Peer Support Plus offers free, weekly Peer-facilitated Support Groups to adults in the Leeds Metropolitan District who want to learn to better manage their mental health.
Our Trustees choose to operate and manage Peer Support Plus CIO at very low cost so we can avoid becoming dependent upon regular grants or taxpayer funding.
We have no employees, no office and no physical assets to support. Our expenses are nearly all connected with operating Peer Support Groups – including Publicity, Recruitment, Facilitator Training, DBS checks, Insurance, Mobile phone, Website, Zoom licence, and some internet-connected loan tablets so people who are digitally-disadvantaged can participate in our Zoom Support Group.
All of our Trustees, Facilitators and Administrators are volunteers. We are ordinary everyday people. Most of us continue to actively manage our own mental health. Together we achieved something extraordinary, founding the charity during the Covid pandemic then expanding and sustaining its services. We are living proof, if that were needed, that Peer Support works.
2024/25 is our fifth year of offering weekly Peer-facilitated Support Groups in-person and by Zoom. We currently have five Trustees, including two who helped establish the charity in 2020. We discovered we could be effective Trustees. Could you?
We would like to bring fresh perspectives and greater diversity to our Board of Trustees, as well as broadening the range of skills and experiences available to the charity. We would be open to adding one or two additional Trustees to The Board.
Our Trustees need to be open-minded, compassionate and responsive. Everyone experiences episodes of mental ill health, just as everyone experiences physical ill health. Ideally you will have lived experience of taking responsibility for and actively managing your own mental ill health – but that is not essential.
The Board of Trustees meets formally once each month by Zoom for about 90 minutes. Trustees sometimes organise additional ‘working sessions’ by Zoom to focus on particular issues or action points.
We don’t expect you to be out of pocket if you travel for training or to volunteer for us, or incur other costs directly related to the role. Trustees are able to claim and be reimbursed reasonable pre-authorised and receipted expenses.
Tasks and responsibilities
- Help to provide transparent, inclusive, leadership, communications, recruitment, volunteer training and development.
- Contribute at monthly Board meetings and engage in task focussed working groups meeting by Zoom.
- Help to set the strategic direction of the charity – achieved by agreeing Aims, Plans and Policies.
- Agree goals, targets and evaluation methods.
In addition to these General Responsibilities, which are shared by all Peer Support Plus CIO Trustees, the particular role of our Secretary Trustee is to:
- Administer Board of Trustees meetings i.e. scheduling dates, agreeing agendas, minutes, action points, communications.
- Monitor the progress of actions agreed by the Board.
- Produce the Peer Support Plus Annual Report. Ensure it is formally agreed, sent to Members, relevant public bodies and is made publicly available.
- Maintain the Charity’s Register of Members. Keep them informed of progress and give notice of meetings such as AGMs, EGMs or SGMs.
- Ensure the Charity meets its legal obligations according to charity law, Charity Commission and insurance requirements.
The Secretary Trustee role description is available to download from within ‘Volunteers and Role Descriptions‘ on the Documents page of our website https://www.peersupportplus.org/documents/.
Skills developed
Business Planning, Communication, Decision making, Administration, Teamwork, Leadership.
Next steps
To learn more about Peer Support Plus CIO please browse our website peersupportplus.org. You will probably want to read The Essential Trustee published by The Charity Commission and watch their short video which describes the general responsibilities of a Trustee.
This is a voluntary role so no contract of employment or other obligation will be established between us.
Charity law effectively bars Trustees from also being beneficiaries of the charity.
If you are inspired to explore the possibility of volunteering with us, please email Lisa Bamford our Chair of Trustees chair@peersupportplus.org or leave a message at 07434 614 829 mentioning your name ands telephone number. Lisa will try to call you for an informal chat at a time that suits you.
To apply, please see Advert for Trustees which you can download from within ‘Volunteers and Role Descriptions‘ at https://www.peersupportplus.org/documents
Volunteer as an Administrator – Peer Support Plus CIO