Page 18 | New CEO of Edinburgh Rape Crisis

TheFleegleHasLanded · 2021-05-03T10:00:27+00:00

I struggled to even come up with a title for this thread as I am so enraged I know I will get deleted and even banned if I say what I really think. [[https://twitter.com/EdinRapeCrisis/status/1389112490215288832?s=20]]

HerewardTheWoke · 03/05/2021 19:33

Yes, adverts for trustees often ask for specific kinds of experience, depending on what the board thinks their needs are.

To be clear, there is no reason to think there is any kind of financial mismanagement - there is no suggestion of that. But I don't think the current crop of trustees have the right background to deal with it if it arose - their inexperience is leaving them a bit exposed I think.

TabbyStar · 03/05/2021 19:31

Has anyone seen any opinion about whether they've done anything that would fall foul of the Equality Act? I think it's an odd situation that feels wrong but might actually not be covered, but I don't really know.

ArabellaScott · 03/05/2021 19:27

cross post, Leaf, sorry!

Leafstamp · 03/05/2021 19:27

Ok, just seen Hereward’s post. Bit frightening.

ArabellaScott · 03/05/2021 19:26

find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC291742/officers

Leafstamp · 03/05/2021 19:25

@PlanDeRaccordement

It’s not normal at all. The more I think about this, the more I worry that ERCC is a shell for activists to get donations supposedly to help rape victims, but then really spend it on activism (and their salaries).

Has anyone been to a ERCC location? Or known anyone who has used their services? Do they actually do what they say they do?

There is quite a bit of information in their latest accounts, which you can access here:

find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC291742/filing-history

I’ve skimmed really quickly and it all looks in order to me. I may take a closer look at some point.

Tootsweets23 · 03/05/2021 19:24

It says in the job advert that this role is funded by the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board. I wonder what their board members think of a) this appointment b) the recruitment process failing to adhere to its own parameters and c) the completely inappropriate and inexperienced board of ERCC www.edinburghhsc.scot/the-ijb/eijb-board-members/

Chrysanthemum5 · 03/05/2021 19:23

People usually apply to be a trustee and then there is an interview to look at what you might bring to the board. You also have to be briefed to ensure you understand the implications of your role etc

ArabellaScott · 03/05/2021 19:23

'struggling with unprecedented demand' - and this was pre covid

www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/crime/edinburgh-rape-crisis-centre-struggling-unprecedented-demand-300-victims-wait-year-support-1330400

Chrysanthemum5 · 03/05/2021 19:22

I am a trustee for a small charity and we have a board member who is an audit specialist which helps us hugely in ensuring we act within the legal framework. We also have discussions about the decisions made and there's no way a new CEO would be appointed without a lot of scrutiny

ArabellaScott · 03/05/2021 19:21

www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/edinburgh-rape-crisis-centre-forced-17855231

Gender neutral toilets in their centre.

Floisme · 03/05/2021 19:21

I'm not sure how trustees are normally appointed - does anyone know?
If the appointments are advertised, do they normally specify certain criteria e.g expertise in safeguarding, finance, law?
Who makes the decision?

HerewardTheWoke · 03/05/2021 19:15

@Unsure33

Unclear. Trustees (at least in England and Wales, not sure about Scotland) are responsible for preparing accounts annually, and they probably engage an accountant to do an annual independent audit or examination of accounts, which is fine.

But most charities, ideally, would have someone on the board (and who is therefore legally responsible for the charity and independent of the management) who is qualified in audit and assurance and can challenge and hold the management team to account on financial management and strategy, and respond to any auditor concerns.

Without that, you are missing one of the lines of defence against financial mismanagement. One of the (many) problems Kids Company had, for example, was that auditors' warnings on cash flow were ignored, which is down to the trustees.

Chrysanthemum5 · 03/05/2021 19:10

I'm hoping for the sake of the young women on the board that they have been advised properly - and no one interested in rape support can possibly be unaware that MW is a transwoman

ArabellaScott · 03/05/2021 19:09

@HerewardTheWoke

Part of my job is to do with scrutinising and strengthening corporate governance and even for a smallish charity that board is very seriously underpowered, let alone for one delivering a complex service like this.

According to the website, they are mostly recent graduates (or in a couple of cases currently undergraduates!), and only one member has a long-standing career in something that might be relevant to the organisation (HR - which is fine, although it begs the question why they don't know how to operate single sex exceptions properly).

