working with disabled children, young people and their ... · disabled children, young people and...

Working with disabled children, young people and their families

Appointment of Chief Executive


2

Contents

Background 3

The Role 6

The Person 9

Appointment and Application Process 11

Equal Opportunities Questionnaire 12


3

Background KIDS occupies a unique position in the charity sector. It is the only national charity that is solely focused on disabled children no matter what their impairment or disability. Perhaps because of this it has a strong history of developing innovative services for disabled children: • KIDS was the first organisation to bring Home Learning (Portage) for disabled children and

their parents to England from America. • In Hull, KIDS created the National Independent Educational Advisory Service for parents of

disabled children in response to the first SEN Code of Practice 1994. This led to the creation of Parent Partnerships which now fulfil this role in every local authority across England.

• KIDS created the first adventure playgrounds in the world which were accessible to disabled children.

• KIDS led the way in researching, advising and training mainstream play providers to include disabled children in their provision.

• KIDS created the first on-line booking service to enable parents and disabled young people to book their own community based short breaks.

The charity has a stability which comes from its steady growth during its 42 year history under the leadership of four highly committed Chief Executives. The most recent two are parents of disabled children themselves and the founding Chief Executive remains engaged with the charity as a Vice President.


4

The charity reinvests funds in services on a continual basis and, as a result, has not built up the level of reserves that some longer established charities enjoy hence there is little in the way of a safety net for mistakes. Nevertheless the charity now owns its properties in Hampshire, Hull and the West Midlands, which has strengthened the balance sheet. The charity also enjoys excellent relationships with its funders, having loans from Social Investment Business, and Charity Bank. However, the charity rarely has more than two months operating costs available in cash. The recent history of the charity is that it grew rapidly under the previous government's Aiming High for Disabled Children programme 2007-10. Turnover increased from £7 million to nearly £12 million. With the end of the programme and the advent of austerity, turnover has fallen back to approximately £10 million and appears to be stable. The charity's principal activity is providing quality services for disabled children, young people and their families mostly, but not entirely, funded by contracts with Local Authorities. The charity regularly receives positive evaluation of its services. Below are a selection of quotations from regulators, Local Authorities, patrons and families during the last few years: • Ofsted Inspection May 2011 of Early Years Short Breaks Provision, Birmingham

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding. The setting provides a truly wonderful, stimulating environment where children make excellent progress in their learning and development. Exemplary partnerships with parents, carers, schools and other agencies ensure that children's individual needs are exceptionally well met enabling them to develop to their full potential. The manager shares her vision for continual improvement most passionately and effectively. Regular self-evaluation successfully identifies areas for development and reflects an excellent capacity for on-going improvement.

• Integrated Service Manager Disability, Children and Young People's Services, Hull City Council providing a reference for a KIDS tender in January 2013 KIDS has a creative and dynamic approach and works alongside other agencies to secure the best opportunities for children and young people. They are highly skilled in assessing individual need, risk assessment and care planning. KIDS has a very strong track record of working positively and effectively with children, young people, parents and carers. They understand well the issues of caring for a disabled child and the impact on the family. They are very skilled in supporting parents to navigate health, medical, education and social care needs of children and develop engaging relationships. They hold inclusion and access as a key principle and work well to ensure the best life chances of children and young people. They also have a sound knowledge of policy development locally and nationally.

• Rt Hon David Cameron MP, KIDS Patron, speaking at a KIDS event in 2007 Whatever you give to KIDS, all I can say, as a father of a child that has been helped by KIDS, and who had a bit of life changing advice from one woman who worked for KIDS, you are making a great investment.


5

• Parent writing about her experience of KIDS work in Hampshire in July 2012

My son was born with verbal dyspraxia and by the age of 3 made barely any sounds at all and my daughter has delayed speech. I found out about KIDS by accident via a paediatrician and another parent. This letter is to express how much I hold KIDS in high regard and how much I feel they have contributed to my kids’ development. My son Jack started at Fareham KIDS 2 years ago in September. He started in the big children’s area and loved it immediately. A few months later my daughter Amy started in the ‘early explorers’ as well (there is a 1.5 year gap). Their facilities are fantastic and give children all that they need and more. The programme of learning goes far beyond other preschools (my children also attended a local preschool). They encourage play and learning in what seems a stress free environment (it is always calm when I am there).

