1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Headway North Staffordshire is a charitable organisation which is operated as a Company Limited by Guarantee, and was originally set up in 1987 to provide information, support and services to people with head injury, their families, carers and friends and to involve professionals concerned with head injury.
1.2 A consequence of charitable status is that policy is formulated by the Trustees who are elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Organisation by the members of Headway North Staffordshire. In addition to their duties under charity legislation, Trustees also have duties under all legislation pertaining to the operations of a Limited Company.
1.3 Operationally, Headway North Staffordshire is run by the Chief Officer, supported by the Operations Manager, Outreach Services Manager, Day Organisers, Outreach Support Workers, Head Injury Support Workers, Support therapist, Gym Instructor, Gym Support Staff and a staff team consisting of an Admin Assistant, Admin Finance and ancillary staff.
2. DUTIES OF A TRUSTEE
2.1 The principal duty of a Trustee of a charity is to ensure that the charity operates for the sole advantage of the beneficiaries.
2.2 The Charity is a Limited Company and Trustees have duties as officers and directors of the Company.
3. PHILOSOPHY OF CARE
3.1 Headway North Staffordshire endeavours to provide a caring, supportive and safe environment for our members. All members will be treated with
respect, dignity and equality irrespective of their race, culture, beliefs, or sexual orientation. Headway North Staffordshire will provide physiological, emotional and social support for all members to encourage independence and self motivation in all areas of their lives.
4. ASSESSMENT
4.1 Before being accepted at Headway North Staffordshire, a risk assessment is undertaken for all potential members and complete referral documents are received.
The following is an extract from the Charity Commission guidelines:
Trustees have the ultimate responsibility of the control and management of the administration and assets of a charity. They hold ultimate power and responsibility, which must be exercised in the fulfilment of the charity’s objects and in the interest of the beneficiaries of the charity.
The role of Trustees, acting as a body, is to ensure that a charity has a clear direction and purpose and sense of urgency to get on with the work it was established to do.
A Trustees’ duties and responsibilities to a charity are personal and are to be carried out in that Trustees’ personal capacity in accordance with his or her conscience and not at the direction of a third party. Accordingly, where a Trustee is a representative of another voluntary sector organisation or other body connected with or doing business with the voluntary sector or voluntary work, whether as an employee or otherwise, he or she must recognise that they have been appointed for their personal qualities and that they must not in any way have regard to the interests of that other organisation or body when making decision relating to the charity. Trustees must at all times act in the best interests of the charity and its beneficiaries.