Here's all the latest from around the organisation - scroll down to see what we've been getting up to.
Together: "Investor in People"
Glowing praise was heaped on Together as it was awarded “Investor in People” status after a six-day assessment in October. “Inspirational managers” who are “deeply committed to their staff” were highlighted in the report, alongside “overwhelming” positive feedback from Together’s staff Learning and Development Manager David Cankett was singled out for praise in the report, which said he “has made a tremendous difference to learning and development within Together”.
David said the tangible results of the work Together staff do is key to their success. “Staff at Together are more positive than at other organisations as they see the benefits of the work they do and its relationship with the bigger picture – which for Together means promoting the wellbeing of those who access our services and, not least, the staff,” he said. “Gaining IIP status is great for Together, because from a business point of view, organisations with IIP generally outperform organisations without it.” The report highlighted areas of “particular strength” at Together. These included: high levels of commitment to the mission and values of Together; staff feeling extremely valued; and robust and inclusive planning at a local level. Report author Julia Houghton said: “Together is an organisation that genuinely appreciates its staff. “One of the key features of the culture within Together is the extent to which people feel included in decision-making and valued as individuals. There are high levels of morale.”
Carers Support Network in Good Hands with Attend
The future of the Supporting Carers Better Network – established in 2000 by mental health charity Together: Working for Wellbeing – will be in good hands after its transfer on April 1 to leading health and social care membership organisation, Attend. Since its establishment, SCB has offered carers support in the mental health arena through its ability to connect people and carers to share good practice, policy and learning. Together chief executive Liz Felton said she is confident that carers will continue to see a high level of support.
Ms Felton said: “We are delighted with the way SCB has developed since it started life with Together, and very pleased to have secured Attend’s agreement to take the network forward. We believe the network will be in good hands. "Attend's long history of supporting carers fills me with confidence that the most important people involved in this - our hardworking carers - will continue to be supported in the priceless work they do.” She went on: "I am sure carers will look forward to a continuing high level of high support, and I must thank everybody who has worked hard towards a seamless transition to Attend to ensure that this is the case." Attend, which has HRH the Duke of York as Patron, was formed in 1949 as the National Association of Hospital & Community Friends. In 2006, Attend launched as a charity with a new identity and structure. Attend currently has 745 member groups with 31,000 active volunteers in hospitals, community care settings, courts and prisons, and, in 2006, raised £47 million for hospitals and health services. Attend chief executive David Wood said Attend will not just take over the running of SCB, but will also look to add value to the network. He said: “We have a 60-year track record of supporting individual member organisations and individuals within those organisations. “We will be looking at the core values of the SCB network and whether there is any synergy with what we do. We will look to any areas that we can effectively integrate and anything, for example new services, which add value. “We do have a lot of interest in carers, and we have quite a number – including Suffolk Carers and Harrow Carers – already with us. He added: “Phil Partridge, who ran the SCB network for many years, will be carrying on the network in this organisation.”
Tatchell Charity Talk Inspires Southwark LGBT group
Mr Tatchell, who has lived on the nearby Rockingham Estate since moving to the UK in 1979, spoke to the group about a variety of issues, ranging from his own past and inspirations through to giving advice on personal problems faced by 4All members.
Describing how his long history of international political campaigning has been shaped by a love for people, Mr Tatchell listed his inspirations as Ghandi, Sylvia Pankhurst, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. He went on to vividly describe famous events he has orchestrated, such as the naming and shaming of gay bishops, the Piccadilly Circus “kiss-in” watched by 3,000 people and his attempted citizen’s arrests on Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe. Mr Tatchell told the group he believed current legislation only allowing civil partnerships for gay and lesbian people was unfair and that, although the local area has improved, he still encounters homophobia on the streets of Southwark. Mr Tatchell said: “When I moved here in 1978 the area used to be much more rough and dangerous than it is now. “I remember shortly after I moved in, I was putting out the rubbish where three Jamaican women from the flats were talking. One of them turned and said to me, ‘so, are you gay then?’ “I asked them what the issue was, and they said that where they come from they stone queers like me. I told them they may be able to do that in Jamaica, but they wouldn’t in England. “Eventually I struck up a more amicable relationship. They kept trying to ignore me, but I kept saying ‘hello’. He went on: “I don’t hate straight people, I don’t hate straight bigots; I want to embrace them. “I may want to challenge them, but I want them onside, I want them to be our friends and allies.” On civil partnerships, he said: “Why shouldn’t gay and lesbian people have the right to get married? “How would the Jewish community or the black community feel if it was them who were prohibited from getting married?” And Mr Tatchell gave a tip to the group on the campaigning he has been so successful at: “Have a concrete plan of action: you can’t just say things like the services are bad, you have to say ‘this is what we want and these are the differences’. “Change comes through perspiration, sometimes education, but often through challenging and confronting.” Event co-organiser James Pretlove said: “It was really great for everyone to have someone so significant on the LGBT scene come and take the time out to talk to them. We had a very interesting discussion about his important work. “It was inspiring for everyone who attended.”
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