Mirus Impact Report - 2022-2023

OUR IMPACT 2022 - 2023

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Welcome to the 2022-23

IMPACT REPORT Introduction This has been a year where have been preparing for change. Mandy Evans has announced her retirement after many years of dedicated service. She will be really missed by everybody for her inspirational and compassionate leadership.

Trustees have worked hard to find a replacement and after a long recruitment process, we are delighted to announce the appointment of Kirsty Davies-Warner. Trustees are looking forward to working with her.

As a trustee, I have been delighted to meet many of you and the people you care for. One highlight for me was meeting the representative group to thank them for their support in the recruitment of our new CEO.

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I have particularly loved being involved in our Mirus Stars Awards.

I have sat on the judging panel, and it would be fair to say that we have had to make some tough decisions, given the vast number of high-quality nominations.

The award event at City Hall in Cardiff was a fabulous day in every respect and highlighted the culture of this wonderful organisation.

The Board have all been involved in making some key decisions this year and I take this opportunity to thank my fellow trustees for their dedication and commitment to the governance of Mirus.

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I would like to conclude by offering a massive vote of thanks on behalf of all the Trustees. The dedication and commitment you give is truly inspirational and I look forward to seeing what success the next year brings.

Nick Beckett Chair Board of Trustees

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Impact Report

CONTENTS 04 - Having a voice, control and making choices

04 - Advocating for ourselves and others 05 - Planning a holiday away from home 06 - Having more control over finances and spending 07 - Recruiting the right support staff

08 - Getting involved in our communities

08 - Making a positive impact at Christmas 09 - Volunteering to improve our community

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10 - Enhancing lives through technology

10 - Sharing skills and inspiring others 11 - Keeping in touch with friends and family 11 - Exploring hobbies and interests independently

12 - Celebrating our achievements 12 - Our Mirus Stars awards

14 - Listening to and learning from our staff 14 - Working together as a team 15 - Investors in People Gold

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16 - Listening to feedback about what matters

16 - How we’re working towards achieving our aims

18 - Our organisation

18 - Mirus in numbers 19 - Our leadership 19 - Financial information

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Having a voice, control and

MAKING CHOICES Advocating for ourselves and others One of Adam’s life ambitions has always been to get a paid job. He has worked really hard, and has taken lots of opportunities in volunteer roles to help prepare him for a paid role.

Some of Adam’s volunteer roles include being an Autism Trainer for police and other emergency services, working in the local food bank and as a shop assistant at a local charity shop.

He has also taken part in ‘Voice, Choice and Control’ training as part of his role as a Mirus Representative for people who are supported in Bridgend. The training taught him how to better advocate for himself and others.

In 2023 Adam got involved with People First Bridgend as a member and volunteer, he attended events to share updates and raise their profile.

When People First Bridgend had a chairperson vacancy Adam didn’t hesitate in applying. After being successfully shortlisted Adam got busy preparing for his interview with some support from his network.

Adam successfully interviewed for the role and is looking forward to chairing many meetings.

Adam is a keen advocate for others, and always supports people to speak up and get their opinions heard.

He is also excellent at helping people to understand what is being said, and makes sure everyone uses plain English. Adam’s inclusive approach to advocacy will ensure that he is a fantastic chairperson for People First Bridgend.

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Planning a holiday away from home Long-time friends, Daniel, Eddie and Gareth often plan their Respite breaks together because they get on so well and love spending time with each other. This time, rather than staying in one of our Respite houses in Cardiff, the trio decided to do something completely different!

Daniel’s parents have a caravan on a site in Porthcawl, which he absolutely loves visiting, especially when it’s sunny. Daniel really wanted to have a holiday there with his two friends, so staff at Respite got together with their parents and circle of support to plan how to make it happen.

Eddie and Gareth planned to arrive at the caravan park on Friday evening, supported by Respite staff Susan and William, with Daniel joining on Saturday morning. Because Eddie and Gareth hadn’t visited the caravan park before, they used Friday evening to explore the facilities and surroundings, so that they knew what activities were on offer ready for the weekend.

When Daniel arrived on Monday the three got together and made a plan of what activities they would like to try. There was lots on offer, including activities they hadn’t done before. The first thing they decided to try was crazy golf, and they absolutely loved it.

Gareth was very proud of himself when he got a hole in one on the crazy golf course!

Over the course of the weekend, Daniel, Eddie and Gareth agreed on what to do together; they had fish and chips on the sea front, went to the fun fare, and strolled along the promenade and beach. They also agreed on what they didn’t want to do – and all decided against taking a dip in the sea!

