Chief Executive’s update

Chief Executive report

Through prudent stewardship the Trust has navigated the financial pressures of this last year with a positive frame of mind, balancing the needs to provide additional support and resources alongside our need for ongoing longer term financial progress.

Never has there been a time when the generosity of supporters has been more important. We are so grateful; their support has enabled us to keep people connected throughout the pandemic and allowed us to carry on our work to ensure we can continue to support more in ways they want and need.

The lack of a long-term vision of the funding model for the social care sector remains a primary concern for all those people for whom social care is a necessary support, their families and care organisations such as ours. However, by being an active contributor to wider sector bodies such as Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG), Social Care Future (SCF) and Learning Disability England (LDE), and more recently, the National Care Forum, the Trust is contributing to the growing sector voice, led by people with lived experience, demanding change to the way care support is shaped, commissioned, funded and provided.

As we emerge from lockdown, we have launched a reboot of our ‘Life of Opportunity’ commitment. People supported around the charity have discussed what is important to them and from this they have developed a set of ‘I’ statements about what a life of opportunity means in practical terms and which now form a guide to support people to achieve this. We will use these statements as the central pillar of our 2022-25 Strategy. I am proud to say that despite the challenges of the last year, the Trust continued to make real progress on upgrading, redeveloping and expanding our homes and resources for the people we support; especially those individuals with changing needs. Older style properties in Watford and Stourbridge have been redeveloped into individual apartments with flexible, and full, disability access; providing people with their own front doors and space, whilst remaining part of their community and retaining established relationships.

More innovative developments, including a state-of-theart housing scheme at Delrow Community and early plans for the potential of a new Social Garden, café and Community Hub in Middlesbrough, are still in the planning stages and, if approved, will expand our Trust portfolio and enable us to reach out to more people.

In December 2020, we held our 65th anniversary celebration. Despite not being able to celebrate the way we had hoped, the virtual event was a fantastic success. Community members and colleagues were recognised for their commitment, skills and passion. The evening enabled people from across the Trust, and family and friends, to come together and reflect, as well as push ahead.

During 2021/22 we will work alongside our residents, their families, our key stakeholders and partners and our brilliant staff to shape our future.

We will launch our plans in late March 2022 and despite the fact that the world feels in disarray right now; I know that Camphill Village Trust will face that future with positivity, ambition and innovation - demanding a strong voice for those with disability and providing a unique integrated community model of support for those that need.

Sara Thakkar Chief Executive