Hello team,
Well, last time we were here summer had just began and so unfolded the season of holidays, festivals and warm weather... we have now however, officially entered autumn. So, with that in mind, please do now dive into all the things that have been happening or are coming up over the next few weeks...
Who's Who?
This month's who's who is dedicated to Dave Kingswood, Community and Church Relationships Coordinator who is part of our South Team.
What does your day to day role as a CRC look like?
A regular day for me as a CRC involves reaching out to Church leaders and organisations with the intention of getting to know as many people across the city as possible as well as explore opportunities to share with their groups. As well as seeking out opportunities I share resources and support champions, deliver core training to new people who are journeying with us in Safe Families and Home for Good. I absolutely love this role!
What do you like about working for Safe Families and Home for Good and why did you think about applying for a role here?
Knowing that a child or a family are going to be supported and loved when someone responds to a message that I have delivered and God has moved through really lights me up! In a world where so much feels broken, bringing this simple but powerful message of Jesus' restoration through families and relationships is such an exciting place to be and organisation to work in. I am a historic Home for Good employee and previous foster carer and I applied for a role as I am passionate about how the Church can holistically come around people who decide to foster and adopt as well as inspire people to come alongside kids who need homes. Since I lived it I wanted to invite other people to do it too as a response to God's love.
Staff updates - New Starters
Here are the new starters from August and September that we would like to give a warm welcome to (from left to right)
- Sarah Cox, Management Accountant (National), started 11 August
- Abi Christy, Business Support Coordinator (South), started 26 August
- Maria Alford, Family Support Manager (South), started 27 August
- Hannah Kirkby, Family Support Manager (South), started 27 August
- Molly Le Dune, Family Support Manager (North) started 1 September
- Pippa Peppiatt, Church and Community Relationships Coordinator (South) started 2 September
- Jo Jones, Journeying and Family Care Coach (National) started 3 September
- Minnie Dhaliwal, Family Support Manager (Central) started 3 September - photo to follow
- Rebecca Parnell, Head of Engagement and Church Relationships (Scotland and NI) started 8 September
- Sike Osinuga, Church and Community Relationships Coordinator (North) started 15 September
Staff updates - Leavers
In August and September, we are sadly saying goodbye to Caitlin Neale, Key Relationships Manager, Elise Thomas, Family Support Manager, Tim Davis, Web and Digital Lead, Anna Barwick, Family Support Manager, Adam Kealey, Church and Community Relationships Coordinator, Essie Norris, Family Support Team Leader, Cheryl Walter, Business Support Coordinator, Pauline Robinson, Family Support Manager and Heather Kirby, Finance Assistant (Heather is currently on maternity leave and will not be returning to work.) Please join us in prayer for their next steps.
Vacancies
Our current live vacancies are:
- Family Support Manager (Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire) closing 2 October, hiring manager Holly Donald
- Referrals Coordinator (Scotland and Northern Ireland) closing 19 October, hiring manager Jocelyn Crawford
- Corporate Partnerships Manager (National) closing 26 October, hiring manager Gaenor Hall
If you have any contacts in the area or know someone who may want to apply - please do pass on the job details. All information can be found here.
Policy updates
We are working through our policies to make sure that they are up to date. You can check out the newest versions of some of these updates here:
- Whistleblowing policy
- Annual Leave policy
- Managing Absence policy - this policy has had some quite big changes (including removal of the Bradford Factor) so please do be sure to check out all the information here.
Internal Training Opportunities
Our wonderful teams have been busy the last few months pulling together some sessions to help you expand your knowledge and use some of the tools available to us even better. Still to come are sessions around Slack and AI (details here) and some sessions around our Communications, Fundraising and Advocacy teams (details here). Please do take a look and take these opportunities as a chance to expand what you know and learn something new!
Brand Listening Sessions
So far there have been a good number of staff attend a listening session or complete the questionnaire around our brand. Matt and the Communications team are really keen to hear what you have to say and have added some extra brand listening sessions so that those of you who haven't attended now can. Feedback from staff on this is really helpful and will form part of the decision making around where we go. Here is the information you need to book in.
All staff updates
This month it was lovely to have an All Staff Call. Unfortunately, there was a problem with the recording but please do take a look here for some of the updates. Also, do check out the summary of results from the staff survey here.
Vision Night
Earlier this month we held our 2025 Vision Night. It was great to see many supporters and partners joining for the call. And thank you to all the staff who managed to attend as well! Kat and Tarn shared the new vision and mission and there were some great stories to listen to too. If you were unable to make it, want to watch it back or want to share it with others in your world you can watch the recording here.
Home working and DSE update
We recognise that many of us spend our time working between the office and our home. To make sure you’re set up for success in both environments, we’ve complete DSE assessments to help ensure you have everything you need to work comfortably and effectively.
To help us all think through how we can work best at home we have created some guidance and a working from home checklist. These resources are designed to support you in working comfortably and productively from home. We encourage you to revisit the guidance and checklist a few times across the year to ensure your home working environment works for you.
Thank you so much for reading through Staff Matters, as always, please do reach out if you need any help with anything.
People and Culture Team