Alan loves recruiting his staff so he can make sure they have things in common.

- Mirus Support Worker Making decisions together, and spending time on holiday without their parents really boosted their independence, and they enjoyed having so much freedom and choice to do what they wanted to.

Susan supported them on holiday and said:

It was a really enjoyable weekend for the three of them. The weather was great, and they did lots of exciting activities, some of which they hadn’t done before.

They loved spending time on holiday away from parents – and they all agreed they’d love to go again in the future!

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Having more control over finances and spending Malcolm joined his Support Worker Mike to learn about the ‘Vanguard Method’, to help to make processes in Mirus more streamlined and effective. Mike had lots of great ideas that Mirus agreed to take forward. One of those ideas was about how to enable people supported by Mirus to have more control over their money.

Mike was invited to a working group with senior management and the finance team. Together they looked at ways to access people’s capacity to make decisions about their money, and make the whole process of accessing their money quicker and easier. They came up with an all new financial support plan for people supported by Mirus.

Malcolm, supported by Mike, was chosen along with a few other people to pilot the new idea.

Together, they filled out the new financial support plan, which helped Malcolm to create a budget so that he knew how much he could spend each year, after his bills were paid.

Malcolm said:

“We worked out how much I could spend on holidays, meals out, gifts for my family and personal items for my home. This was all done with my sister involved, and she was happy with everything laid out in the plan.”

The financial plan also helped Malcolm to look at how he could spend money in the future. Lots of places have gone cashless, and as many of the people supported by Mirus don’t have a bank card, this limited their choice of venues they could visit, and activities they could get

involved in. The finance team gave Mike a list of companies that offer pre-paid Mastercards, so that together he and Malcolm could look at the options available and find the one that was most suitable for him.

Mike said:

“We decided to apply for a Mi-Spend card.

This company specialises in providing cards to people with appointees, and the application was easy and fast.”

Within 2 weeks Malcolm had received his card and set up a standing order to have money transferred from his bank account on to the card every week. Mike has taught Malcolm how to use his bank card to make contactless payments in shops, and he is now able to visit any venue, restaurant, and activity centre he would like.

Since receiving the card Malcolm has been able to book a holiday and buy train tickets online without having to get it approved, because the cost has already been budgeted for in the financial support plan.

Malcolm said:

“Being able to book quickly meant I was able to get the best deals before they sold out!”

Thanks to the successful pilot, even more people in Mirus will soon be able to have better access to their money, giving them more choice and control in the things that they do.

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Alan loves recruiting his staff so he can make sure they have things in common.

- Mirus Support Worker

It’s important that the people we support have choice and control of who supports them, what support they receive, and when they receive it.

That’s why we’ve worked together with people supported, their families, staff across Mirus and people from other similar organisations to come up with a plan that empowers people to make decisions about the support they receive.

Recruiting the right support staff Alan sat down with his circle of support to think about how he would like to be involved in recruiting his own staff. They discussed everything, from deciding on what type of support is right for him, right down to whether he wants to be the one to tell the successful candidate that they’ve got the job.

Alan loves to be involved in recruiting his new staff to make sure that they have things in common and get on well.

Alan writes his own questions, centred around his interests such as DIY and gardening, as well as questions that help him get to know the person being interviewed.

Alan is a funny, friendly person and likes to have a laugh in the interviews that he’s involved in.

He sometimes catches people off guard too recently he asked a candidate if they could speak to him in Japanese, even though Alan doesn’t know any Japanese himself!

He likes to see how people will respond, and his off the wall questions always get a good laugh and break the ice.

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Getting involved in our

COMMUNITIES Staff from Mirus joined together with Ystradgynlais Community Dreams to make the fair a success

Making a positive impact at Christmas At Christmas, Mirus joined together with Ystradgynlais Community Dreams to spread a little festive magic amongst families who were struggling financially at a particularly expensive time of year.

Community Networker Jade and Area Manager Jane spent weeks finding and gathering unwanted toys and delivered them to the Ystradgynlais Community Centre.

There were so many toys that it was all hands on deck to help sort them into groups of toys that were suitable for different ages. The collection completely filled the Community Centre, with toys stashed in every available space!

On December 6th the doors opened on the Ystradgynlais Toy Fair. It was an inclusive event, open to everyone with no limits on what could be taken. People supported by Mirus joined on the day to offer tea and mince pies to people who attended.

The many messages of thanks received showed that this event had a huge impact on people who were otherwise facing a very difficult Christmas.

I cannot thank you enough, you helped me so much. When I got home I cried my eyes out because I didn’t think my kids would have anything for Christmas. I am so grateful.

