About the organisation
Openmind.ed is a small Bristol-based charity dedicated to supporting staff and students in schools and universities in respect of mental health and well-being. We are a team of psychiatrists, psychotherapists, social workers, occupational therapists, coaches and other mental health/well-being professionals.
On top of heavy teaching loads, delivering the national curriculum, and meeting parental demands, members of school staff are increasingly expected to respond to students’ emotional needs. The impact of this on teachers is clearly felt but not always recognised or addressed. We help respond to this impact and support staff and students working in a complex institution by creating safe spaces for teaching staff and/or students to express and reflect on the impact of school life. We do this in a variety of ways, including reflective practice sessions with school staff, training workshops, one-to-one mentoring and sessions with parents. We also support a number of Bristol University medical students each year with retreats focussing on mental health and wellbeing.
See our website www.openmindedcharity.org.
In 2023 we received income of £107k and spent £73k.
We are currently seeking additional Trustees to join our Board (currently three). One of our new Trustees will fill the Treasurer role.
About the role
Main Trustee duties
- Attend quarterly Trustee meetings (online usually; c.90 mins)
- Liaise from time to time as required with CEO and/or Chair of Trustees (c.3 meetings/calls per year)
- Offer guidance and information to Trustees and the CEO on topics the Trustee may be able to offer that arise from their career, profession, background and/or previous trustee/charitable experience
Trustees are of course welcome to become more deeply involved if they wish: the above simply represents the reasonable minimum involvement that we need.
Our ideal candidate
Desired background
The role may particularly suit someone who is interested in supporting mental health and wellbeing in children and young people. However, there is no requirement to have been formally involved in this area previously.
With a view to maintaining a broad skills mix on our Board, we would particularly welcome applicants with the following backgrounds:
Professional services Business administration Education pastoral and leadership roles Educational psychology Mental health and psychological therapies
For more information or a discussion about the role please contact our Chair of Trustees, Luke Menzies: luke.menzies@openmindedcharity.org
You are welcome to send on a brief CV too, if you wish.
What’s in it for you
The role will allow you to contribute meaningfully to addressing the mental health crisis that every school faces and to assist in supporting pastoral, leadership and teaching staff to meet these demands, remain resilient and also remain caring and human in how they manage and deal with the many mental health demands now upon them, despite no training in the area.
Apply for the role
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Please provide a cover note if it is requested in the role description. Applications which are personalised, setting out your motivations for volunteering for the organisation and relevant skills/experience, are far more likely to be successful.
