Trustee (Voluntary Position)
Article 39 – Standing with children and young people in institutional settings
Article 39 is seeking new Trustees to help shape the next chapter of our work defending the rights of children and young people living in institutional settings. If you care deeply about children’s rights, want to use your skills to create lasting change, and believe every child deserves safety, dignity and respect, we would love to hear from you.
Full recruitment pack can be found on the website -[link removed]
About Article 39
Article 39 is a national children’s rights charity fighting for children who live in institutional settings such as children’s homes, residential schools, mental health inpatient units, immigration detention, and child prisons. Too often these children are unseen, unheard, and unaware of their rights. We exist to change that.
Since 2015, we have combined moral clarity with practical action:
- Exposing abuse and unlawful practice
- Amplifying children and young people’s voices
- Providing rights information, legal advice and advocacy
- Leading national campaigns
- Influencing policy and legislation
- Taking strategic legal action to protect children’s safeguards
We are now entering an exciting period of development, with new leadership, a renewed strategy, and a commitment to strengthening our governance for long term impact.
Who we’re looking for
We welcome applications from people who share our passion for children’s rights and want to help us grow as a resilient, effective organisation. We are particularly interested in candidates with experience in one or more of the following areas:
- Income generation or fundraising
- Charity leadership
- External communications and/or press
- Legal expertise (Child Law, Human Rights)
- HR or operations
- Youth activism
- Diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging
Experience can come from many places – professional, voluntary, lived or learned. If you feel you can contribute but don’t meet every point, please still consider applying.
We are especially keen to hear from:
- People with lived experience of institutional settings (care, youth justice, residential schools, mental health inpatient units)
- Young adults aged 18+
- People from global majority backgrounds, working class communities, and others under represented in governance roles
What the role involves
As a Trustee, you will:
- Provide strategic oversight and independent judgement
- Support and challenge the Executive Director and team
- Uphold our values of dignity, equality, partnership and standing against abuse
- Contribute your expertise to strengthen our work and long term sustainability
- Attend four Board meetings per year (hybrid/London), plus occasional committee meetings
- Offer ad hoc support on projects aligned to your skills
- Represent Article 39 at external events where appropriate
Commitment
- Four Board meetings per year (hybrid), plus one annual in person meeting in London
- Occasional committee meetings
- Regular contact with the Executive Director
- Ad hoc support on strategic matters aligned to your expertise
- This is a voluntary role. Travel expenses may be reimbursed.
How to apply
Please send:
- Your CV
- A supporting statement (max. 2 pages) answering:
- Why do you care about our mission?
- What would you like to gain from this experience? …and outlining your suitability for the role.
If you would prefer to voice note, video, or vlog your supporting statement, then please send a voice or video recording of no more than 5 minutes with your CV
Email:info@article39.org.uk
Subject line:Trustee Application
Deadline: 9am, Thursday 12th March
If you would like an informal conversation before applying, please contact Executive Director Jodie Wickers at[email removed].
If you are interested in our work but cannot commit to a Trustee role, we also welcome enquiries about joining our specialist advisory boards.
