commitment to PiP’s values.What’s in it for you?You will be joining a friendly board with a variety of skills and you will gainimmense satisfaction from a role in which you will steward our mission tocombat social inequalities and their effect on people with learning disabilities.Your involvement will mean we can ensure that every PiP student has a voiceand can make their own choices about their own lives. The trustees have overall control of the governance of PiP. They are ultimatelyresponsible for the charity, although the day-to-day running of it is delegatedto the Senior Management Team. Time commitmentBoard meetings take place between 4-6 times per year for normally two hoursin the early evening at our centre on 306 Kensal Road. Papers are sent out inadvance and are regarded as pre-read for meeting purposes. We have anannual away day in order to look at our direction in more depth. Trustees mayalso like to participate in committees or working groups. Beyond this, the commitment is flexible with a standing invite to all eventsincluding showcases, football tournaments, and parents/carers evenings. Theposition is voluntary, unpaid, and non-executive. Reasonable expenses such astravel will be paid.How to applyWe recommend a first step of discussing the role with Denise Largin, CEO at PiP. Please e-mail DeniseL@piponline.org.uk to arrange a talk about the role andwe’ll arrange for you to visit us and learn more about PiP, our work, and ourfuture plans. We expect to shortlist and interview in early March.Your formal application should include your CV and acovering letter outlining your interest in the role and whyyou believe you are a strong fit for PiP. The covering lettershould be no longer than two pages. Please submit allapplications by email to Denise at DeniseL@piponline.org.uk.We look forward to welcoming you to our centre andintroducing you to our students, staff, and fellow trustees.