1. business and industrial

Appointment of the Chair to
the Board of Trustees
Contents
Introduction from the Current Chair ......................................................
1
About Leap Confronting Conflict ............................................................. 2
Our History ................................................................................................... 3
Why conflict? ............................................................................................... 5
The Challenges Facing Young People ....................................................... 6
Our 2014-2016 Strategy and immediate plans .................................... 7
Our Structure ............................................................................................... 8
Leap Confronting Conflict Board of Trustees ........................................
8
Leap’s Executive Team ................................................................................ 8
Role Description .......................................................................................... 9
Person Specification ................................................................................... 11
Appendix 1 .................................................................................................... 12
Finances ......................................................................................................... 12
Appendix 2 .................................................................................................... 13
Our Impact ..................................................................................................... 13
How to apply ................................................................................................ 15
Appointment process and how to apply ................................................ 15
1
Introduction from the Current Chair
Dear Candidate
Thank you for your interest in the position of Chair of Leap Confronting Conflict.
It’s a role that I have found incredibly inspiring and rewarding. To witness first hand
the transformation of young people as they progress through our programmes to
become successful adults and such powerful role models is tremendously uplifting.
For the young people we work with to be able to achieve these remarkable
transformations we need a highly skilled and effective team that has a robust
theory of change, the right operating model, the right resources and constant
innovation. Our board’s job is to ensure that we have the right strategy, resources
and governance to enable this to happen.
We are fortunate in having a strong and diverse board and one where our young
trustees have a full role, which powerfully informs the choices and decisions we
make. One of Leap’s defining characteristics is the way that we involve young
people in all that we do. From training to decision making from pitching for funds
to choosing our CEO, we care passionately about what young people think and we
take every chance to give them an opportunity to develop through helping us to
make the right choices and in representing Leap in a wide range of settings.
At the heart of our work is the belief that conflict is inevitable and that it is the
way in which and how you decide to respond that matters. As I reflect on twelve
years on the board and nine as Chair I know all too well that a board’s success is
also dependent upon the choices that it makes. In making these choices together
you learn a lot about yourself as well as others.
One of the most important choices any Chair makes is to decide when it is the
right time to pass the baton to their successor. Over the last few years we have
increased the focus of our work and seen growth in its impact. We have seen our
reputation and influence among those who work with young people increase in
esteem and reach. Our staff and trainer teams and our board have developed
strongly too. Our income will climb significantly in 2015 and this is on the back of
significantly increased impact in 2014. Now feels like exactly the right time
to hand over.
I hope that as you explore this pack and do your research you will discover a
wonderful opportunity to make a difference with an organisation that is having
a profound effect on many of our most challenged young people and those who
work with them.
Best wishes and every success if you decide to apply.
Patrick Dunne
Chair
2
About Leap Confronting Conflict
Leap is a training organisation that works with young
people, giving them the skills to manage conflict in their
own lives, reduce violence in their communities and help
lead our society.
We are the UK’s only national organisation specialising in the creative
management of youth conflict. Our work stops everyday conflict from spiralling
into violent and destructive behaviour by helping young people look at the choices
they make, understand the consequences of their actions and change course to
become role models and leaders.
Too often our society defines young people by the disadvantage they face, or
the challenges they present. At Leap, we believe in their extraordinary talent
and potential. Our training is designed to help young people build the courage
and resilience to smash their self-imposed, imagined limitations, and to take
responsibility for their own words and actions.
3
Our History
Leap was set up in 1987 as a project of the Leaveners, a Quaker community arts
organisation. Its first focus was to help young unemployed adults deal with conflict
through theatre projects. Over time, the work expanded to include young people
aged 11-25. In 1998, Leap was established as an independent charity.
Since the 1990’s, Leap has worked in a range of settings including schools, prisons
and in the community, and has secured numerous government contracts, including
a Department for Education £3.03 million Pathfinder Grant (2008-2011). Our
record highlights Leap’s dynamism in innovation and in implementing successful
approaches to preventing and transforming youth conflict.
Successes include:
■■ Initiating work with young offenders in Feltham Young Offenders Institute
(1994) with subsequent work in HMP YOIs Chelmsford, Littlehey and this year
Isis, Swinfen Hall and others
■■ Being a full partner of the Community Initiative to Reduce Violence in Glasgow
between 2009 and 2010
■■ Developing ground-breaking work with gangs which has been replicated widely.
