Migrant Help has taken a significant step in our co-production journey by recruiting a Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP) member as a trustee. This initiative highlights our progress and commitment to integrating lived experiences into our decision-making. We wanted to share the process we followed between March 2023 – April 2024 to achieve our goal and what we learned along the way.

The journey begins

In March 2023, we set up a LEAP Trustee Working Group which met quarterly and was comprised of representatives from the co-production team, senior management team (including our CEO) and Board of trustees (including the Chair). Together, we shaped the recruitment timeline and identified requirements for the trustee role. We focused on understanding the candidate experience and potential barriers that LEAP members might face in becoming trustees, including at board meetings. We brainstormed strategies to overcome these challenges and discussed creating a Trustee Information Session for LEAP members. We consulted LEAP members to ensure that these strategies and the information session would be beneficial.

Enhancing accessibility and support

By September 2023, the trustees in the working group started to implement various adjustments the working group and LEAP members had suggested to make board meetings more inclusive and accessible for an incoming LEAP trustee. The adjustments included:

• taking care to avoid or explain acronyms and using plain English
• creating bullet-point guides summarising the background and context of agenda items
• using interactive tools like Jam Board to present information
• establishing group agreements on wellbeing and confidentiality to help create a safe environment
• providing shadowing opportunities for potential applicants
• creating a "Who's Who" guide with photos and roles of key members
• offering "How to" guides for policy reading
• ensuring all board attendees bring laptops to hybrid meetings to support those joining virtually to follow who is speaking

It was agreed by all board members that the adjustments above, would in fact support the entire board to participate more fully whether they had lived experience or not. It really helped to have trustees who were fully engaged from the start and who were able to ensure these changes were implemented and not just forgotten about.

We introduced a LEAP buddy who would mentor and coach the prospective LEAP trustee and support their wellbeing, helping them feel welcomed and valued. Alongside this, we developed a Leadership Mentoring Scheme with Ashurst LLP, to support LEAP members to develop leadership skills and increase their confidence to apply. It was really important to us that we were supporting members to apply not only to the Migrant Help board, but for other leadership positions elsewhere too.

Informing and preparing candidates

In October 2023, the Head of Client Voice and some existing Migrant Help trustees co-delivered our first Trustee Information Session, providing LEAP members with insights into the trustee role, expectations, and available support. You can download the presentation we gave here:

LEAP Trustee Information Session Final

The session was well received, but we realised we needed clearer reasons for why those currently accessing Migrant Help services were not eligible to apply. Further research revealed that recruiting current clients would require legal advice, changes to our governing document, and Charity Commission approval. After consulting with other charities, we decided to proceed with offering the opportunity to LEAP members who were not currently accessing services or unlikely to do so in the near future. This would help us understand potential conflicts of interest before reconsidering this for the next round of recruitment. We communicated this to our members, though some were understandably disappointed. To further support the development of LEAP members, we commissioned NCVO to deliver a full day of bespoke trustee induction training, which members reported was helpful to increase their confidence and knowledge, particularly around understanding conflicts of interest.

In December 2023, two prospective LEAP trustee candidates met with the Chair of trustees and observed a Board meeting. This observational experience, along with the Chair’s preparatory guidance, helped them understand the dynamics of board meetings and the agenda items. At this stage, we obtained further feedback from the observers which fed into the board adjustments. The feedback included:

• using less acronyms (old habits die hard!)
• slowing down the pace
• more LEAP involvement
• training to understand the finance section

Streamlining the induction process

In January 2024, we recognised the need for an inclusive onboarding process, so we revamped our trustee induction, splitting it into two parts. This new approach included pre-appointment reading material and post-appointment resources, allowing for a more gradual and comprehensive introduction to the role. We developed the trustee handbook and included a section on a “Diary of a New Trustee” to give insights into how other new trustees have felt when joining the board.

Selecting and welcoming our new trustee

We thought carefully about the interview process, giving coaching to applicants beforehand along with sending them the interview questions a week in advance so they could prepare. After conducting interviews for the LEAP trustee role in February 2024, Loretta Okeke emerged as the preferred candidate, impressing the CEO and Chair with her insights and passion. We provided further support to unsuccessful applicants which included inviting one of them to be a co-opted member of Migrant Help’s Strategy & Communications Committee.

The trustee buddy supported Loretta through her induction and the Chair meets with her before each meeting to review the board papers together. The Chair mentioned that this process is helpful for her as well. To further support Loretta in her new role we held a “Finance for Trustees” training session. This was also attended by other trustees who wanted to improve their understanding of financial matters. Here’s what Loretta has to say about her experience of joining the board:

One of the things I Iike about Migrant Help is that it is a charity that believes in continuous improvement and growth; and one thing I find really exciting is the fact that they want to hear from the clients that they are supporting. My journey so far as a LEAP trustee has been lovely. My first board meeting went smoothly, thanks to the pre-board meetings I usually have with the Chair. The atmosphere was welcoming. I had the board papers sent to me to go through. The board is made up of people from vast backgrounds and different fields, so I am really looking forward to continuing learning, as well as bringing in my Lived Experience skill, ensuring that the voices of those with lived experience are heard and considered in decision-making. Loretta Okeke, LEAP Trustee

Looking ahead: Commitment to Co-production

We are proud of our progress but recognise that our journey towards becoming a fully co-produced charity is ongoing. The recruitment of a LEAP member as a trustee is a significant milestone, but we are not complacent about the additional work we need to do. We remain committed to improving our processes, learning from our experiences, and ensuring that lived experience remains central to our organisation. Together, we will continue to build an inclusive environment where every voice is heard and valued. Here’s a message from our CEO on the importance of lived experience leadership:

Spending time and committing ourselves to help people with lived experience prepare to join, not just our Board, but any Board, is an important investment. Don’t take shortcuts, put in the work and be prepared to be humbled. We have a lot to learn but the payback is tremendous. Caroline O’Connor, Chief Executive Officer

If you would like further information or to speak to someone in the Co-production team, please email [email protected].

Written by Arjun Malhotra, Head of Client Voice