In addition to direct services, the charity has held contracts with the Department for Education for many years to work on cutting edge issues such as inclusion, advising Local Authorities and providers. Currently, it has a grant to create guidance on personal budgets. Through this and its work with 9 Pathfinder Local Authorities, KIDS is contributing to the current legislation going through Parliament - the Children & Families Bill. KIDS has seldom campaigned directly and is also careful to effectively manage its relationship with the Prime Minister who has been a patron of the charity for the last 7 years. However KIDS plays a substantial role in the Council for Disabled Children and its campaigning arm, Every Disabled Child Matters. For the future, the Trustees are very mindful of the uncertain and generally unfavourable environment KIDS will be working in for some time. The Board recruited a number of Trustees a year ago, who are both parents of disabled children and have financial expertise, and who have been heavily involved in developing the updated KIDS strategic plan. The key objectives of the Board are: • Sustaining KIDS as a leading charity that continues to deliver quality, cost effective services to

disabled children, young people and their families and promotes a more inclusive society for disabled children.

• Fostering long term, reliable relationships with the families KIDS works with in a systemised way so that it can: offer consistent support, be ready for personal budgets and involve families more directly in fundraising as long term supporters of KIDS.

• Remaining flexible so that the charity can easily adapt in an ever changing environment where the future is very hard to predict.

• Developing partnerships that will enable the charity to respond to a wider range of opportunities which include being open to merger opportunities that might make KIDS more cost effective.

• Increasing the level of voluntary income to supplement its statutory funding to provide an added value package to its users and increase the reach of its services.

To achieve these objectives KIDS believes it requires a strong, financially minded Chief Executive who can meld this with a passionate concern for disabled children and their families. There is a stable base to work from with no urgent issues to address and, for the right person, being Chief Executive of KIDS will represent a highly demanding but equally satisfying challenge. For more information on KIDS please visit the following: www.kids.org.uk www.facebook./KIDSchairty https://twitter.com/kidscharity

http://www.kids.org.uk/

http://www.facebook./KIDSchairty

https://twitter.com/kidscharity


6

The Role

1. Overall Purpose To lead the charity in providing quality services for disabled children and their families, forwarding the charity’s vision: A world in which all disabled children and young people realise their aspirations and their right to an inclusive community which supports them and their families.

2. Key Relationships

Internal • The CEO reports to the Chair, KIDS UK Board of Trustees. • Staff - the Senior Team who all report to the CEO and thereafter the entire KIDS staff. This

consists of 300 core employees, 1,000 sessional workers and a significant number of volunteers.

• KIDS Trustees – 12 Trustees, details at www.kids.org.uk. • KIDS Finance Committee – 8 committee members with financial expertise. • Trustees of KIDS subsidiaries – Playtrain, Real Life Parenting, School for Parents and Strut. • KIDS President & Vice Presidents – Rosa Monckton, John Mulcahy and Frances Prenn. • KIDS Patrons – Cherie Booth, David Cameron, David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley and Elton John.


7

External • Local Authorities with the largest KIDS contracts - Hampshire County Council, Birmingham City

Council, Kingston upon Hull City Council, Hackney London Borough Council and South Gloucestershire District Council.

• Department of Education. • Voluntary sector partners – e.g. Council for Disabled Children, Action for Children, Barnardos,

Children’s Hospices across London, In Control and the National Children’s Bureau. • Private sector partners – e.g. Connaught Education and SERCO. • Financial partners – Barclays Bank, Charity Bank and the Social Investment Business.

3. Key Responsibilities and Duties • Financial control

KIDS operates by delivering approximately 175 separately funded projects which together generate an income of £9 million. These projects range in scale from £500,000 to small sums. Any of these projects making unplanned deficits can quickly cause difficulties for KIDS. KIDS Finance Team supply excellent management information but the Chief Executive is required to ensure that it is acted on promptly and effectively. The Chief Executive is responsible for ensuring that KIDS reaches the financial target adopted by the Trustees of generating a surplus of £200,000 for each of the next three years.

• Fundraising and funding KIDS programmes are largely dictated by what Local Authorities commission. The Chief Executive must ensure that Local Authorities retain confidence in KIDS and that contracts are retained and won. 10% (£1 million) of KIDS funding comes from voluntary sources. This gives KIDS freedom to establish programmes and services that respond directly to the needs of disabled children and their families independent of Local Authorities. It also enables KIDS to build up surpluses when required. The Chief Executive must ensure that KIDS has a successful fundraising programme. The Trustees wish the proportion of funds raised in this way to increase.

