We are looking for volunteer trustees to help guide DSE through an important period of innovation and growth, as we prepare new digital services to extend evidence-informed education support for children with Down syndrome worldwide.
The world is changing fast, and DSE is changing too. Building on advances in scientific research, statistical methods and digital technology, we are preparing to launch new services that will change how we deliver support and how we conduct research.
For over 45 years, DSE has pioneered evidence-based approaches to early intervention and education for children with Down syndrome. Our work has helped change expectations and improve opportunities for many thousands of children and young people around the world.
However, there is much more we could do - more for the children and families we support today, and more for the children, families, teachers and therapists we cannot yet reach.
Why this matters now
Progress in early intervention and education has been too slow for too many children in too many places. One reason is practical: specialist advice is expensive and scarce in many communities. Digital services do not replace skilled professionals, but they can make reliable advice and teaching activities available to more families and professionals when direct specialist support is not available.
Over the past several years, we have been developing the technology needed to deliver support at a much larger scale. Our new LearningTracker apps and services will help families, teachers and therapists record observations, track developmental progress and access recommendations, advice and learning activities tailored to each child's needs.
Scientific evidence can tell us what tends to help groups of children. Modern statistical methods can help us combine that evidence with carefully recorded observations about an individual child, so advice can be adapted to the child's current skills, learning history and rate of progress. Over time, and with appropriate consent and safeguards, LearningTracker should also help us ask better research questions and learn more quickly what works, for whom, and in which contexts.
How trustees will help
We are looking for enthusiastic and committed volunteers to join our Board of Trustees and help guide this work. Trustees are responsible for the overall direction of the charity and for ensuring that DSE continues to meet its charitable purposes. Down Syndrome Education International is also incorporated as a limited company, so charity trustees also serve as company directors.
During this next phase, our Board will need to guide decisions about strategy, research priorities, data protection, finances, partnerships and long-term sustainability. We need trustees who can ask clear questions, test assumptions and help us make good decisions as the work develops.
For further information about the role and eligibility, please see the UK Government guidance Charity trustee: what's involved.
Skills and experience
We are particularly interested in hearing from people with expertise in:
- accounting, audit and finance
- marketing, sales and communications
- information technology, software and digital service delivery
- data science and statistics
- scientific research, research governance and evaluation
- teaching, speech and language therapy, educational psychology or related professional practice
- charitable fundraising and supporter engagement
People with direct family experience of Down syndrome are very welcome, as are professionals and others with relevant expertise. You do not need to be a parent or relative of a person with Down syndrome to serve as a trustee.
Practical details
Board meetings are held online three times each year. Trustees should expect to volunteer at least 25 hours each year, including meetings, reading papers and follow-up work. Additional time may be needed for induction or project-specific discussions.
DSE International's main office is in Cumbria, UK, but regular Board meetings are online, so volunteers do not need to live nearby. Trustees are unpaid, though we can reimburse agreed out-of-pocket expenses.
Get in touch
If you are interested in volunteering to serve as a trustee of Down Syndrome Education International, please contact our CEO, Frank Buckley, via hello@dseinternational.org. Please include a short note about why you are interested and the experience you could bring.