- Toy Fair visitor

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[I like]... making friends, getting out, and doing things I like doing.

- Sean

Volunteering to improve our community The Maesteg Welfare Park in situated in the heart of the local community and is well used by local people.

One of the projects at the Welfare Park is a community allotment garden which has been developed and run by a group of dedicated volunteers.

Mirus has donated 4 raised beds and people supported by Mirus also volunteer in the garden.

Getting their hands dirty is a great way for the volunteers to build new friendships.

Recently, a special event was held to say thank you to all supporters of the Community garden.

Sean, who is supported by Mirus in Maesteg, and also volunteers in the garden, was there to represent Mirus.

When asked by local school children why he liked volunteering at the garden, Sean replied:

“Making friends, getting out and doing things I like doing” In Sean’s case, what he likes doing is general maintenance and he has been using his new found skills around his own home.

A local councillor was also at the event and Sean took the opportunity to raise the issue of homelessness in the area with him – something which is of particular concern to Sean.

Maesteg Community garden has now become a focal point for local people; a place where they can meet others, enjoy activities and get involved in resolving local issues.

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Enhancing lives through

TECHNOLOGY

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Among the exhibitors was Craig, who is supported by Mirus in Ystradgynlais. Craig started his YouTube channel called The Craig Jones Journey in 2019, after his Support Worker, Greg surprised him with a film documenting their trip to Disneyland Paris. He uses the platform to tell people about his life and share his interests.

Craig said:“Video making is a hobby that I enjoy doing. I love singing and performing, and people love to watch.”

Together with his Support Worker, Greg, Craig has filmed and edited lots of videos, and he used the event to share his videos and skills as a way to inspire others to do the same.

Craig thinks that making video content is a great way to express yourself, and wanted to encourage others to try it. He said:

“You can become anything you want. A singer, a writer, an actor, a superhero. Your imagination has no limits. It’s a wonderful way to create memories for you, your family and friends to look back on.”

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This year we’ve helped people to understand how technology can improve their lives by organising technology events in Cardiff and Swansea.

Technology providers showcased their devices and services to attendees.

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Sharing skills and inspiring others

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Though the process of making a video takes a long time, the reward comes in seeing the results.

Craig said: “I come up with ideas, then I work with Greg to plan things out. Whether it’s a vlog or a cover song, there needs to be a bit of planning.

What song to sing? What story to tell?

...Then we get the camera out and turn imagination into reality!”

Once they have completed filming, the two sit down together and edit the footage. They watch the clips and choose music, photos, extra videos and sound effects. All of these things create the final video.

Support Worker, Greg, already had a keen interest in videography, and he was delighted to pass some of his knowledge on to Craig. Greg said: “Craig creates elaborate ideas, and always follows his own unique path. The time we spend together is not only fun, but it helps us to become better creative thinkers. I love seeing Craig’s reaction to the finished video.”

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Making video content is a great way to express yourself.

I wanted to encourage others to try it.

- Craig

Exploring hobbies and interests independently Justin and Rhys, who live in separate bungalows in Gwent, have new independence and discreet support thanks to a new technology system in their home. The system uses Amazon Echo devices and Ring door sensors that notify staff when external doors are opened so that they can check on their safety.

Keeping in touch with friends and family People who are supported by Mirus at Park Road in Swansea were offered the opportunity to receive a tablet on loan from First Choice Housing Association, and essential training to support them to use it.

The tablets are an excellent way for people to stay connected with their loved ones inbetween in person visits, and help people to receive vital support from their friends and family when they need it.

The network of devices have enabled Justin and Rhys to enjoy more independence, freedom and time alone in their homes.

They can now confidently spend time alone, knowing that staff are just a voice command away, while staff can fulfil their duty of care without intruding on their privacy.

Rhys has also purchased a smartphone to help him to keep in touch with his family. He has since developed his digital skills and knowledge to enable him to use the internet safely, and now uses his smartphone to explore his hobbies and interests online.

Many essential appointments with GPs and hospitals have also been changed to video call, a trend which is set to continue into the future.

Rhys’ love for history has flourished and he now uses the internet to research historical places of interest before visiting them.

People in Park Road have been able to attend their appointments virtually, saving time and ensuring they are seen quickly.

Using technology has opened up a world of possibilities for Rhys, enabling him to pursue his interests and make plans independently.

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Celebrating our

ACHIEVEMENTS 40

SEMIFINALISTS

We held a Mirus Stars awards event to celebrate the fantastic achievements and great things that the people we support and our staff have accomplished.