Leap’s models are part of the Home Office Ending Gangs and Youth Violence
■■ Awarding of Pathfinder Grant by the Department for Children, Schools and
Families (2008) for delivery of a peer mediation conflict resolution programme
for and by school pupils in deprived areas of London and Yorkshire
4
■■ Founding the resilience consortium - following the national riots (2011) Leap
brought together 30 youth, statutory, justice and community organisations to
identify how to work with young people in their communities to build resilience
to the threat of public disorder
■■ Partnering in two major consortia from 2014 - UK Partner in European
programme Addressing Sexual Bullying Across Europe (ASBAE) and Co-ordinated
Action Against Domestic Abuse (CAADA) to build a network of Domestic
Violence Advisers to work with young people
■■ Partnership with Sheffield City Council’s Youth Service’s Ending Gang and Youth
Violence Programme we have led a city-wide training programme for youth
practitioners, criminal justice practitioners and other local agency to develop
and deliver a local weapons and gangs education programme (2013/14)
Since 2010 Leap has been led by Thomas Lawson, its Chief Executive, who has
ensured that Leap delivers work to the highest standards, whilst continuing to meet
the changing needs of conflict in the lives of young people.
Three years ago Leap took the bold decision to focus its efforts only on those
young people who could most benefit from our training, i.e. those whose conflict
was most likely to draw them down a route of exclusion from school, self-directed
social exclusion, self-harm, offending, violence, gang membership and into prison.
5
Why conflict?
Each and every one of us has conflict in our lives. What’s more, we need it – to
produce some of our best work, to build successful relationships, to achieve the
best results from our partnerships. It’s from that tension that we can learn about
each other’s viewpoints and more clearly understand our own motives. However, if
we don’t manage conflict properly then it can deteriorate into destructive cycles of
behaviour.
When children become adolescents, they experience dramatic changes in their
bodies and their brains. At the same time, the dynamics of their relationships with
those around them, from their parents to their friends and from their teachers to
their neighbours, all begin to shift as they make the sometimes bumpy transition
to an independent adulthood. Their lives can become increasingly complex. The
stakes are higher than they have ever been, and the conflicts often more intense.
Badly managed, and at its worst, youth conflict can deteriorate into an all too
familiar cycle, with frustration, limited aspirations, poor self-esteem and a lack of
communication all combining to fuel violence, exclusions from school, self-directed
social exclusion, gang activity, weapon carrying, self-harm, imprisonment, drug and
alcohol abuse. The end result: further alienation and frustration.
But adolescence is also a time of amazing opportunity. This is when young people
learn how to manage conflict as they develop the social and emotional capabilities
essential for adult life. Young people continue to surprise us and themselves, by
achieving excellence in their lives and becoming our next generation of loving
parents, inspirational leaders, committed staff and community volunteers, activists
and leaders.
Too often our society defines young people by the disadvantage they face, or the
challenges they present. Yet, even the most disadvantaged and challenging young
people have extraordinary talent and potential. The greatest influence on what
they can achieve is not their level of intelligence or ability, but their courage and
commitment to smashing their self-imposed, imagined limitations.
They also need to take responsibility for their own words and actions – which is
affected profoundly by the way in which they respond to difficulties and conflict in
their life. With resilience, confidence and application, we can, all of us, surpass our
own challenges and celebrate amazing achievements – again and again.
Leap is here to support young people and those who work with them to become
experts at managing conflict and experts at building successful relationships. And
we have been doing this successfully for more than 28 years.
6
The Challenges Facing Young People
As a nation we are failing young people - many young people in the UK are caught
in destructive cycles of badly managed conflict.
■■ In 2011/12 there were about 2.1m incidents of violent crime and in 60% of
these cases the offender was believed to be under 24
■■ In 2013, 88% of young men and 74% of young women in custody had been
excluded from school at some point
■■ In 2013 less than 1% of all children in England were in looked-after care; but
they made up 33% of young men and 61% of young women in custody
■■ The current 12-month reoffending rates for young offenders stand at over 70%
■■ 1 in 4 teenage girls have experienced abuse by their partners and 3 in 4
have experienced emotional abuse, whilst 6.2% of young men aged 16-19
experienced some kind of domestic abuse in 2013
■■ Young people who are not in education or training are 20 times more likely to
commit a crime
■■ Reducing violence in the UK by only 9 per cent would result in savings of more
than £11 billion – the total cost of the London Olympic Games
To learn more about Leap’s purpose, core beliefs, values and core operating
principles please visit www.leapconfrontingconflict.org.uk/about-us/missionvalues-core-principles
7
Our 2014-2016 Strategy and immediate plans
Our 2014-2016 strategy sets out how we will grow the scale and sustainability
of our work and its impact over the next two years. We will maintain our focus on
conflict management in three core areas: the prevention of conflict that spirals out
of control, the reduction of violence and conflict, and support for young people in
the secure estate – youth offending institutes, secure training centres and secure
children’s homes.
We will scale up our work with the professionals working with young people –
youth workers, teachers, voluntary sector staff and prison officers - to develop their
capabilities and thus increase the breadth and depth of our impact.
