Our trustees come from a range of backgrounds including social work, youth work, counselling, law, finance and corporate hospitality. Half of them have lived experience of caring for a child with a disability, and some of those children are now young adults. Behind the board we also have a steering group of parents and carers and an action group of young people living with a disability or impairment. Both groups help us set our priorities and act as champions for the charity.
Our trustees come from a range of backgrounds including social work, youth work, counselling, law, finance and corporate hospitality. Half of them have lived experience of caring for a child with a disability, and some of those children are now young adults. Behind the board we also have a steering group of parents and carers and an action group of young people living with a disability or impairment. Both groups help us set our priorities and act as champions for the charity.
For Trustees’ Week, we asked one of our trustees to tell us a bit about why he does it.
Meet Adam
Adam Michie-Carr is Senior Deputy Head at Plymouth College, where he has spent many years working in pastoral care and residential boarding. He has supported children with a range of additional needs and has extensive experience in safeguarding. Adam is passionate about inclusion and about making sure every young person feels known, valued and heard. That commitment also shapes his doctoral research at the University of Plymouth, which explores pupil voice in secondary schools. He is an inspector for the Independent Schools Inspectorate and a panel member for the Teaching Regulation Agency.
What inspired you to become a trustee?
“I have spent my career working with young people and have supported many children with additional needs along the way. I have seen how much difference it makes when a child and their family feel genuinely understood and supported. Becoming a trustee felt like a natural way to put that experience to use beyond my own school.
Friends and Families matters to me because it works with young people and families with additional needs right here in our local community, often at times when they need help most. Its work reflects something I care about deeply: that every young person, whatever their circumstances or needs, deserves to be included and given a fair chance.”
What do you enjoy most, and what would you say to someone thinking of getting involved?
“I most enjoy working alongside people who bring very different experience to the table but share the same commitment to the charity’s purpose. I also value being able to support the staff and volunteers whose dedication makes Friends and Families what it is. It is rewarding to see decisions made around the boardroom table turn into real benefits for local families.
To anyone thinking of getting involved, I would say that you probably have more to offer than you think. Trusteeship draws on all kinds of skills and backgrounds, and it is a genuinely worthwhile way to give something back.”
Could you be our next trustee?
If you would like to find out more, or just have an informal chat about what the role involves, email info@friendsandfamilies.org.uk.