• have a range of life experiences and skills
• be enthusiastically committed to the aims and values of Refugee Futures

Trustees are unpaid (volunteers) but have overall legal responsibility for the charity, and for making sure that it is run effectively and is delivering on its aims. Find out more about our aims in our entry on the Charity Commission website.

What qualities and experience are we looking for? We want each trustee to be able to contribute effectively. This diverse group needs to work well together in making decisions and committing to them.

Some people will bring the knowledge of previous trusteeships, but others may have little or no previous trustee experience.

Do you offer training and development? We will offer personalised support and training for all trustees.

Refugee Futures commits to good practice and needs to respond to developments in the charity world, and deliver its aims within the appropriate legal context, so there are online sessions to help you that can be taken in your own time.  From time to time other training sessions, as a group, may be arranged.

How much of my time would be involved? Board meetings last about 2 hours and are held six times a year, plus one all-day meeting.  Reading the papers and preparing for a meeting will take about 2 hours.  In addition, it is expected that trustees will give time to staying in touch with the Charity’s work.

Where and when are meetings held?  We work around everyone’s personal availability to find the optimum time for the group, and this may be daytime or evenings.  Generally, we meet at Catalyst House on Yarm Road, Stockton on Tees.

Will there be any costs involved? We will cover the costs of necessary expenses to enable trustees to attend meetings, for example travel costs.

When will you be taking on new trustees? We have decided on a rolling programme of recruitment starting in February 2024, continuing for 18 months. We will recruit in stages bringing on two or three people at one time.

If you are interested in becoming a trustee, please take a look at our trustee candidate pack below which will provide you with more information and details on how to apply. (Please note there are links within the candidate pack to documents and websites which will be lost once printed). 

If you would like to have a short discussion about the role and our expectations of a trustee, please get in touch with Claire Paxton (claire.paxton@refugeefutures.co.uk) who will put you in touch with our chair Ruth Hicks, our vice chair Peter Chapman or Heather Petch our Executive Director. We look forward to hearing from you!