Hello team,
November... 'That's a wrap!' If you are anything like us, you blinked and you missed it! However, we are now stepping into December and whether that looks like a time of celebration, family time or reflection for you, we are praying that you will be blessed and be able to take some time to focus on the gift of Jesus. BUT, before we get there, here's a round up of the latest news...
Who's who?
This month's who's who is dedicated to Louise McGreevy who has worked with us as a Family Support Manager since 2021 and has recently stepped into a line management post. Louise is part of our Scotland and Northern Ireland Team.
What does your day to day role as a Family Support Team Leader look like?
My day to day usually begins with a check in on the database of volunteer notes followed by a read over any families notes that I will be visiting that day! I must say I've seen more of Northern Ireland working with Safe Families than I had ever seen before which is interesting. Most afternoons are filled with the joys of admin, booking reviews, check in calls etc or meeting at a home for a voice of the child. That all seems like a good structured day, however that's often interrupted with the unexpected phone call or event that keeps you on your toes... for example I'm currently sitting waiting on a tow truck for a tyre blow out on the way to a visit. Each day is actually very different and brings its own pace!
What do you like about working for Safe Families and Home for Good and why did you think about applying for a role here?
I've worked in early needs and family support for the last 20 years and loved my previous post with Sure Start. However, as a manager I rarely got the face to face with families which I really felt fulfilled with. I happened to attend an event that the lovely Nicki Williams was sharing at and I got so excited in my spirit about Safe Families. I had prayed that if they came to Northern Ireland it would be the one reason I would leave the job I was in and that I loved. The absolute blessing was to come when Safe Families came to Northern Ireland and I am now doing what fills me with great purpose and all with the openness of my love for Jesus and the evidence of His love for others!
Staff updates - New Starters
Here are the new starters for this month. We would like to give a warm welcome to (from left to right)
- Sian Wade, Director of Engagement, Church Relationships and Journeying, started 20 October
- Kathryn Dunbar, Referrals Coordinator (Scotland and Northern Ireland), started 17 November
- Sophie Dubreuil, Engagement and Support Coordinator (South), started 18 November
- Gemma Buley, Family Support Manager (Central), started 21 November
- John Jamieson, Family Support Manager (North), started 24 November
Staff updates - Leavers
In November, we are sadly saying goodbye to Kate Moore, Family Support Manager, Sam Wittmann, Church and Community Relationships Coordinator, El Moore, Family Support Manager (not returning from maternity leave), Mansi Kamble, Engagement and Support Coordinator, Loren Cameron, Family Support Manager and Lauren Singleton, Referrals Coordinator. Please join us in prayer for their next steps.
Vacancies
Our current live vacancies are:
- National Fundraising Manager (National) closing 7 December, hiring manager Gaenor Hall
- Family Support Manager (Northern HSC Trust, Northern Ireland) closing 8 December hiring manager Nicki Williamson
- Referrals Team Leader, maternity cover (Central) closing 12 December hiring manager Helen Crandley
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.
Slack and AI workshops
The marvellous Systems team ran some really helpful workshops a few weeks ago around Slack and AI. They recorded these for us and can now be accessed on the Zendesk. More information on where to find them can be found here.
Database document updates
Some staff may have noticed that they have had a blank document uploaded to their database profiles. This could be under the Right to Work check label or Contract of Employment label. Please do not be alarmed if you see this on your profile, we have recently been doing some tidying up of the system and these have been put there for those who have been with us for a little while in order to stop the database sending notifications. If you have any questions, please do chat to Becky Kerrigan.
Living Wage Employer
We are pleased to say that we have now officially registered as a Real Living Wage Employer. The real Living Wage remains the only UK Wage rate calculated on the real cost of living. It is voluntarily paid by over 16,000 UK businesses who have chosen to transform millions of people’s lives and raise the bar for what decent work looks like in the UK. Whilst we have chosen to voluntary pay the Real Living Wage since October 2019 we have chosen to be 'accredited' to partner with them as an organisation and show our ongoing commitment.
Annual Leave
Our annual leave allowances for the year 2025/2026 is now live! That means you can chat to your manager about plans for the year ahead and get that all important rest time booked in!
And as a reminder don't forget to book you bank holidays and the Christmas period off (25th December - 31st December- the allowance for this is included in your yearly figure) If you are wanting to work on a non Christmas Bank holiday or one of the Christmas closure days, please speak with your line manager to get approval for this. Remember there will be no IT / National team support on these days and no visits should be completed. Pages 11 and 12 of the Staff Handbook give you some more information about this.
All staff call
This week we also had our all staff call which included updates on the budget, updates from the Heads of Engagement and Church Relationships, time to get to know Sian Wade (our new Director of Engagement, Church Relationships and Journeying) and some devotional and prayer time. Matt also shared an update in regard to the brand naming project that is happening at the moment and has shared some more useful information here. If you weren't able to be at the meeting, please do be sure to carve out some time to watch it via this link.
Winter Working
Prioritise light - It may be difficult to see the sun but it is there somewhere! Getting out in the middle of your day for a short walk, or sitting by a window can help boost your mood and productivity. Getting enough light in the morning is hugely important - even just 10 minutes can make all the difference. For some taking a Vitamin D supplement is a great way to give your body what it is lacking from the shorter days and can really help target seasonal mood changes.
Take breaks - Time can fly by whilst you are working, but we really encourage you to take short micro breaks throughout the day (especially working from home) this can help prevent burnout or feeling sluggish. Another ides is to grab a cup of tea and call a colleague. Staying connected, even for a quick 10 min catch up with a team member, can help prevent you feeling isolated.
Stay warm - Working in the cold can be challenging so make sure that you are working at a comfortable temperature. You might need to bring an extra layer to work with you, or grab a blanket if you're working from home. It's really important to make sure your working environment is at a good temperature.
Exercise - This can feel like a challenge in the darker months so any exercise is better than no exercise at all. We really encourage you to get out for some exercise once a day, even if it's a short walk or some daily stretches
Christmas - Earlier this week our Therapeutic Parenting team shared some resources for the families we work with who may find Christmas tricky (you can find them here). We acknowledge that you may also find this a difficult time of year for your own reasons. Please do keep speaking with your line managers or reach out to a trusted colleague if you feel that you need some support at this time.
Moments of joy - Find some time in the working day to do something you enjoy, it might be listening to some Christmas music, making your favourite hot drink or enjoying a nice lunch. This can help to boost your mood and keep you going when you may feel unmotivated.
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