Jill Webb and Ann Van Dyke working in partnership to support a local charity

What happened?

Ann had been working with a local charity.  Over the years the success of the charity meant that the work had grown, and different funding streams had been used to support this.  The trustees were aware that they needed to get some of the paperwork and procedures up to  date, but being knocked back for a funding bid due to the safeguarding policy needing updating was the catalyst for this work.

What did we do?

We worked with the organisation on both a strategic and operational level.  The joint approach meant that the approaches ran simultaneously.

Ann worked with the trustees on the strategic level to facilitate ownership of any changes through the process.  We support the agreement of a strategic direction for the charity and the principles of formalising operations, all with the aim of supporting long term sustainability. This included our adopting a business planning approach, structure for the charity trustees, and an organisational framework for employees.

Jill worked at an operational level and scoped the policies and procedures that a charity with the remit to work with children with additional needs should have.  We then looked at the policies in place and reviewed these.  We developed new policies and procedures as needed, to reflect the growth and development of the charity. 

All this work was done virtually and in close collaboration with staff and trustees, to make sure that the policies were all workable for this charity and not ‘off the shelf’.

Together

We spent a day with trustees and volunteers bringing together all of our findings and to support an immediate need around safeguarding as one of the high risk areas.  We worked together to consider what safeguarding meant for this charity.  We then worked separately with volunteers and trustees to look at their responsibilities around safeguarding.

The final piece of work was to support all staff and trustees to gain a Level 2 certificate in Safeguarding.

During the day we also presented ideas and recommendations for discussion, and agreed actions for the trustees and coordinator moving forwards. 

What was the outcome?

The outcomes were:

• The charity now has a full set of policies and procedures fit for purpose and which reflects, formalises and protects the work of the charity
• All staff are trained in safeguarding
• The charity meets the requirements of the charity commission in relation to key policies and processes and particularly safeguarding
• The charity has an organisational structure fit for purpose which supports the distinct roles of trustees, employees and volunteers
• All trustees and staff felt heard and engaged in the review process
• Staff roles were reviewed and a new job description created for the coordinator
• A set of actions were created for the charity to continue the work and support sustainability moving forwards

What was the feedback?

“Ann and Jill brought objectivity and a fresh pair of eyes to a close knit charity which had been successfully run on good will, but needed formalising.  They created structure, processes and extensive set of policies, all whilst bringing key personnel with them.  They both made a serious and necessary process engaging, enlightening and fun! We are keen to maintain our relationship with both Ann and Jill and will commission both further safeguarding training as needed and business reviews annually” Sandy Lawrence CAAP Director

Working with a local school to assess training needs and develop a bespoke programme

What happened?

I was approached by a local school and as a result of COVID and staffing issues they had been unable to hold any mandatory First Aid training sessions. 

It was May time and they had realised that once the new term started in September they would not have any staff on site with the appropriate First Aid qualifications.  They would ideally have liked all the staff to undertake some training but there were budget constraints, as well as issues with staff cover.

What did I do?

I worked with the school contact to review their First Aid needs on a risk based approach in line with their First Aid Risk Assessment. 
We identified three areas where First Aiders were needed:

• In the Early Years Department, where the full 12 hour Paediatric First Aid course was required
• For other children in the school
• For staff First Aid

We discussed various scenarios including After School Clubs to ensure that our risk assessment included enough First Aiders at all time.
By the time we had reached this stage of discussions, it was June so time was of the essence to develop a programme before the school became busy with end of term activities.

What was the outcome?

We agreed that three staff should receive the full three day First Aid at Work qualification.  These staff were offered a blended course so they did one day with an existing cohort, one day virtually and one day in the school setting. 

We then agreed an additional three staff would benefit from attending an Emergency First Aid at Work (one day course) and three required the full Paediatric First Aid course (two days), both of which were held in the school setting.

What was the feedback?

• The best first aid I have attended.  Really informative and well delivered.  I feel a lot more confident now.  Thank you Jill and Greg
• Felt very relaxed throughout.  Both instructors were very friendly, informative and helpful
• Best First Aid at Work course I've ever attended.  Really enjoyable and informative - thank you!
• Thank you for the course.  Greg was very engaging and the information and direction was delivered in a really relaxed and easy to understand way and with humour.  Really enjoyed it and feel knowledgeable and confident
• I really enjoyed the course.  I especially liked the need to knows and the good to knows
• Greg was brilliant in his delivery of the courses – friendly, approachable, evidently experienced and full of knowledge
• We all found the courses really interesting and engaging.

What difference did this make?

All staff successfully passed the Course ensuring the new term started with appropriate First Aid provision in place. 

The school felt that:

• Jill Webb Training provided us with exceptional customer service and training, right through from our initial enquiry to the delivery of the courses.
• Jill was extremely helpful and knowledgeable in determining what training was required for each of our members of staff, and was really generous with her time and very thorough going through all the options and then advising the best training solutions for us as a school.