Message from the Chair
Sonya Dougherty
Dear Candidate,
Thank you for your interest in becoming a Trustee on the Board of Citizens Advice Swansea Neath Port Talbot (CASNPT). It is an opportunity to be a leading part of a charity which helps some of the least well-off people in our community.
I have been a trustee of CASNPT for just over two years and I am continually impressed by the dedication and enormous passion our volunteers and paid staff have for helping people to find a way forward with the problems they face.
Each year we help over 5,000 local people, and give advice on around 20,000 different issues. We offer a range of specialist advice and support services, such as debt, welfare benefits, budgeting, fuel advice, for people of all ages and conditions.
The role of the Trustees is to make sure that the organisation lives within its means and plans for the future. We take ultimate responsibility for the work of our volunteers and paid staff. It is sometimes challenging, but always rewarding to be part of an organisation which is able to help and advocate for some of the most disadvantaged members of our community.
As you will appreciate, with the current Cost of Living crisis the work of CASNPT has never been more desperately needed, demand from the public is significantly high, and we operate in a very a challenging financial environment. So, we have to become:
- More innovative in our approach,
- More accessible to people who need our help,
- More effective in harnessing the talents of local people interested in joining our team, and
- More vociferous in our Research & Campaigning work (our advocacy).
Following a refresh of our Trustee board, my fellow Trustees and I wish to appoint up to five new Trustees with ANY of the following experience and/or skill sets:
- A connection with Swansea Neath Port Talbot
- Lived experiences of the types of issues affecting our clients
- Partnership working within Public Health/NHS/Local Authority
- Marketing and Communications
- Welsh Language Development
- Finance
- Legal
Experience of working with boards or committees is not essential. If you share our values we’d love to hear from you, we offer support and training.
My fellow Trustees and I are also committed to increasing the diversity of our Board (and our thinking) at CASNPT and so we would particularly encourage applications from women and any underrepresented groups.
If you are interested in any of these roles then please do get in touch to discuss the opportunity further or you can download the application form.
Sonya Dougherty
Chair of Citizens Advice Swansea Neath Port Talbot