Board Member with Legal Experience

The Organisation:

Established in 1951, the Central Remedial Clinic (CRC) is a voluntary organisation and national charity working with children and adults with disabilities.

We provide general disability services along with, and in partnership with, the HSE and the wider disability sector, and we also provide highly specialist national services not replicated elsewhere in the sector. 

Our National Specialist Services team supports the provision of innovative medical and surgical interventions, therapeutic and assistive technology services to children and adults with complex disabilities and rare conditions. These innovative medical and surgical interventions and evidence-based therapies support children and adults to achieve their maximum potential.

Our Adult Services are based in the Dublin region, and we operate from several multiple locations in line with the principles of New Directions. We support individuals to live a life of their choosing including supporting education and employment opportunities. 

We are the lead agency for five Children’s Disability Network Teams (CDNTs) located in Balbriggan, Swords, Clontarf, Clondalkin, and Waterford. These teams provide essential services to children aged from birth to 18 years with complex needs.

The CDNTs are part of the Progressing Disability Services for Children and Young People Programme (PDS), which aims to provide equitable access to services for children with disabilities, regardless of their diagnosis or location. This aligns with the Sláintecare vision of delivering integrated care, ensuring that children receive the necessary support to reach their full potential in a coordinated manner.

We are the trustees for two special schools in Clontarf and Clondalkin which are responsible for the education of 161 children with physical and other complex disabilities.

We are funded through several HSE and other state grants and we also rely on donations and fundraising to support our work.  While registered as a charity, the CRC is incorporated as a Section 38 Organisation under the Health Act.    

We employ an average of 400 people and are supported by a network of volunteers. 

For more information, please visit www.crc.ie.  

As a Section 38 Organisation focusing on Disability, we are on a strategic journey to improve our delivery services and support an ever-growing number of families. Our five year plan recognises:

Purpose, Ambition & Values

We recognise that every person, regardless of ability, has the right to the right support, at the right time.

Our Purpose: is to deliver the services that make this real for people with complex disabilities.

Our Ambition: is to change perceptions and experiences, so that disability is recognised as a difference that enriches society.  Together with individuals, families and our partners, we are shaping a world where everyone is valued and supported to live the life they choose.

Our Values

Person Centredness - People with disabilities at the heart of everything 

Quality - Always meeting expected standards, learning from what we do and striving for better

Respect - Honouring one another

Courage - Leading with resolve

Collaboration - Knowing that we're better when we work together

Stewardship - Responsibly caring for and managing the assets and resources entrusted to us

Board of Directors:  Board of Directors | Central Remedial Clinic (crc.ie)

Executive Team:       Senior Management Team and Operational Management Team | Central Remedial Clinic (crc.ie)

The Role: 

CRC is seeking to appoint a board director with legal experience to serve on a voluntary, pro bono basis. The successful candidate will operate as an ordinary non-executive director, providing independent fiduciary oversight and ensuring that the organisation delivers on its agreed strategy, has adequate resources, is managed soundly within an appropriate risk appetite, and operates within a robust and compliant governance framework. As with all board appointments at CRC, the position is unremunerated and offered on a pro bono basis. The person appointed will also serve as a member of the Quality, Service, Safety & Risk (QSSR) Committee.

As a Section 38 organisation funded under the Health Act 2004 and a registered charity, CRC operates within a demanding statutory and regulatory environment, with significant accountability to the Health Service Executive (HSE), the Charities Regulator and other oversight bodies. The Board is collectively responsible for the organisation’s governance, legal compliance and risk management, and the appointment of a director with specialist legal expertise is intended to strengthen the Board’s capacity to discharge these responsibilities.

As a member of the Board, contribute to the following:

• Provide independent oversight and accountability, acting at all times with care, skill, loyalty and good faith, and in accordance with the law, the organisation’s constitution and the fiduciary duties of a charity trustee and company director. This includes managing risk and ensuring that all organisational actions align with CRC’s mission and with its obligations as a Section 38 organisation operating under a compliance framework set by the HSE, and as a registered charity.
• Bring legal expertise and experience, ideally gained within a healthcare or Section 38 setting, to inform and strengthen the Board’s decision-making and to provide clear, balanced guidance on complex strategic, legal and governance matters.
• Work collaboratively with the Board and Executive Management to set the organisation’s strategy and to monitor its successful delivery within an agreed risk appetite and risk management framework.
• Ensure that the organisation has the financial resources to meet its objectives and that finances are managed properly, transparently and in a manner that withstands the scrutiny appropriate to a publicly funded body and registered charity. 
• Oversee the performance of the senior executive team in meeting day-to-day operational requirements and agreed objectives.
• Support the Board in discharging its statutory and regulatory obligations, including those arising under the Health Act 2004 and CRC’s Service Arrangement and compliance framework with the HSE, the Charities Act 2009 and the requirements of the Charities Regulator (including the Charities Governance Code), the Companies Act 2014, and relevant quality, safety and safeguarding standards (including those of HIQA).
• Provide assurance on the adequacy of the organisation’s governance, internal controls, legal compliance and risk management arrangements, helping the Board to identify, assess and mitigate legal and regulatory risk.

Desirable Experience:

• Legal qualification.
• A corporate governance qualification would be an advantage.
• Understanding of a risk framework / risk environment from a governance perspective.
• It would be an advantage to have governance experience within the healthcare sector in Ireland (particularly a Section 38/39 organisation).
• General legal experience rather than specialisation would be preferred.

Board Meetings:

There are six formally scheduled board meetings a year: January, March, May, June, September and December.  The board meetings are from 8.00am to 12.30 pm, in person at the CRC offices in Clontarf, Dublin 3.   

Board Committees:

Board members are expected to participate as a member of at least one board committee, of which there are four – Audit; Quality, Service, Safety & Risk (QSSR); People, Change and Transformation (PCT) and Investment & Fundraising.  Each board committee meets a minimum of four times a year.  Whether the meeting is held remotely or in-person is at the discretion of the committee chair. 

In this instance, the successful candidate will be a member of the Quality, Service, Safety and Risk Committee