Safeguarding Trustee

What will you be doing?

• Strategic oversight - Champion safeguarding at Board level; ensure policies are reviewed annually against current legislation; provide informed challenge to our DSL and senior leadership; and oversee how safeguarding risks are identified and managed.
• Culture and practice - Help foster a culture where staff, volunteers, and service users feel safe to raise concerns; support the wider Board in understanding their safeguarding responsibilities; and act as a sounding board for our DSL between meetings.
• Governance and assurance - Review quarterly safeguarding reports; oversee the handling of allegations (alongside the Chair and DSL); ensure serious incidents are reported to the Charity Commission; and support safer recruitment practices.

What are we looking for?

What we're looking for:

• Experienced in safeguarding - you'll bring relevant safeguarding knowledge - whether through professional experience (e.g., social work, education, health, policing, children's or adults' services), voluntary roles, or personal experience of navigating safeguarding systems. What matters most is that you understand how safeguarding works in practice.
• Passionate about protecting people - you understand why safeguarding matters and can bring that conviction to a governance setting.
• A constructive challenger - you're comfortable asking difficult questions and holding an organisation to account, while remaining supportive and solutions-focused.
• Committed to our community - you care about food poverty, social justice, and the diverse communities of East London.
• Able to dedicate time - 5 Board meetings per year (including one all-day away day), plus 4–5 committee meetings annually. Between meetings, you'll liaise periodically with our DSL (approximately 5–8 hours per month in total) and you will be expected to read the safeguarding reports shared with you via email, sometimes daily, and respond where appropriate. At times, you may need to speak with the safeguarding team on an urgent basis where they require your guidance.

We welcome applicants with lived experience of using food bank services or similar community support. We particularly encourage applications from people who reflect Hackney's diverse communities - including people from Black, Asian and other ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; people from the LGBTQIA+ community; and anyone with direct experience of the issues we work on. We are committed to building a Board that reflects the community we serve. All appointments are made on merit.

What difference will you make?

This role will strengthen our governance, bring expert challenge to our policies and practices, and help us build a culture where safeguarding is everyone's priority.