Steps to Work - Trustees Report - 2018
Chief Executive’s Statement Welcome to the 2017/18 Trustees Report for Steps to Work Ltd. The last operating year has continued to challenge us in many ways. Localised commissioning has been embedded and we are beginning to feel the benefit of the work we have done to position the charity in a fiercely competitive commissioning world. As in previous years we have tried to ensure that our commercial contracts support the grant funded, not for profit and cost recovery programmes. Our corporate overheads and management costs remain lean and we have continued to drive hard for savings on procurement of business services. Our colleagues have risen to the challenges in terms of reducing staffing on contracts which are coming to an end and seeking out redeployment wherever possible. James Walsh Steps to Work Chief Executive Officer
Sadly, we faced issues with staff leaving the organisation in circumstances which reflected poorly on our reputation in the local press. During this time, we ensured that the focus remained on the good work we do as an organisation and dealt with any negative potential impact in a robust and efficient manner. This led to the organisation being nominated by the National Centre for Diversity for a national award alongside securing a number 14 spot in the top 100 companies for diversity. Throughout this difficult time the colleagues and Trustees of the organisation remained supportive and committed to our aims and objectives. In 2017/18 we continued to focus on developing strong relationships in readiness for the DWP employment Services Framework and the new Work and Health Programme. Our local partnerships and excellent work in the Black Country on the Building Better Opportunities programme assisted us in securing a £4.5 million sub contract through Shaw Trust to deliver employment support to people with disabilities and chronic health conditions in Sandwell and Dudley. We also committed resources to supporting customers and businesses in dealing with mental health by training 4 instructors to become Mental Health First Aid Instructors. Those instructors have trained our staff and we have also developed a suite of commercial training products for local companies. We aim to increase the revenue in our Teaching and Learning Department by delivering MHFA across the region in 2018/19 and beyond. In this year we continued to look for a strategic partner and whilst we identified 2 potential partners we decided not to progress with the discussions after the first stages. We will continue to discuss partnership opportunities however our Trustees and senior management will ensure that that any potential partner has aligned visions and values and can aid the growth of the charity. Our continued governance review has seen a number of changes at Board level. We have had an unprecedented number of new Trustees join the Board and all have started our Trustee recruitment programme. We will continue to bring new skills and experience to the Boards of Steps to Work and Starting Point Recruitment. I trust you will enjoy reading this year’s report and reflect for a moment on how a small charity in Walsall can improve so many lives. This highlights the power of the third sector and the difference it makes to people every day.
“ T H O S E W H O FAC E T H E B I G G E ST B A R R I E R S I N L I F E
James Walsh Chief Executive Officer
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