The strategy aims to increase the reputation and the profile of Leap in particular
and youth and conflict work in general. It will propel Leap into the next phase of its
development through:
■■ a sharper focus on those who have the greatest need for our support
■■ channelling our energies and resources to areas where we know – from
years of experience – we can have the greatest impact (fig.1)
■■ continued investment to monitor our work and improve our ability to
measure our impact
■■ the generation of the best possible evidence on what works, and what
does not, when managing youth conflict
■■ using this evidence to improve our own work and influence better practice
across the youth sector, as well as youth-related policy
■■ building new ways to share our learning and our intellectual property
■■ increasing our income by about 30% each year to reach £2 million by
2016, with a greater reliance on earnings from commissions to build
sustainability.
In 2015 we will:
■■ Increase our training to big voluntary organisations to help them to
improve the impact of their work with young people
■■ Support a new government nationally to develop the best policies
for young people and to work with government departments and
local government to deliver the best programmes and support
■■ Launch a new action research programme in to issues around
identity for young people, particularly with reference to extremism
8
Our Structure
Leap Confronting Conflict Board of Trustees
Leap Confronting Conflict is a UK company, limited by guarantee, and a registered
charity with the Charity Commission for England and Wales and the Charity
Commission of Scotland. We have reporting responsibilities to Companies House,
the Charity Commission and the Scottish Charity Regulator. The organisation is
governed by a Board of Trustees, which is made up of around a dozen members
including young people who have come through Leap’s programmes.
The role of the Board is to govern the organisation, ensure its activities are
consistent with it purpose, set its strategy, and provide overall direction to achieve
its aims in the most efficient and effective manner.
Leap has two sub-committees. Its Risk, Audit and Governance committee reviews
and recommends for approval the annual budget and audited accounts, leads
on board development and recruitment and reviews risks to the organisation. Its
Impact committee reviews the approach to assessing the organisations evaluation
and impact assessment – providing the board with confidence that there is
oversight of the organisation’s impact against its purpose.
Leap’s Executive Team
Leap’s headquarters are in Finsbury Park, London. Our core team is made up of
about a dozen staff members and a pool of about 40 freelance trainers who deliver
Leap’s work across the UK.
9
Role Description
Leap is seeking a new Chair to lead its Board of Trustees to fulfil their
responsibilities for the strategic direction and overall governance of the
organisation. This is an exciting opportunity to help drive the success of a growing
and successful organisation that makes a profound and positive impact on the lives
of young people and their communities.
We are looking for someone who values the potential of young people, is
passionate about their growth and development and understands the challenges
they face. An interest in Leap’s work and approach are essential as well as an
ambitious outlook for Leap’s future.
She or he will be well respected and have active networks in business and
philanthropy sectors, and will be able to bring these to their support of Leap’s work.
The individual will have a proven track record of setting, agreeing and attending
to an organisation’s strategy, and will bring financial literacy and business acumen.
The Chair will act as a representative, spokesperson and cause leader creating and
identifying donors and business opportunities for Leap.
Leap’s board is made up of a dozen members, who are recruited, selected and
approved by the Board of Trustees. Each trustee serves a three-year term, after
which they may stand for a second three-year term, plus one additional year for
the Chair and Treasurer. Leap’s Board is a diverse group, made up of leaders from a
wide range of backgrounds, including the youth and community sector, business,
media, the secure estate, central government, law, as well as young people who
have come through Leap’s programmes.
Leap’s Board meets four times per year, usually at its offices in Finsbury Park,
London. The overall time commitment for the Chair is expected to be around two
days per month. The position of Chair is voluntary, but reasonable expenses will be
reimbursed.
