Governance Detail

Manifesto:

Brighton Unemployed Centre Families Project (BUCFP) is a volunteer run organisation. Since 1981 our aims have remained the same: we try to provide a package of practical services that help families and individuals to challenge the effects of poverty and disadvantage; but also to provide opportunities that allow people to feel empowered to challenge these effects for themselves and for other people. The Centre tries to offer a volunteering framework that gives people the chance to make choices for themselves.

Trustees:

BUCFP needs at least 7 trustees to form the management committee, including a Chair, a Treasurer and a Secretary. Trustees are almost always volunteers who put themselves up for election at the AGM (annual general meeting). Trustee’s are unpaid & their term lasts for one year but trustees may stand for election again. Occasionally people (who may or may not be volunteers) are co-opted as trustees because they have skills that the organisation needs. The commitment made by trustees is that they attend one meeting a month; and that they share the aims and beliefs of BUCFP. Although the trustees have ultimate responsibility (to the members and the Charity Commission) for BUCFP operations, in practice they oversee the work of the PWG: if, at any time, trustees wish to take over running any aspects of the work of the Centre then they are able to do so.

Members:

Volunteers can sign up as members for free, otherwise it costs £1 to join. Although membership is for a year, renewal letters are sent to members prior to an AGM. The role of the member is mainly limited to electing trustees: though when the Centre is in financial crisis, members will be asked to help fundraise and support the Centre generally; and occasionally - such as deciding whether to change the name of the Centre - the members are asked to vote directly.

Paid Workers (PWG):

Over the years it has become necessary for the Centre to employ part-time workers: those workers who do day to day running & project areas (e.g. education, food) are members of the PWG and operate a workers' cooperative. At a weekly meeting the PWG makes operational decisions, on a consensual basis, on running of the Centre. Important or strategic decisions are referred to the trustees, usually with proposals. The trustees can overrule any decision made by the PWG, however BUCFP aim to reach consensus decisions. The project workers also report to their volunteer groups: project areas should hold volunteer meetings on a regular basis, at least once every three months. There is, therefore, the possibility of a conflict between the wishes of different groups - PWG, trustees, project volunteers groups... Hopefully these will be resolved creatively through discussions within the whole range of Centre meetings.

Volunteers:

The ethos of the Centre is based around volunteering: volunteers should determine the work done by project groups and - if they choose to stand as trustees - the work done by the Centre overall. BUCFP offers a wide variety of volunteering roles and in any one year over 300 different people will volunteer: some will volunteer once, some will remain a Centre volunteer for years. Although the Centre encourages everyone to participate, not everyone is necessarily suited to being a volunteer - any volunteering role requires responsibility and commitment to the work of the project area and the Centre; in return, volunteers have the ability to make decisions about the Centre's work.

Centre Users:

Anyone is able to access the services of the Centre. We aim to engage the most vulnerable and excluded in society but will include everyone. Most of our funding comes through trust funding or support from government bodies and therefore we offer many services for free. We encourage centre users to become volunteers; but all centre users can express opinions about the Centre at a (up to) weekly Centre meeting; normally at least one trustee and one project worker will be present at the meeting in order to listen to the views of centre users.