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Management Committee member (Trustee)
Detention Action is looking to recruit two new Trustees to join its Board. These opportunities are open to all those with lived experience of the asylum system and/or detention and/or deportation systems in the UK.
We are particularly looking for people with skills in fundraising, research and policy, and/or organisational and project evaluation.
Detention Action is a small organisation making a big impact, working on the frontline with people in immigration detention, as well as challenging injustice in the detention, deportation, and asylum systems in the UK. As a national charity, we have worked since our establishment in 1993 to defend the rights and improve the welfare of people in immigration detention.
We have supported thousands of detained people, as well as advocating to keep detention on both the political and media agenda.
People with lived experience are integral to all aspects of Detention Action’s work, including as members of the Board and staff team, and are directly involved in developing our organisational strategy, shaping the services we provide, and advising on volunteer recruitment and training. We are dedicated to expanding lived experience representation in every aspect of our organisation. We are keen to expand the number of people with lived experience on our Board because we want to:
- Ensure all strategic and policy decisions of Detention Action are rooted in lived experience;
- Be more accountable to the people we serve;
- Honour our commitment to ensuring lived experience representation in Detention Action’s governance and management;
- Attract various skills and different perspectives to our Board that people with lived experience can bring into our organisation.
You need to have first-hand experience of immigration detention in the UK, or of the UK’s asylum or deportation systems, along with a commitment to Detention Action’s vision and values. As a trustee:
- You will be required to attend six Management Committee meetings, our Annual General meeting in September, and occasional Board away days and additional meetings. Meetings will normally be on a weekday evening and normally run from 6.30 – 8pm.
- Travel expenses and any child care costs will be reimbursed. Please note that this is otherwise an unpaid position.
- You will be given a full induction, mentoring and ongoing support.
For further information and to apply, please read the application pack below, and send a cover letter which explains how you meet the requirements of the role and state why you wish to be a trustee of Detention Action.
N.B. Detention Action is committed to safeguarding practice and DBS checks are mandatory for all our trustee roles. We are aware that, for some people currently navigating the immigration or asylum system, it might be challenging to provide necessary identification documents for DBS checks.
Please get in touch with us to discuss any support you may require to apply for this role, including any questions regarding the DBS check. We are open to make positive changes to make sure this role is as open and as inclusive as possible.
To discuss this further, or if you have queries about this opportunity, please contact Zaki Shah at zaki@detentionaction.org.uk
This is an opportunity to help shape and steer Detention Action, and to support and make a real difference to people in immigration detention and those who are subjected to UK’s harsh deportation policies. You would be part of a small yet impactful organisation.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Closing date: 9am on 10th January 2022