St Loye's Foundation Annual Review 2013 - 14

Independence at Work Annual Review 2013-14

Patron: Her Majesty The Queen

This year we have helped more than 2,200 people to transform their lives.

This Annual Review shares just some of the many inspiring stories of those individuals and the positive impact of our work on individuals, families and communities.

1 contracted project in 2007/08

10 contracted projects in 2013/14

139 clients in 2007/08

Our 2020 Vision 2,020 clients a year

c.2,200 clients in 2013/14

16th in the Top 100 Best Not-for-Profit Organisations

£411,000 funding we approved for charitable projects

Annual Review 2013-14

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new self-financed projects approved for launch in 2014/15

Contents

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people supported in just two years by our Positive Opportunities support project

132 128 £241,000 veterans supported since the launch of our Transitions project

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Chief Executive introduction Paul Jason Alice Billy The nationwide impact of our work Working in partnership 9iaEle, diversi¿ed and ethical Help us to deliver change Our offer

employees nationwide

Big Lottery funding to expand our veterans’ support project into Wales

75+ years experience

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It is remarkable to note that for more than 75 years St Loye’s Foundation has been providing employment and training services for many thousands of people with health, disability and social issues. Our vision today is to be a leading charity with a nationwide presence, recognised as a provider of high quality services and for our distinct client-centred values.

The early years of this decade have seen the Foundation on a clear upward trajectory. Our ¿nancial position is on a much sounder footing than it was ¿ve years ago and we have diversi¿ed our services to include Employment Training, Care and Support, and Learning and Skills. We have reinforced our reputation for our open, welcoming and client-focused approach.

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Introduction

Without your support, energy and dedication, we would not have been able to achieve as much as we have. on our founding values, by seeking partnerships with other organisations, and by increasing our nationwide presence and our range of services.

veterans’ service in Wales, and have further developed our NW England presence by moving to larger of¿ces and delivering more services.

The last year has seen us make signi¿cant progress towards achieving this vision. Client numbers have grown to c.2,200 in 2013/14 compared to 139 in 2007/08. Our charitable projects now range from veterans’ support to a supported employment service for people on the autistic spectrum. Three new projects have been approved to be launched in the next twelve months and I look forward to seeing the impact of these.

We continue to develop productive partnerships and encourage innovation. Our delivery partnerships now include Working Links, Prospects, Twin, Somerset Skills and Learning, and the Community Care Trust. Our links with employers are strong and growing.

But we cannot afford to be complacent. The needs of our clients continue to change, as do professional practices, together with public attitudes. We now face a much more competitive marketplace in the provision of employment, social and educational services, with private-sector organisations increasingly providing such services.

Throughout the last year we generated revenue from ten contracted projects, compared with just one in 2007/08. As you may recall, I have previously referred to uncertain times caused by the direction of government policy. Those uncertainties will no doubt continue as we approach and move beyond the General Election in 2015. The good news is that by diversifying our services and income streams the Foundation can now face the future with a greater degree of con¿dence than at any point in its recent history.

In the ¿rst quarter of this review period we launched our 2020 Vision. Our 2020 Vision sets out how we intend to meet these challenges by building

I am pleased to report we have consolidated our presence in the South West, secured £241,000 from the Big Lottery Fund to launch a new

We have developed our disability awareness training service for employers. In the last year, we have provided training to a range of organisations including the Environment Agency and South West Highways. Meanwhile, we have supported clients with learning dif¿culties and autism in their employment with a wide range of employers including Sodexo and Waitrose.

In total, 368 clients have been placed in work through our various programmes. I anticipate developing our partnerships in the year ahead.

We also welcomed a new Chair of Trustees, Graham Faulkner, who was appointed in November 2013. Graham was previously the CEO of The Epilepsy Society, and brings with him a wealth of experience and expertise. At the same time, we said “goodbye” to Susan Hobbs, who

Annual Review 2013-14

Our financial performance had served St Loye’s as a Trustee for ten years, six of them as Chair. I thank her on behalf of all employees for her commitment and her wisdom.

Income £4,898K

Work with 2,020 clients a year;

Fundraising Residential Training

Develop our presence in SW and NW England, Wales and beyond;

Blue Badges

Meanwhile, one of the most notable achievements of the last year was our being ranked 16th in the Top 100 Best Not-for-Pro¿t Organisations 2014 by The Sunday Times – reÀecting the views of those who work for the Foundation.

