Scout Trustee Board

Scout Trustee Board

Purpose

The Trustee Board is a team of volunteers who work together, as charity trustees, to make sure Scouts is run safely and legally. At the heart of their role is a focus on strategy, performance and assurance. Effective Trustee Board governance helps our volunteers deliver fantastic programmes that give young people skills for life.

Who's in the team

• Chair

• Treasurer

• Trustees

Other volunteers are automatically Trustees because of their roles in Scouts:

• Group / District / County Lead Volunteer

• District / County Youth Lead

Tasks for the whole team

 All Trustees are equally responsible, but they might decide to split the tasks between them.

Trustees work together to make sure Groups, Districts, and Counties:

Manage money well

• Have enough money for now and in the future. This means having a reserves policy and making sure fundraising takes place, if it’s needed.

• Have a budget in place. Trustees then agree how to manage the budget with other volunteer teams. Follow Scouts policies and relevant legislation

• Follow POR, key policies (including safety, safeguarding, data protection, and equality, diversity and inclusion), and charity regulations.

 • Follow employment law, and act as a responsible employer in line with Scout values if staff are employed. Make sure effective line management is in place for each staff member, which can be delegated to others.

• Create Trustees Annual Report and Statement of Accounts.

• Have Statement of Accounts audited by an appropriate person before the Annual General Meeting. If they’re a registered charity, they’ll need to share it with the charity regulator.

• Hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM).

Look after buildings, insurance and property

• Look after records of ownership of property and equipment.

• Have the right insurance for people, buildings, and equipment.

• Make sure buildings and equipment are working well. Manage risks

• Maintain a risk register and put the right risk mitigations in place.

Help the charity to operate well, today and in the future

• Work with Lead Volunteers to meet their charity aims.

• Champion Our Volunteering Culture, and make sure volunteers are aware of it, reflect on it, commit to it, and apply it in their teams.

In carrying out the above, Trustees also:

• Make sure effective administration is in place to support the work of the Trustee Board.

• Make sure records of Trustee Board meetings are kept and complete any actions that are agreed.

• Run open selection processes for appointing Trustees.

• Co-opt Trustees onto the Board if they need people with particular skills or knowledge.

• Get expert advice, if needed. This could be on health and safety, managing money, buildings, equipment, or employment.

• Network with other Scouts Trustees to share knowledge and experience.

Allocated tasks

Chair

• Lead the Trustee Board.

• Plan when Trustee Board meetings should take place and decide what to talk about at each meeting.

• Lead Trustee Board meetings and the Annual General Meeting (AGM).

• Liaise with Lead Volunteers. • Lead recruitment for new Trustees.

• Support other Trustees by organising inductions, making reasonable adjustments (where needed), checking in to see how they’re getting on, and carrying out annual reviews.

Treasurer

• Look after finances, such as making sure Groups / Districts / Counties are collecting all membership fees and making all payments.

• Share details about income and spend with other Trustees.

• Make sure Gift Aid is being claimed.

• Make sure proper accounts are kept and draw up policies on finance and investment.

What it means to be a Trustee and where to get support

Trustees are part of an important team. You can find out more about the legal aspects of being a Trustee, whether you’re in England and Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland. It’s also covered in the Trustee Introduction module.

You can visit the Scouts webpage to find out more information about being a Trustee, join the Managers and Trustees in Scouting Facebook page, or talk to other local Trustees to get support.

Each Group, District and County is a separate charity, whether or not the Group, District and County is registered with a charity regulator.

All Scout Trustees are covered by Trustee Indemnity Insurance.