Trustee,Providence House Youth Club

Providence House has been part of Battersea for generations.

Young people have come through its doors to find somewhere safe to be, people who know their name, adults who will stay alongside them, opportunities they might not otherwise have had, and a community in which they can belong. For some, Providence has remained part of their life long after they stopped being a young member. Former members have returned as volunteers, leaders and trustees. Relationships have stretched across families and generations.

That history matters. But trustees are not here simply to preserve a history.

We have inherited something we did not create.

Our responsibility is to care for it, strengthen it and make wise decisions about what Providence becomes for the young people who need it next.

That is what we are asking a new trustee to join us in doing.

A Providence trustee shares responsibility for the charity's direction, stewardship and integrity.

You will help ensure that Providence remains a safe, welcoming place where children and young people can grow, belong, achieve and thrive. You will help protect what is distinctive about Providence while being willing to change what needs to change.

Our Christian foundation is part of that identity. We seek to put Jesus's love into action through service, consistency, welcome, relationship and care. Trustees do not sit at a distance from this. They help ensure that our decisions reflect the values we say we hold.

Trustees also carry the legal responsibilities of charity trusteeship. Good intentions are not enough. We need people prepared to read the papers, understand the finances, ask difficult questions, take safeguarding seriously, consider risk, support the CEO and hold leadership appropriately to account.

At Providence, those two things belong together: heart and responsibility.

1. 01Care deeply about the lives and futures of young people.
2. 02Understand that Providence belongs within a community and has responsibilities to that community.
3. 03Respect and help protect Providence's Christian ethos.
4. 04Bring judgement, curiosity and the courage to ask questions.
5. 05Prepare properly for meetings and follow through on commitments.
6. 06Challenge constructively without turning governance into management.
7. 07Support the CEO while maintaining the independence required of a trustee.
8. 08Listen to young people and take their views seriously.
9. 09Contribute your experience, skills, relationships and perspective where useful.
10. 10Work as part of a Board and accept collective responsibility for its decisions.
11. 11Act with integrity, including declaring conflicts and protecting confidential information.
12. 12Think beyond today's problem to the Providence we want to hand on to the next generation.

We do not expect every trustee to be an accountant, safeguarding specialist, youth worker, fundraiser, lawyer or property expert.

We do expect every trustee to understand enough to ask the right questions.

A trustee who is not familiar with detailed financial information should still be able to understand whether Providence is financially healthy, whether income is developing as expected, whether spending is controlled, whether reserves are appropriate, and where the significant financial risks lie.

The same principle applies across safeguarding, programmes, property, people and risk. Specialist trustees and staff can bring deeper expertise. The whole Board remains responsible.

There is no single Providence trustee profile.

Some trustees bring professional expertise. Some bring decades of knowledge of Providence and Battersea. Some first came here as children. Others bring experience from education, business, finance, safeguarding, faith, buildings, youth work or community leadership.

We particularly value people who bring something that cannot be captured neatly on a CV: wisdom, reliability, humility, local understanding, lived experience, good judgement, a heart for young people and the willingness to serve.

We want a Board with different experiences around the table, including meaningful youth voice. We do not want trustees who all think the same way.

• Set and protect Providence's strategic direction.
• Hold the mission, values and Christian ethos in trust.
• Oversee financial sustainability and use of charitable resources.
• Scrutinise risk and review the Risk Management Register.
• Maintain oversight of safeguarding.
• Support and hold the CEO to account.
• Monitor whether the current strategy is being delivered.
• Ensure young people's voices influence decisions.
• Oversee major organisational, property and governance decisions.
• Contribute to fundraising, relationships and advocacy where appropriate.
• Ensure Providence is being prepared for the future, not simply managed through the present.

Providence is a proactive Board. Trustees should not wait for a problem to become a crisis before engaging with it.

The Board

Governs

The CEO

Leads and manages the organisation

That boundary matters, but it does not mean trustees must be remote.

There will be times when trustees can make a practical contribution. A trustee with relevant building expertise might help the organisation understand a property issue or connect the team with trusted tradespeople. A trustee may volunteer additional time when Providence genuinely needs help. The Chair may maintain regular contact with the CEO, including time for prayer and mutual support.

The test is whether the trustee is helping Providence while keeping roles clear. Volunteering does not transfer the CEO's management responsibility to the Board, and being supportive does not remove the Board's responsibility to challenge.

Providence's Christian roots are living roots.

Prayer forms part of the life of Providence, including regular opportunities for trustees and others in the Providence family to pray together. We want trustees to understand and respect this foundation and to be comfortable serving an organisation whose Christian ethos shapes how it understands love, dignity, service, hope and responsibility.

We are interested not simply in what a trustee believes on paper, but in how their values are expressed in the way they treat young people, staff, fellow trustees and the wider community.

Trustees are expected to attend and prepare for Board meetings, engage with relevant papers, maintain confidentiality, declare conflicts of interest, participate in Board development and contribute between meetings where their role requires it.

Trustees should also make time to know Providence beyond the Board papers. That means understanding the work, meeting the people delivering it and, where appropriate, hearing directly from young people.

UnpaidThe role is unpaid. Reasonable expenses may be reimbursed in accordance with Providence policy.