>[!Intro]+ >- This page is aimed at Lay (External) Trustees and Student Trustees to give them a pretty comprehensive overview of EVERYTHING they might want to know about the trustee role. The rest of the website is also available in case anyone wants to search for specific information. >- ==You DON'T need to know all of this==, far from it 😀 >- I think the bits you eventually NEED to know are (1) the basics of the [[Salford SU Articles of Association|Articles of Association]] and what this document is, (2) the [[Salford SU Strategy]] and what we're aiming for (3) review the basics of the [[Charity Good Governance Code]]. The rest you can learn as you go along, or according to your interests. # Trustee Knowledge ## About the organisation - We are a 'charitable company limited by guarantee'. This means we are both a charity and a company. - Our governing document is the [[Salford SU Articles of Association]], approved by the [[charity commission]] and the University of Salford (due to the [[1994 Education Act]]) - This includes [[Salford SU's charitable objects]] which we must adhere to at all times, and trustees are responsible for. We must act for "[[students as students]]". - We have a strategy - see [[Salford SU Strategy]]. For more see: - We have a specific [[Tackling Loneliness Strategy FINAL.pdf|Tackling Loneliness Strategy]] which is our 'Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG)'. See [[Why is Loneliness the focus of our BHAG?]] ## About the Law - Trustees have responsibilities under the Charities Act 2011 - There is also Charity Commission Guidance (called [[CC3 - The Essential Trustee]]) as well as the [[Charity Good Governance Code]] (which is 'owned' by the sector and has recently been revised). I prefer the latter. - You must declare conflicts of interest- see [[Source - Managing Conflicts of Interest in a Charity by GOV.UK|Managing Conflicts of Interest in a Charity]] ## About the Board - [[Salford SU Trustees|SSU Board of Trustees]]: bits about the composition of the Board - [[Role of a Trustee]] - Understanding the role of a Student Officer can be key. See [[How to be an amazing Student Officer]] for some similar guidance to this. - See also the [[Staff Officers Roles Matrix]] - a document that outlines the different roles that elected student officers and staff have ### Practical matters - Dates of trustee meetings- we will send these separately. - Meetings are normally held from 3-6pm on a Thursday. - There are normally five meetings a year, with one day being an Away Day. - Documents will be shared with you via email, and we will be trialling the use of a SharePoint site in the close future. - Expenses policy: - All reasonable expenses will be covered for volunteers. This includes travel and accommodation costs. - Please confirm any accommodation costs before booking - All expenses can be claimed by emailling [email protected] and copying Ed in. - Decision making: - Decisions are made by consensus. - "Collective responsibility" applies. - Term lengths - External trustees are appointed for four-year terms, with a maximum of two terms. - Student trustees ## Key pieces of information - Lots of key pieces of information are held on our website and on the Charity Commission website. This includes details of the trustees, as well as our current and previous Annual Reports and Accounts. - We also have a [[Risk Register]] as well as an established [[SSU risk appetite]] approach. - You will regularly receive management accounts as part of board papers, and you will be trained to read and understand them. If you do not, please do not hesitate to contact us. - [[Salford SU Scheme of Delegation of Authority]] - [[Salford SU Safeguarding Policy]] - Data Protection Policies - ==UNDER REVIEW (2025/26)== - [[Salford SU Financial Procedures Manual]] ## Detail about the organisation ### What we believe - We wrote a [[Salford SU Policy Book]] in 2024 to lay all this out! It should be a living document and so we should update it annually (led by the student officers, of course!). ### Departments - [[Salford SU Finances]] - [[Salford SU HR]] - [[Staff Cost of Living Crisis 2022-23]] - [[Salford SU Pension Schemes]] - EDI - See also other [[Salford SU Departments]] ### Partnership with the University - [[University of Salford]] ### Key People - [[Student Officers 2024-25]] - [[Ed Moloney Biography]] - [[Why I'm sharing my second brain]] - Lauren Beckett - DCEO ## Broader stuff (more for the geeks) ### Students, Higher Education and SUs - [[Higher Education Students]] - [[Higher Education]] - [[Office for Students]] - [[University of Salford]] - [[Students’ Unions]] - [[The Future of Students' Unions]] - [[The History of Students' Unions and NUS]] - [[Why do students need a union?]] - The 'student sector' - [[NUS UK]] and [[NUS Charity]] - [[NUS Mission, Vision Values]] - [[NUS Contribution]] - [[Wonkhe]] - [[Higher Education ACRONYMS!]] ### Current Issues *Student trustees and officer trustees will know this section the best, as they're either currently living it, or have done so very recently! *I've tried to separate these into different sections, although there is a lot of inter-related sections. Ie HE sector funding affects University finances which affects SU finances* #### Student-related issues - [[Student Mental Health and Student Support]] - Belonging and [[Loneliness in Students]] - [[Black Awards Gap]] - [[EDI Statement of Ambition]] - [[145.02 Discrimination on Placement 2]] - [[Sexual assault and misconduct]] - International student support - [[International Payment Plans]] - [[International Student Experience]] - [[Student Cost of Living Crisis 2022 onwards]] - [[Student Housing Crisis]] - [[Access and Participation]] #### HE sector-related issues - The value of higher education, to the government, and students themselves. - [[HE sector finances]] and [[reducing real-term tuition fee income]] - [[retention of students]] - UCU [[Strike Action]] over pay and pensions (has mostly gone away at Salford since 2023) - [[Freedom of Speech]]. See particularly [[Freedom of Speech Trustees Briefing 2024]]. - [[Office for Students]] oversight and [[B3 Student Outcomes]] #### NUS and Students' Unions related issues - [[NUS Anti-semitism complaint 2022]] - [[Salford SU Response to NUS Antisemitism 'Tuck' Report Jan 2023]] # Trustee Skills There's no such thing as the perfect trustee, and each trustee brings their own knowledge and skills base to the role: - The officer and student trustees provide lived experience of being a student are an essential component in an effective SU board. - Lay trustees are appointed to facilitate good decision making, and we rely on their skills and experience to facilitate the good governance of the SU. It might be useful to see the most recent [[lay trustee job description]]. Generally speaking, key skills for trustees might include: - Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) - Financial management and commercial acumen - Digital Transformation and Technology - Legal and Regulatory Compliance, including risk - Change management and organisational development. - Marketing, communications, public relations and digital engagement - Data analytics and evidence based decision making - Environmental sustainability and climate change - Student voice and representation - Strategy and planning - Leadership and team building - Human Resources # Where do I go for more support? - Please speak to the Chair, Ed, Lauren or Nick if you're not comfortable. - There's lots of different options- we can buddy you up with another trustee, or provide formal training, or whatever is needed.