• Strategy and governance The world of disabled children is changing as a result of changes in the population of disabled children, changes to government policy and changes in the economic environment. The Chief Executive must work closely with the Trustees to develop and implement strategy while being flexible to adapt the strategy as events unfold. In particular the Chief Executive must work closely with the Chair and Treasurer to ensure that the Board fully understand the operation of KIDS, that they receive accurate management information, that the Trustees’ skills and experiences are appropriately utilised and that the Board directs KIDS without getting over involved in management.

• Innovation and quality KIDS has an outstanding history of innovation in the disabled children’s sector. The Chief Executive should, by combining the experiences of families with disabled children with a visionary and empathic approach, generate innovative services that make a step change to the families KIDS works with and move the sector forward. With 175 projects it is vital that the Trustees have the assurance that a consistent quality is being delivered. The Chief Executive will be responsible for ensuring that quality assurance and impact reporting is developed for the whole charity.


8

• Regulation and safeguarding KIDS is regulated by the following bodies: Care Quality Commission, Charity Commission, Companies House, Health & Safety Executive and Ofsted. The Chief Executive is the identified person acting on behalf of KIDS for all these bodies, carrying legal responsibility. In particular the Chief Executive is Company Secretary of KIDS and its dormant subsidiaries. The Chief Executive also carries ultimate responsibility for the safety of the children and vulnerable adults KIDS works with. The Chief Executive must be able to respond to any safeguarding issues across the charity.

• Stakeholder engagement and public relations KIDS has a wide range of stakeholders, including those identified under ‘key relationships’ above. Other stakeholders include families and disabled children and young people themselves as well as a large number of people and organisations who have an interest in KIDS both locally and nationally. The Chief Executive should ensure that KIDS is always close to families and disabled young people, understanding the issues that each new generation faces. The Chief Executive is also responsible for national media engagement and for supporting colleagues in regional and local media engagement.

• Team leadership KIDS is managed by a senior team that is dispersed across England. The Chief Executive must ensure that this team give of their best both individually and collectively. The Chief Executive must also ensure that positive leadership flows through the charity, that all staff are effectively line managed and work to consistent and clear policies and procedures across the charity.

• Risk management KIDS, like disabled children themselves, faces many risks. The Chief Executive must stay alert to known risks and identify new ones as they emerge. The evaluation and mitigation of risks must feed into the Chief Executive’s leadership on strategy (see above). The Chief Executive also takes responsibility for ensuring that KIDS is adequately insured against all appropriate risks.

4. Working Context • Hours

In addition to normal working hours, some evening and occasional weekend work is required. Just as important is the requirement for the Chief Executive to be available in the (unusual) event of an emergency. This involves the Chief Executive being able to respond to an emergency contact within a reasonable length of time seven days a week. (Special arrangements are put in place during annual leave).

• Location The Chief Executive’s office is in London and most significant meetings (internal and external) happen in London. Nevertheless the Chief Executive is expected to visit KIDS major offices occasionally and may be required to visit almost any part of England if the charity’s relationship with a local authority requires it. Regular visits to Birmingham are also necessary in order to liaise with KIDS’ Finance, HR and ICT departments which are all based there.

5. Remuneration Annual salary of up to £100k per annum.


9

The Person

The main role of the Chief Executive is to provide vision and dynamic leadership to KIDS, enabling it to grow and continue to fulfil its vision of a world in which all disabled children and young people realise their aspirations and their right to an inclusive community which supports them and their families. The Chief Executive will be responsible for the financial, strategic and operational leadership and day-to-day management through the senior team and will act as ambassador for the charity, dedicated to promoting the organisation and its aims. In order to fulfil the demands of the role, the Chief Executive will ideally evidence strengths in the following areas: Experience • Track record of successfully working with a Board or voluntary committee and ideally to have

worked with a charity Board of Trustees. • Proven ability to manage a substantial income and expenditure budget (ideally in excess of £5

million), generating a surplus. • Management of staff during difficult times, e.g. restructuring. • Successful management of a number of serious risks. • Management of child protection issues. • Clear understanding of the strategic and policy issues and opportunities facing a charity

working with disabled children. • Delivery of successful charity fundraising, ideally evidenced by a substantial increase in charity

fundraising year on year. • A track record of innovation, particularly in the use of ICT. • Evidence of having held legal responsibility with a regulator and a clear understanding of the

regulatory frameworks within which KIDS operates.


