Our trustees have overall control of Outreach and are responsible for making sure Outreach is doing what it is set up to do. Trustees’ have 6 main duties, as follows:

 

1. Ensuring Outreach is carrying out its purposes for the service users’ benefit and planning what Outreach will do, and what they want to achieve. The trustees make sure that Outreach is carrying out the purposes for which it is set up, and no other purpose.

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2. The trustees ensure that Outreach complies with its constitution, charity law and other laws as they apply to Outreach. The trustees take reasonable steps to find out about legal requirements, for example, by reading relevant guidance or taking appropriate advice when they need to. The trustees ensure that Outreach keeps our details on the charity register up to date and that we send the right financial and other information to the Charity Commission in our annual returns.

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3. The trustees act in Outreach’s best interests in deciding what will best enable Outreach to carry out its purposes, whilst making balanced and adequately informed decisions, thinking about the long term as well as the short term and in avoiding putting themselves in a position where their duty to Outreach conflicts with their personal interests and/or loyalty to any other person and/or body or can be perceived as being so. 

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4. In managing Outreach’s resources responsibly, the trustees must act responsibly, reasonably and honestly whilst exercising sound judgement. The trustees must make sure Outreach's assets are only used to support or carry out its purposes, not take inappropriate risks with Outreach's assets or reputation, not over-commit Outreach. Whilst taking special care when investing or borrowing, in being in compliance with any restrictions on spending funds.

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The trustees put appropriate procedures and safeguards in place and take reasonable steps to ensure that these are followed to avoid fraud and/or theft.

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5. The trustees act with reasonable care and skill, whilst taking appropriate advice when necessary. Whilst also giving enough time, thought and energy to being a trustee, for example by preparing for, attending and actively participating in all trustees’ meetings except when unavailable which should be unusual.

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6. The trustees must ensure that Outreach is accountable and complies with statutory accounting and reporting requirements. They also need to be able to demonstrate that Outreach is complying with the law, and well run. They must also ensure accountability within Outreach, especially as almost all of the responsibility of operationally running Outreach is delegated to staff and/or volunteers

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Making Decisions as a trustee

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Outreach's trustees make decisions about Outreach together, working as a team. They are usually made at one of the bimonthly trustees' meetings, but urgent decisions can be taken outside the meeting if due care is taken to ensure there is appropriate involvement of all the trustees."

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