[This week, Trustees' Week, is a week dedicated to the work of our unpaid volunteer trustees who use their skills and experience to set and help meet MCFB's strategy and objectives. In the first of a series of blogs from our trustees, we hear from the Chair of our Board, Wendy Paterson.]

"For a person who always enjoyed hands-on work, it has taken me a long time to learn the very different requirements of being a trustee.  Supporting the work and development of the agency from a distance which allows governance to happen effectively has been essential. Learning the skills of working together with Board members to ensure the purpose of the agency is upheld, that funds are secured and managed, risks are evaluated and that our duty of care to staff and others involved in delivering services is properly considered and managed has been all important.

The shock of the speed and scale of Lockdown was enormous

So, in March this year, just weeks after our regular Board meeting which approved the budget for the coming year, the progress of a new Forward Plan and looked at the significant risks inherent in a funding issue which could lead to the loss of a particular service, Lockdown happened. Any preference for hands-on and face to face work disappeared overnight. The shock of the speed and scale of its impact was enormous and for a moment it felt, to me at least, as if MCFB could no longer function in delivering the services for which it is funded. Responsibilities for staff and our duty of care for their safety was paramount, as was the need to understand implications for funding, impact on targets, relevance of particular policies and their use and the importance of offering the support of trustees while maintaining appropriate governance and our roles as employers.

It has been possible to see from a greater distance than usual the outstanding work of the staff of the agency

Looking back now I can say that as a trustee little in my calendar changed. All the meetings except the AGM which will happen in December have taken place. They have happened mainly by courtesy of Zoom, communications have happened in numerous ways, Boards have taken effective decisions- in particular the appointment of a new Chief Executive and the approval of an important Forward Plan which gives a clear sense of the direction of MCFB's work as we go forward. While I have missed frequent visits to Coburg Street to sign documents, funding applications and for face to face meetings, it has been possible to see from a greater distance than usual the outstanding work of the staff of the agency and to marvel at the creativity, commitment and resolve of a staff group which has been led through this by an exceptional leader in Anne Spiers.

Thank you to my fellow trustees who have been unfailingly helpful, insightful and available and who have helped us to hold to our task of ensuring MCFB delivers services of high quality to people whose needs during the pandemic have been unprecedented. The support and understanding of our funders has been exceptional too and as trustees we cannot be more grateful for the resolve of all to continue MCFB's work at a time when the need for it is greater than ever."

Wendy Paterson, November 2020.