Meetings and Activities
The Supervisory Board meets habitually throughout the year to review the performance of War Child against set objectives outlined in our Annual Plan, 2025 strategy and articles of association. In 2021 the Board held four regular meetings - all attended by the International Management Team (IMT) . An additional four Audit Committee meetings were conducted.
Lending Expertise to the Shared Platform
It came as no surprise that a recurring topic of supervision during the year was the roll out of our Global Shared Platform . In the first meetings, the IMT sought advice from the Works Council on how to best split the shared entity from the Netherlands organisation ensuring that staff subject to the transition would be fully supported. Based on this discussion, a final People Transition Plan and Heads of Terms were approved and agreed on by the Supervisory Board. The Heads of Terms - an agreement in principle between two parties subject to a formal contract - was translated into a first draft Network Agreement presented to the board in the final quarter.
There was also discussion around how other implementing organisations could be brought into the shared platform - as and when the opportunity arises. With many of our Board members having extensive expertise in the commercial sector, a deep dive analysis into a potential legal split proved valuable. Multiple red lines and scenarios were brought to the table paving the way for a viable legal entity and business unit.
Acting as stepping stones to the next phase, other deliverables, including preparation for certification by ISO (the International Organisation for Standardization) were mapped out.
The make-up and development of the IMT was also discussed - including a request for a regular rotation of seats to ensure greater equity in power sharing.
Supervising the Growth of Our Evidence-Based Methods
The focus of our ambition is shifting - as we grow, we are carving out our identity as a truly evidence-based organisation. This saw the work of our Research and Development (R&D) department steal the spotlight in two out of four board meetings. In June, Dr. Mark Jordans, Professor of Child and Global Adolescent Mental Health and War Child Director of R&D gave a series of updates on the methods which we are scaling. By September, Jordans was able to draw upon a body of research findings to conclude that six out of 11 methods are now backed by solid evidence.
The Board celebrated this progress with suggestions made to monitor the study results for a further year to draw even more robust conclusions. Board member Stef Oud emphasised the importance of validating the scalability of all interventions.
Within this discussion, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic could not go unmentioned. A delay in obtaining data due to COVID-19 restrictions was revisited in conversations. Several examples of how our research teams worked around this - to complete the study and obtain key findings - were commended by the Board. Learn more about how we mitigated risks to children in the following section.