Finance Trustee

Home-Start Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham

About us

We support families in Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, and Hammersmith and Fulham with at least 1 child under the age of 5 and/or who are expecting a baby. We believe that parents are the first, most important educators of their children. We help them to grow in confidence, be more involved in their children's development and learning, promote positive behaviour, and build their community networks. Our network of trained volunteer befrienders and therapists offer practical and emotional support to families experiencing difficulties such as social isolation, mental health issues, poverty, insecure/inappropriate housing, disability and/or illness, relationship breakdown, and domestic violence, all of which have been exacerbated in recent years due to the impact of the pandemic and cost of living crisis. With over 2 decades of experience supporting local families, we are extremely well placed to deliver flexible, holistic, non-judgemental support to help families overcome these barriers, feel more connected to their local community and better cope with their difficulties and the challenges of raising a family.

Our Services

As the families we work with often have complex needs our range of services enable us to tailor the support for each family and compliment the outreach support provided by our experienced co-ordinators. This menu of support includes:

• Befriending Support: Volunteer befrienders visit families weekly in their homes providing a listening ear and reassurance, encourage families to access essential services in their community (e.g. Children's Centres or debt advice), assist them in applying for benefits or grants for essential items, support them with parenting skills by modelling play at home, and accompanying families to appointments they may find challenging (e.g. housing or legal).
• Bump-Start Perinatal Project: Extending our weekly volunteer befriending support to pregnant women and their families, antenatally and during the first year of their baby's life. By starting earlier, we can better promote the healthy attachment of parents and infants, with a long-term impact on children's wellbeing. Bump-Start volunteers are trained in post-natal depression, attachment, and maternal-infant mental health and offer support and reassurance to isolated new parents.
• Free Long-Term Therapy: Parents coping with anxiety, depression, family breakdown, domestic violence and other traumas are provided with weekly one-to-one sessions with a clinically supervised volunteer trainee therapist. Sessions are delivered in local Children's Centres in the community with funding for childcare available, enabling parents who otherwise wouldn't access this kind of long-term therapeutic help to attend and address underlying emotional issues.
• Family Support Groups- We continue to respond to needs within the community as identified by families and in collaboration with partner organisations to prevent duplication. Groups are open to all families, and we accompany families who need support to attend a group.
• Family Outings and Events: A programme of free outings/events for families in school holidays, enabling families to enjoy time together, discover local parks/activities, gain new experiences, and reduce isolation.

About the role: Treasurer of the Board of Trustees

Are you looking for an opportunity to use your financial skills to help a charity supporting children and families?

We are looking for a qualified accountant to become our new Treasurer starting this winter. You would play a key role in ensuring the financial soundness of the charity, overseeing the work of our paid finance manager who is herself a qualified accountant, and accounting to the rest of the Board for the charity's finances. In addition, as a trustee, you would play a full role in helping determine the charity's overall strategy. Our current Treasurer has been with us for 9 successful years and the candidate would inherit sound financial systems and processes.

Time commitment:

You would be a full member of the Board of Trustees who set the charity's strategy and monitor progress against it. The Board meets six times a year. The Treasurer also jointly chairs the Finance and Funding Committee with the Chair which meets between Board meetings.

Home-Start Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham offers support, friendship and practical help to parents with young children in 3 boroughs - Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, and Hammersmith & Fulham. It is well established and has a small team of highly trained, enthusiastic and dynamic staff who are passionately dedicated to the wellbeing of children and their carers. Although a separate charity it is part of the Home-Start UK family and follows its guidance.

Job description for the Treasurer of the Board of Trustees

Role of the Treasurer to the Board

To maintain effective governance of HSWKCHF affairs, ensuring financial viability and ensuring that proper processes and procedures exist for assuring all financial records, decisions and delegations are maintained.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic:

• To assist and advise in the formation of the Charity's strategy with particular regard to ensuring that the Charity has the resources to deliver the strategy.

2. Financial:

• To ensure that the Board receives appropriate budgetary and financial information on the activities of the charity including Annual Accounts
• To ensure that all accounts are prepared and disclosed in the form required by funders and the relevant statutory bodies
• To recommend to the Board appropriate accounting procedures, controls and policies consistent with the scheme of delegation;
• To ensure that the Charity monitors the performance of its investments and to set an appropriate reserves policy
• To oversee the appointment of auditors and review annually.
• To work in close partnership with the Finance Manager in executing their responsibilities.

3. Governance:

• To ensure that the Board is aware of its financial duties and responsibilities and the need to comply with all legislation
• To ensure that all financial policies, procedures and the appointment of external financial advisors/auditors are reviewed on a regular basis
• To ensure that the Board's scheme of delegation is reviewed on a regular basis
• To act as Chair of the Finance and Fundraising sub-committee of the Board.

General responsibilities of a Trustee In addition to the responsibilities outlined above:

• Contribute actively to the Board of Trustees' role in giving strategic direction to the charity, setting overall strategy and policy, setting targets and evaluating performance against agreed targets;
• Ensure the financial stability of the organisation and the proper investment of the Charity's funds;
• Ensure the Charity applies its resources exclusively in pursuing its objectives;
• Ensure the effective and efficient administration of the Charity;
• Safeguard the good name and values of the Charity;
• Declare any conflict of interest while carrying out the duties of a Trustee;
• Be collectively responsible for the actions of the Charity and other Trustees;
• Participate in other tasks as arise from time to time, such as interviewing new staff, helping with fundraising;
• Keep informed about the activities of the charity and wider issues which affect its work. In addition to the duties of all Trustees, each Trustee should use any specific skills, knowledge or experience they have to help the Board of Trustees reach sound decisions. This will involve scrutinising Board papers, leading discussions, focusing on key issues, and providing advice and guidance requested by the Board on new initiatives, or other issues, to the area of the Charity's work in which the Trustee has special expertise.

Application by: CV and cover letter.

Application Deadline: Fri 7-2-25, 5pm.

Interviews: Tuesday 11-2-25.

Board meetings: 6 per year, at the end of January, March, May, July, September (Board & AGM), and November.

Any other information: to discuss the role, contact Thienhuong Nguyen

(Registered Office) St Pauls Church Centre, 3 Rossmore Road, London NW1 6NJ

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