People connected with Mirus nominated others throughout the year, based on achievements that match our values; Together, Respectful, Responsible, Empowering and Courageous. Our Mirus Reps from each region then had the difficult task of selecting 40 of the very best nominations out of a total of 192, and those people became our Mirus Stars semi-finalists.

At our Mirus Stars pre-awards parties, held in Cardiff and Swansea City Stadiums, we read out the nominations of our 40 semi-finalists, and encouraged everyone to vote for their favourite using electronic voting pads. Each category had 4 people selected to go forward to the final stage as Mirus Stars finalists, which were chosen by our Trustees.

The Mirus Stars awards event itself was a fabulous celebration, with Alex who is supported

by Mirus dressed as the greatest showman to introduce the event and get the crowd cheering.

Everyone was so excited to see who the winners for the events were, and to celebrate their success with them.

To end the event, the fabulous drag collective ‘House of Deviant’ took to the stage, and lip synced, danced and encouraged the audience to take part in challenges.

House of Deviant is Wales’ first inclusive drag troupe for people with learning disabilities, and Sophie Scheeres, who is supported by Mirus in Cardiff, performs as Miss Shade B****. They are fierce, sassy, and incredible performers, and their passion and excitement on the day of the event was contagious!

We love reading about the achievements and courageousness of people connected with Mirus, and we can’t wait to see what amazing nominations next year’s awards brings.

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NOMINATIONS

People nominate each other throughout the year, based on achievements that match our values.

Sophie performing as Miss Shade B****

Alex, our Greatest Showman, after introducing the event

Congratulations to our Stars BETH BROAD

TOGETHER Supported in Powys

ALLAN RAMSAHOI RESPECTFUL Staff member in Cardiff

People cheering the winners

SOPHIE SCHEERES RESPONSIBLE Supported in Cardiff

ANDREYA ROMANGA EMPOWERING Supported in Swansea

House of Deviant provided fabulous entertainment

MATTHEW CLARKE

COURAGEOUS Supported in Neath Port Talbot

KAT ANGELL

GOLD STAR Staff member in Central The whole crowd were up and celebrating

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Listening to and learning from

OUR STAFF Working together as a team Each month all service managers in Gwent meet up to share ideas and information, and build bonds and a feeling of community. When Covid-19 limited the number of people who could safely meet up indoors at one time, Area Manager Peter Davies came up with an idea to ensure his meetings could still go ahead.

Peter knew the importance of these meetings, and whilst they could be held virtually, nothing could replace the feeling of being ‘in it together’.

With this in mind, Peter arranged a management meeting on the top of Pen y Fan! Peter knew that everyone needed a boost after lockdown, and what better than a walk for everyone’s wellbeing.

Pete and his managers love a challenge and so the idea of climbing Pen y Fan - the highest peak in south Wales, was born.

They knew that they all needed to get to the top as a team, and Peter said: “We would have carried you up the mountain if we needed to”.

It was a tough climb, but Peter said:

“The aches and pains on the climb were soon overtaken by the joy of reaching the top and seeing the view below”

Everyone was nervous about the climb, and concerned about what the weather was going to be like. Luckily blue skies stretched out above them as they started their trek. Peter rallied the team and even brought along his dog Holly for the adventure!

When they reached the top the team sat down and celebrated their achievement. Peter told the team what he admired about each member, and encouraged them to do the same about each other. They also talked about what happiness and success look like to them as individuals, and linked this back to the people they support and how they view success and happiness.

One of the managers really struggled and wanted to give up quite early on into the walk. All of the team boosted her confidence, and encouraged and supported her the entire way.

Peter held his next meeting during a picnic in the park. When the meeting was over, Peter led the managers to a river where they learned how to paddleboard!

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81%

94%

OF PEOPLE

agree that Mirus is a great place to work

OF PEOPLE

agree they share the organisation’s values

In 2022 Investors in People sent out a survey and spoke to our staff to find out what they think we’re great at, and what we need to work on. We are happy to announce that we have retained our Investors in People Gold accreditation until 2025.

