Would you like to be involved in helping to keep children safe in Gloucestershire?
The Gloucestershire Safeguarding Children Board (GSCB) is looking for two people to become volunteer ‘lay’ members. They will help the Board fulfill its role of ensuring that agencies providing services to children, young people and families are doing all they can to ensure all children living in Gloucestershire are kept safe and are well cared for.
For more information, please go to the GSCB website at www.gscb.org.uk or contact Duncan Siret, GSCB Business Manager, on 01452 583638 or email duncan.siret@gloucestershire.gov.uk. The closing date for applications is April 11th, 2011.
Margaret Styles, independent chair of the Gloucestershire Safeguarding Children Board, said: “This would be an interesting and important role for anyone who would like to get more involved in supporting us to help keep children in the county safe. It’s very important to the board that the public have the opportunity to find out more about the work we do, understand it better and get more involved. The two lay members would play a key role in that.”
Lay members will be regarded as full members of the board. They will be expected to offer scrutiny and challenge to board members in all aspects of their work, particularly questioning how accessible and understandable their plans are to children and young people and their families. They will also be asked to help forge stronger links with the community with the aim of raising awareness and understanding of the Board’s work.
REQUIREMENTS
No formal qualifications are required but lay members will need to live in Gloucestershire. They will need to be able to approach issues in a balanced and objective way and understand complex issues. They will also need to participate fully in the work of the Board, ask constructive questions and give an informed opinion.
Successful candidates will be offered training and an induction and will undergo an enhanced CRB check. The posts are unpaid but expenses will be reimbursed. This is a two-year position that will involve attending Board meetings and some subgroup meetings, depending on your personal interests and skills. This will take up to eight hours a month.
The board is independently chaired and it monitors the work of all agencies in Gloucestershire who provide services to protect children. These agencies include the police, health and the county council.
