Church Urban Fund - Governance Consultancy Service

‘One-off' free consultancy on governance issues

What is 'governance'?

By governance we mean ‘the systems and processes concerned with ensuring the overall direction, effectiveness, supervision and accountability of an organisation'.

The underlying components of good governance are:

Probity - making sure that the organisation complies with the law, regulations and good practise in everything it undertakes (e.g. finance, employment, risk management etc.)
Strategy - ensuring that there is time and resources to think and work strategically.
Impact - continued monitoring to ensure that an organisation achieves its objects, vision and mission.

The Church Urban Fund is making consultancy available to projects on this important but complex issue. There are many aspects which you might have questions on, for example:

Legal responsibilities of individuals
Legal possibilities and liabilities when working within a church structure e.g. a PCC
Managing difficulties with staff or trustees
Hazards and approaches when working with management committees
Recruitment to the management committee, or induction of new members
Roles and Responsibilities
The role of clergy in church related projects

These are just examples. You may have a very specific issue: or may want to talk through things generally: or may want to be signposted to other sources of help and support. This is your chance to get support from a consultant with special expertise in relation to the governance of church related social action projects.

Consultant: The Rev'd Canon Stephen Little

Stephen is a freelance consultant with considerable experience of working with church-based community initiatives. Stephen is also an adviser for the Government's ‘Governance Hub”.

What to do next

First thing to do is to email Stephen giving a brief outline of the issue you would like to discuss with him. It is important that you also provide a telephone number and convenient times so that Stephen can contact you.

Stephen will either make a full response by email or will ring you to arrange a time for an extended conversation.

You can email Stephen at StephenLittle@essell.org.uk

NB This consultancy is available until May 2008. It has been made possible through funding to the Church Urban Fund from Capacitybuilders.'