10

Skills

• Motivational leadership style to bring the best out of staff and volunteers. • Highly developed relationship skills with the ability to build empathetic relationships and

engage with parents, children and young people as well as internal and external stakeholders, including staff, volunteers, politicians, regulators and Local Authorities.

• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to influence, listen, facilitate and build consensus amongst diverse groups.

• An ability to manage staff and bring out the best in them. • Confident with the tools necessary to manage finance, e.g. Excel. • Financial acuity, particularly around financial statements, with the ability to manage resources

effectively and to budget. • An ability to demonstrate responsibility for achieving quality outcomes. • Management of a wide spectrum of stakeholders and the ability to represent KIDS at the

highest level. • Ability to identify, secure and develop funding streams. • Commercially focused strategic vision with proven ability to successfully implement a strategy. • A first degree and, ideally, a post graduate degree and/or a professional qualification in a

relevant field.

Personal attributes

• Empathy with the cause and a commitment to KIDS’ vision, mission and beliefs, ideally with a personal knowledge of what disability means.

• Highly credible with diverse groups of people. • Humility and high levels of personal integrity. • An understanding of the opportunities and constraints of working for a charity. • Ambitious for KIDS and its future growth and stability.

KIDS is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.


11

Appointment Process and How to Apply

The Chief Executive will be appointed by a selection panel chaired by Hilary Sears, Chairman of the Board of Trustees. KIDS has retained Sapphire Partners to help identify the widest possible field of qualified candidates and assist in the assessment of candidates against the job requirements. Sapphire Partners is undertaking an executive search alongside the public advertisement of the post. Applications should consist of a full curriculum vitae (including comprehensive details of key achievements and responsibilities) along with a covering letter addressing the job and person descriptions. Please also state your current remuneration package. Additionally, you are asked to complete the Equal Opportunities Questionnaire with your application. The responses will not be disclosed to any member of the Selection Panel and will be kept separate from your application. You should include the names, titles, organisation and contact details (email/telephone numbers) of two referees, one of whom should be your current/most recent employer. References will only be taken once your express permission has been given. KIDS may check any information supplied to the charity during the taking up of references. Completed applications should be emailed to [email protected] quoting reference CEO KIDS. The closing date for applications is noon on 29 April 2013. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for informal visits and a formal panel interview at KIDS on 21 May 2013. For more information on the role and a confidential discussion, please feel free to contact either Kate Grussing or Sally Springbett at Sapphire Partners on 020 7292 9970.

mailto:[email protected]


12

Equal Opportunities Questionnaire

NAME:

Survey of Ethnic Background

What is your Ethnic Group?

Please choose ONE section from A to E, then mark the appropriate box to indicate your cultural background:

A WHITE

British

English

Welsh

Irish

Scottish

Any White background (specify if you wish):

B MIXED

White & Black Caribbean

White & Black African

White & Asian

Any other Mixed background (specify if you wish):

C ASIAN, ASIAN BRITISH, ASIAN ENGLISH, ASIAN SCOTTISH OR ASIAN WELSH

Indian

Pakistani

Bangladeshi

Any other Asian background (specify if you wish):


13

D BLACK, BLACK BRITISH, BLACK ENGLISH, BLACK SCOTTISH OR BLACK WELSH

Caribbean

African

Any other Black background (specify if you wish):

E CHINESE, CHINESE BRITISH, CHINESE ENGLISH, CHINESE SCOTTISH, CHINESE WELSH OR ANY OTHER ETHNIC GROUP

Chinese

F ANY OTHER ETHNIC BACKGROUND

Any other ethnic background

Specify if you wish:

Survey of Gender

Please select your gender:

Female

Male

Prefer not to say

Survey of Disabilities

Do you consider yourself to have a disability?

Yes

No

Prefer not to say

If the answer to the above question is 'Yes', what facilities, adjustments or equipment (if any) would you like us to provide if you are called for interview?

working with disabled children, young people and their ... · disabled children, young people and...

Documents