10
Responsibilities include:
■■ Leading Leap’s Board of Trustees to make sure that it fulfils its responsibilities
for the governance of the organisation and in its role of agreeing, setting and
monitoring strategic goals
■■ Ensuring that Leap’s strategic direction, policies and objectives are clear and
kept under review
■■ Acting as a sounding board for, and maintaining effective communications with,
Leap’s Chief Executive and senior management team
■■ Acting as an ambassador and spokesperson and championing Leap’s objectives
at a senior level, in particular supporting Leap’s income activities, and fostering
networks that can help generate income for the organisation
■■ Representing Leap at key external events and developing and maintaining
responsive and interactive relationships with key stakeholders
■■ Chairing Board meetings, setting agendas with the Chief Executive
■■ Safeguarding the reputation and values of Leap
■■ Ensuring that Leap acts in accordance with, legislation, its constitution and
those procedures governed by the Charities Commission
11
Person Specification
■■ Active business and philanthropy networks
■■ Can be an active ambassador to generate business and donor opportunities as
well as professional and advisory support
■■ Experience of leadership at a senior executive and board level, as well as
chairing experience
■■ Strategic and ambitious for Leap with an ability to shape a collective vision for
Leap that informs its ongoing work
■■ Strong influencing, networking and advocacy skills
■■ High-level interpersonal sensitivity and personal effectiveness with a
collaborative approach to working, evidenced by being authentic, politically
astute and an effective communicator
■■ Can build a mutually respectful relationship with the CEO
■■ Can be a credible voice, and a genuine champion for young people, especially
those who face disadvantage
■■ Strong commitment to Leap’s mission and purpose,
■■ Has time to commit to Leap as a chair – eventually around one to two days a
month after a period of higher amounts in the first two months
Desirable:
■■ Excellent chairing skills, including the ability to facilitate discussion, draw out a
range of views in a way that values diversity of experience, and synthesise and
reach collective decisions on the best way forward
■■ Experience in charity governance and understands how a charity operates,
including regulation, the nature of volunteering
■■ Has a coaching approach to management, particularly of the CEO and is a
motivational leader and manager
■■ Previous experience of either youth issues and/or conflict management
12
Appendix 1
Finances
In 2014, Leap’s income was just over £1 million. We have an ambitious plan for
growth in our current strategy, and are projecting to grow our income by 30% in
the current financial year. We expect our income in 2015 to grow between 30%
and 50%. At the beginning of March, we have already secured more income than
for the whole of 2014. Our current unrestricted reserves are around £300,000,
which meets our target of 3 months’ operating costs.
Leap delivers both funded work and operates a social enterprise, which over the last
four years has accounted for about 20% of Leap’s income.
2014 Income
Corporate 12%
Total 1,007,150
Social Enterprise 18%
Statutory Income 3%
Individual Donations 7%
Trust and Foundation
Income 59%
2014 Expenses
Governance 2%
Total 1,075,391
Development 13%
Support 18%
Service Delivery 67%
13
Appendix 2
Our Impact
In 2014:
■■ 1,288 young people trained to manage conflict in every aspect of their lives
■■ 855 adult practitioners developed their technique and toolkit for working with
approximately 17,100 young people
■■ 478 young people took part in Leap workshops delivered by their peers
■■ We launched two new pilot programmes
In Prisons (HMP&YOI Chelmsford):
■■ Recorded fights and assaults dropped by approximately 25%, and most were
minor incidents that did not result in physical injury
■■ Violent incidents have dropped by 33%
■■ The number of adjudications per month reduced by 54%
■■ Relationships between staff and young adults improved
14
In schools:
■■ In one London school, 91% of pupils reported a positive change in their
perceptions of themselves, how they viewed other and how they responded to
prejudice
■■ Another school reported a 7% reduction in physical fights, a 14% reduction in
low level conflicts (such as name calling) and a 19% increase in student safety
in the classroom
■■ In one school the number of fixed term exclusions, among the same peer group
of students, dropped from 29 to 12
In the community:
In 2013 we evaluated the long-term impact of our high impact community
programme Improving Prospects and recorded:
■■ 100% reduction in involvement in street violence among those who had been
involved prior to the course.
■■ 86% of those who had been arrested prior to the course had not been arrested
since.
■■ 89% reduction in offending among the 18 who had been involved prior to
taking part
■■ 83% reported improvements in their relationships with parents or carers, family,
friends, professionals
15
How to apply
Appointment process and how to apply
To apply, please e-mail your CV and covering letter summarising your motivations
in applying and addressing the key points in the person specification to Philip
Nelson, at philip.nelson@prospect-us.co.uk.
Applicants are asked to provide suitable daytime and evening telephone and email
contact details.
The closing date for applications is 19 April 2015.
Leap’s selection committee will meet in April to shortlist the candidates and
interviews will take place on 14th May and 4th June.
Our CEO, Thomas Lawson, would be delighted to speak to any interested
candidates and we can also facilitate conversations with Chair of the interview
panel, Rachel Sandby-Thomas, Director General, Enterprise, Skills and Legal at BIS;
David Causer, Leap Treasurer; Patrick Dunne, our outgoing Chair; and one of our
young trustees, Peter Olawaye.
Thomas can be contacted on 020 7561 3702
or thomas.lawson@leapcc.org.uk.
Contents
To find out more:
Please contact our retained consultants at Prospectus
to apply for the role
Philip Nelson or Hanna John
+ 44 (0)20 7691 1920
philip.nelson@prospect-us.co.uk
hanna.john@prospect-us.co.uk
If you would like to discuss the role with our
CEO or any of the interview panel then please
contact Thomas Lawson on 020 7561 3702 or
thomas.lawson@leapcc.org.uk.
Leap Confronting Conflict
Wells House (Unit 7), 5-7 Wells Terrace, Finsbury Park, London N4 3JU