What we’re great at

What we’re working on

Living our values and behaviours Empowering and involving people Building the capability, knowledge and skills of our people Leading and inspiring people Managing performance

Making improvements and trying new, innovative ideas

86% OF PEOPLE

agree that Mirus has a positive impact on society

Recognising people for the good work that they do Helping people develop their digital skills and confidence Improving how we support people’s wellbeing

Structuring job roles so they’re interesting and challenging

Creating sustainable success

Sharing more regular updates as we work to achieve our aims

87% OF PEOPLE

agree they have opportunities to learn and develop at work

Ensuring our Better Together events meet our goals Raising the profile of Mirus with people outside the organisation

89% OF PEOPLE

agree they’re encouraged to use their initiative

73% OF PEOPLE

agree they feel appreciated for the work they do

84% OF PEOPLE

they’re encouraged to improve the way they do things

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How we’re working towards

ACHIEVING OUR AIMS Each year we gather information and feedback from everyone involved in Mirus. The people we support, their families and circles of support, our staff, our volunteers and Local Authorities who commission our services.

We want to learn about all of the things people enjoy, want, and need for the future. We use what we have learned to make sure that we focus on improving the things that are most important to people.

We gather this information from people in many different ways throughout the year. Once we have gathered the information, we sort it into groups of similar things which we call themes, and from these themes we write our aims and plans of what we will work on.

We have separate aims and plans for each person, each region we work in, as well as one for Mirus overall. The following aims are for Mirus overall.

Aim 1 ENABLING PEOPLE TO LIVE HAPPY, FULFILLED LIVES We are working with people to develop their own personal outcomes to work towards, and holding person-centred reviews to track their progress and make changes to them.

We are supporting community building by developing strong relationships with Local Area Coordinators, community groups and organisations.

We are ensuring people have better protection of their rights. We are finding better ways for people to access their money, introducing person-centred recruitment, and reviewing restrictive practices​.

We are enabling people to continue their existing activities and seeking out new opportunities and activities​for people to get involved with.

We are enabling people to make the most of technology to stay connected with friends, family and their community, and to promote independence​.

We are refreshing our coproduction way of working, implementing the ‘individual to strategic change’​ process and supporting people to influence local and national policy.

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Aim 2 VALUING & SUPPORTING OUR STAFF & VOLUNTEERS We have achieved the Investors in People Gold Award.

Over 300 staff got involved, and we improved our scores ​from 2019.

We have achieved Investing in Volunteers status.

We received excellent independent feedback on our support systems for volunteers​.

We have engaged with all staff during our ‘Moving Forward Together’ process to help us develop Covid recovery plans based on what matters​, including a move to agile working.

We have stabilised staff turnover despite challenging social care and labour market conditions.

We are paying support staff above the Real Living Wage, ensuring central staff get a fair pay deal, and paying discretionary bonuses for all staff​.

We have re-established Mirus Moments and Mirus Stars as ways to recognise staff.

Aim 3 LEARN, DEVELOP & BUILD ON OUR STRENGTHS We are upgrading our IT systems across Mirus.

We have so far upgraded our Finance and HR systems.

We continually update our Business Contingency Plans.

Our plans are recognised as good practice by commissioners​.

We have covered all the additional costs of Covid 19: £1.85m​.

We have secured inflationary uplifts to most of our contracts: 8% - 11.1%, retained current contracts: £2.7m​, and developed new services: £1.05m.

We have secured over £350k in grants to support added value activity​.

We have completed a structure review for Board approval​.

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Information about

OUR ORGANISATION

294

748

36

People Supported

Mirus Staff

Carers Supported

15

Volunteers Where we work

• Bridgend • Cardiff • Caerphilly • Ceredigion • Gwent • Powys (north and south) • Neath Port Talbot • Swansea

Figures taken from Q4 reports

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Senior Leadership Chief Executive Mandy Evans

Finance, IT & Admin Director

Financial Information Where our money came from

Alison Corten

Human Resources Director Kay Williams

Head of Development & Innovation Neil Yates

TOTAL:

£25.36 MILLION

Head of Service Liz Hill

Assistant Head of Service Nichola Jones Julie Baker

Received from grants: £25.10m Received from people we support: £0.26m

Total charitable expenditure

Board of Trustees Chair

Nick Beckett

TOTAL:

£25.36 MILLION

Vice Chair

Deborah Bainbridge - Chair of the Governance Committee

Interim Treasurer Bernard Gibson

Roz Waterhouse Helen Cook Jeremy Ray Ben Price Dylan Ashpole Andy Jones Ben Hurrell Jan Webster

Staff costs: £21.72m Other costs: £3.64m

Balance sheet 2022 2023 NET ASSETS £4,696,954 £5,311,703 TOTAL RESERVES £4,696,954 £5,311,703

GET IN TOUCH Mirus Wales Unit 5 Cleeve House Lambourne Crescent Llanishen Business Park Cardiff, CF14 5GP

02920 236 216 admin@mirus-wales.org.uk Follow us on social media: @miruswales

www.mirus-wales.org.uk

@miruswales