Co-op members raise £1,200 for the siblings

The Co-op Local Community Fund has raised £1,200 for Diverse Abilities’ STARs service, with two months of fundraising remaining.

STARs is the charity’s support and advice service for siblings of children with special education needs. It’s a 12-week programme for children aged eight to 16, meeting on Thursday evenings between 4.30pm and 6.30pm. The charity aims to reduce pressure the siblings are under by providing an environment where they can access support and advice, but also take part in fun activities, make friends, and be themselves.

Clare Rochford, manager of STARs, commented: “It’s tough being an SEN sibling; as well as the usual challenges of growing up, they also often receive less attention from parents and have more worries and responsibilities than their peers.

“It’s important to provide an opportunity that enables young people to realise they are not alone, hopefully giving them a support network which will last far longer than the time they attend our sessions, as being a sibling never ends.”

STARs continues to be one of the Coop Local Community Fund charities until Saturday 22 October 2022, where 2p in every £1 spent by Co-op members is deposited into an account that is split equally between the Local Community Fund and the Community Partnerships Fund. More than £84million has been raised for over 25,000 causes since 2016. The charity aims to reach its target of £2,500 by the end of the campaign, and urges supporters to select STARs as their chosen charity when they shop at the Co-op.

Emma Bovey, fundraising officer at Diverse Abilities, said: “We want to say a huge thank you to everyone across all the Co-op teams for their support of our STARs sibling service so far. Everyone get on down to the Co-op, become a member, and help causes that are right on your doorstep and desperately need your support.”

FOCUS ON recruitment

with Mploy Staffing Solutions

The perm is back

No, I don’t mean the curly haircut that dominated the 80s; I am, of course, talking in recruitment terms about permanent candidate placements.

It is difficult to get through a working day at the moment without having at least one conversation about the current shortage of available candidates and how hard it is to recruit, and I am sure most of the time people are referring to the unemployed labour market. What is often overlooked is the pool of prospective top talent who are already employed and considering a change. The market potential in passive job seekers is huge, but the reality is, these people are not going to be easily tempted to make a move into temporary or temp-to-perm positions.

So, what’s the message? Do not let the fear of recruitment budgets and big placement fees be the reason you cannot find the talent you need. Just remember, your agency supplier should do all the hard work for you; they will write adverts, headhunt, screen candidates and only submit CVs that they deem to match your requirements… easy right?

Whilst permanent placement fees can seem expensive when compared to good old temp-to-perms, if your recruitment partner gets it right, they should represent incredibly good value for money; and remember, in most cases you pay nothing if you don’t find the right candidate.

Talk to your agency supplier. They should jump at the chance to take your permanent role to the market, and I am sure they would be willing to discuss fees in return for exclusivity or a high volume of perm business.

Mploy’s perm business is booming currently and we are always happy to discuss anyone’s needs, both clients and candidates alike, so do not hesitate to get in touch.

The perm market is alive and kicking, don’t let it die out like that iconic 80s look!

Jon Raine Mploy Staffing Solutions www.mploystaff.com