I'd expect an organisation like this to have at least one board member with a legal background, ideally family and/or criminal law, and one with substantial experience in financial management. Then I would want to see other members with long-standing experience in child protection, safeguarding, VAWG sector, local government, public health or other social policy fields, and fundraising. Not people who graduated within the last few years and have spent a few months in another country ... Jesus fucking Christ

I feel genuinely concerned for the board members. They are totally out of their depth for the level of personal liability they have taken on. No wonder they are getting walked all over.

Thanks for that analysis.

This is worrying. Women will be relying on that service. (And from what I can tell, young people, too?).

They deserve better.

Chrysanthemum5 · 03/05/2021 19:06

I know etc was recently advertising for new board members but there is always a turnover of board members so that may replacing a couple of people. The board all looks quite young but some of them may have been on the board for a while?

PlanDeRaccordement · 03/05/2021 18:53

It’s not normal at all. The more I think about this, the more I worry that ERCC is a shell for activists to get donations supposedly to help rape victims, but then really spend it on activism (and their salaries).

Has anyone been to a ERCC location? Or known anyone who has used their services? Do they actually do what they say they do?

Floisme · 03/05/2021 18:49

If the board is this young and inexperienced then it sounds like they must be relatively new to their roles, which begs the question, who were the previous trustees and when and why were they replaced?

zzizzer · 03/05/2021 18:46

@HerewardTheWoke

At risk of sounding like a broken record, I just want to reiterate how deeply shocked I am at the board's set-up and lack of qualifications. This charity delivers services to children aged 12 upwards who have experienced sexual abuse, and educational programmes for children, and they have nobody with experience in child development, childhood abuse or child safeguarding on the board and no clearly identified trustee who leads on safeguarding.

Financially they are a very small operation (just over £800k income in the last year) but they have nobody on the board who has experience in audit and risk. They have not even rustled up a local accountant

NONE OF THIS IS NORMAL

It's insane.

Unsure33 · 03/05/2021 18:43

@HerewardTheWoke

Is that income as a charity ? But they don’t have an accountant ?

TabbyStar · 03/05/2021 18:42

In small voluntary organisations CEOs have some involvement with clients, perhaps less so if it's delivered via telephone than people coming into a centre (I don't know how ERCC operates), but still there are times when this happens, even if it's just dealing with complaints.

Workers who are dealing with issues of sexual violence will experience vicarious trauma and it's essential in a trauma-informed organisation that they feel as safe as they can do being able to express that and get support. If workers do not feel safe within the organisation they cannot hold safe space for clients. This applies even more so if you want to include peer supporters and staff and volunteers with lived experience.

SheldonesqueTheBstard · 03/05/2021 18:39

No one googled, no one?

Meg didnt google ole Harry either...

HerewardTheWoke · 03/05/2021 18:38

At risk of sounding like a broken record, I just want to reiterate how deeply shocked I am at the board's set-up and lack of qualifications. This charity delivers services to children aged 12 upwards who have experienced sexual abuse, and educational programmes for children, and they have nobody with experience in child development, childhood abuse or child safeguarding on the board and no clearly identified trustee who leads on safeguarding.

Financially they are a very small operation (just over £800k income in the last year) but they have nobody on the board who has experience in audit and risk. They have not even rustled up a local accountant

NONE OF THIS IS NORMAL

transsloth · 03/05/2021 18:37

I am neither in Scotland nor work or have anything to do with women's rape support services. I think MW is the only high profile person I could name working in the sector and I know they are trans. Anyone appointing a CEO in that sector who knows less about MW than me shouldn't be doing the appointing.

PlanDeRaccordement · 03/05/2021 18:34

@TabbyStar

Exactly. It is discriminatory that the only men that can apply are men that self-identify as women. It is discriminatory for the CEO position to be only offered to women imho. It’s not a client facing role, so there is no reason to restrict the sex of the applicants. I hope someone launches legal challenges on both of these.

There are lots of reasons to restrict it to females. These include males having access to client records, which women may not want; and staff members and volunteers needing to discuss issues that arise for clients and themselves with someone they feel comfortable talking to, which for many won't be a man.

CEOs should not have access to client medical records. Any sensitive issues discussed at management level should be done after anonymising the data. But given the children on their board, I have no idea whether they have any of these safeguards in place that they should have to protect victims’ privacy rights. The front line workers and first level management, yes should restrict positions by sex because it’s about what the victims need first and foremost.

The ‘comfort’ of executive level professionals not wanting to discuss rape with a man in the room is weak excuse in my opinion. Rape is more a man problem as they’re the ones doing most of it anyway. We should want more men involved in helping victims and working to end violence against girls and women. Otherwise it’s just a woman problem and out of sight, out of mind.