North of the Stupid Line

Fancy becoming Chair of the RNId? Here’s the job description and person specification:

RNID Chair of the Board of Trustees
Job Description
Principal Responsibilities

• Leading the Trustee Board in fulfilling the mission and objects of the RNID
• Ensuring that the Trustee Board acts reasonably and prudently in all matters relating to the RNID
• Ensuring that all key issues and relevant matters are brought to the Trustee board for decision or approval
• Promoting collaborative working between Trustees and encouraging open dialogue between the Trustees and the Chief Executive in the formulation of strategy and policy
• Ensuring the appropriate involvement of Members in the governance and planning of RNID
• Providing personal support and counsel to the Chief Executive

Amongst the specific responsibilities and activities expected of the Chair as a Trustee are:

• Ensuring that the organisation complies with its governing document, charity law, company law and any other relevant legislation or regulations
• Ensuring that the organisation applies its resources exclusively in pursuance of its objects
• Contributing actively to the Board of Trustees’ role in giving firm strategic direction to the organisation, setting overall policy, defining goals and setting targets and evaluating performance against agreed targets
• Safeguarding the good name and values of the organisation
• Ensuring the effective and efficient administration of the organisation
• Ensuring the financial stability of the organisation
• Protecting and managing the property of the charity and ensuring the proper investment of the charity’s funds
• Overseeing the appointment the chief executive officer and monitoring his / her performance.

In addition to the above requirements, the Chair is expected to fulfil the following duties:

• Chairing and facilitating board meetings
• Planning the annual cycle of board meetings
• Setting agendas for board meetings
• Giving direction to board policy-making
• Monitoring that decisions taken at meetings are implemented
• Acting as an informed and influential ambassador for the RNID externally
• Bringing impartiality and objectivity to decision-making
• Liaising with the chief executive to keep an overview of the organisation’s affairs and to provide support as appropriate
• Leading the process of appraising the performance of the chief executive
• Participating on appointment and disciplinary panels
• Liaising with the Chief Executive Officer to develop the board of trustees, covering recruitment, training and appraisal (both individual and collective)
• Facilitating change and resolving issues within the board and between the Trustee Board and the organisation, in liaison with the Chief Executive Officer.

RNID Chair Person Specification
ESSENTIAL

• Strong commitment to the aims and objectives of the RNID
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills
• Strategic thinker, passionate about the effective delivery of voluntary and/or public sector services
• Current, relevant experience of chairing and developing boards
• Effective external ambassador for organisations
• Commitment to Nolan’s seven principles of public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.
• Capacity to deliver the necessary time and effort to the RNID

HIGHLY DESIRABLE

• Personal or close experience of deafness
• Knowledge of the type of work undertaken by the RNID and a wider involvement with the voluntary sector and other networks
• Direct experience which is relevant to at least one of the RNID’s key challenge areas:
• Extending the reach of the organisation
• Biomedical research
• Expanding the delivery of audiology services through both public and private sector channels
• Tinnitus
• Development of specialist services for deaf people, such as sign language interpreters and mental health support
• Early years support
• Applied technology
• Fundraising

In case you’re wondering how I managed to get hold of this – I emailed Hanson Green pretending to be interested in the post, asking for a copy of the above. They also said the following:

Dear Mr Wilks

Thank you very much for your interest in the Chair of the Board of Trustees for the RNID.

Hanson Green has been retained by the RNID to help them recruit their new Chair. On their behalf, I attach the job specification for your consideration. In addition, the Trustees’ Report and Accounts for 2006 is available on the website www.rnid.org.uk, should you wish to view it.

The deadline for applications is 28 May and should you be interested in forwarding us your CV, we will be in touch with you approximately one week thereafter once we have had time fully to consider the response.

Once again, we very much appreciate your interest in this position and thank you for your time.

…

“Overpowering benevolence has already inflicted too much harm.” (( Lawson, A and Gooding, C, eds., “Disability Rights in Europe: from theory to practice”, Hart Publishing, 2005, at 18 ))

Ain’t that the truth?

What has happened to the Federation for Deaf People (FDP)? Their website at fdp.org.uk is down, and we’ve not heard a peep out of them for years.

Are they still in existence? Can anyone answer? Does anyone know?

Seeing as the FDP were instrumental in the BSL marches of 1999, 2001 and 2003, it would be a damn shame if they were to disappear into the echelons of history. The organisation is needed more than ever, as Deaf activism in the UK needs to be re-ignited, to force the Government to enact a BSL Act.

While not professing to be an academically recognised researcher into the field of Deaf Studies, I’d like to present some thoughts on the current UK Deaf community: past, present and the future.

Past

Traditionally, the Deaf community has been centred around Deaf Clubs across the country. There are approximately 250 local Deaf Clubs ((Paddy Ladd, Understanding Deaf Culture, 46)) in the UK, with around 50 in London alone. Sadly many are in decline as older generations of Deaf people give way to younger generations, who are usually not interested in Deaf Clubs and what they represent. From working with RAD and in RAD centres around London, I have seen first hand the importance of such Deaf Clubs; a meeting point on a weekly basis for Deaf individuals to go and meet their friends, acquaintances and enemies, to play bingo, have a nice lunch or a bevvy or two, and catch up on news and gossip.

However, they are considered to be uncool by young Deaf people. Also, the mainstreaming of Deaf children, advances in technology, such as SMS, and greater mobility and access to other parts of the country ((Ladd, as above n.1, 47)), have rendered some Deaf Clubs obsolete.

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