I am very proud of this achievement.

I wish to take this opportunity to extend my thanks to all who have supported the Foundation – our clients, staff, donors and supporters, volunteers, Trustees, employers and partner organisations. Without your support, energy and dedication, we would not have been able to achieve as much as we have.

2020 Vision

Learning & Skills Social Care Jobcentre Plus

Develop productive partnerships and encourage innovation;

Work Programme Families Action Programme Investments Other

Expenditure £4,761K

The year ahead will see many challenges, but also many opportunities as we continue to develop the organisation, diversify funding and increase our presence nationwide with the aim of helping and supporting many thousands of clients each year. Throughout, we will be guided by the ethos and values which have enabled the Foundation to make a difference to people’s lives for more than 75 years.

Remain a viable, diversi¿ed and ethical organisation.

Fundraising Residential Training Blue Badges Learning & Skills Social Care Jobcentre Plus Work Programme Families Action Programme Marketing

Christopher Knee, CEO

Charitable Project Spend Overheads Figures subject to audit

Exceptional

c.2,200 clients in 2013/14

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Changing lives Working with 2,020 clients a year There continues to be an upward trend in our number of clients. We worked with c.2,200 clients in 2013/14 compared to 139 in 2007/08.

Our clients are now receiving services in Health and Social Care, Learning and Skills, and Employment Training, via new and growing initiatives.

At the same time, we are also supporting more clients under a number of our self¿nanced projects. Our veterans’ support programme Transitions continues to expand and is now operating across our centres in Exeter, Cardiff and Warrington.

Under our Positive Opportunities project, an increasing number of individuals on the autistic spectrum are being supported and provided with employment, volunteering and training opportunities. Three new programmes received approval during 2013/14, for launch in the next twelve months.

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Annual Review 2013-14

c.2,200 clients in 2013/14

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The whole team is like a family – in fact it’s better, it’s more secure and stable.

Paul • 51 • Social entrepreneur Paul served as a Gunner for seven years in the Royal Navy. He was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a result of the time he served in the South Atlantic. After leaving the Navy he had various jobs, but over the years he found employment increasingly dif¿cult due to his PTSD and physical injuries.

In 2012, Paul was signposted to the St Loye’s ‘Transitions’ programme - a free service helping former armed services personnel establish new careers. He hasn’t looked back since.

Having used woodworking on and off over the years as a form of personal therapy, Paul was encouraged by his mentor to put this forward as a business idea. The St Loye’s team were able to introduce him to UnLtd, the UK’s leading provider of support to social entrepreneurs. This resulted in Paul being awarded a £4,700 grant to help him grow his business, which uses woodworking as social therapy.

St Loye’s client-centred approach and team ethos has provided Paul with the support he has needed to overcome the challenges he has faced.

Paul wanted to thank the St Loye’s team, particularly Richard, from Transitions, and Kelly, from the Employment Team, who helped him access the funding for his social enterprise.

He said: “The whole team is like a family – in fact it’s better, it’s more secure and stable. The team accepts you for who and what you are, and understand any issues so well that they stop being issues at all.”

Paul is regarded as a social entrepreneur because he has created a business solution to a social problem. Using his woodworking skills he now helps vulnerable adults learn practical skills for future employment.

Paul said: “Having this opportunity allows me to use my experiences to support vulnerable people and to help them steer a steady course. It’s not a ¿x, it’s another tool in the tool bag to cope with life.”

Julie Carthy, UnLtd South West Awards Manager added: “Working with St Loye’s helps us to extend our reach and meet more inspiring people who, with the right support can achieve amazing things. Without St Loye’s we may never have met Paul.”

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Jason • 35 • At work

Jason was put in touch with St Loye’s by his disability employment adviser at Jobcentre Plus. His case manager met him regularly and we arranged for him to undertake a course covering business administration and information technology. This led him to gain a work placement, and subsequently a job.

He said: “I found the course enjoyable and interesting and once I’d ¿nished my training I was very lucky to gain a work placement at the sports centre on the University of Exeter’s St Luke’s Campus. After six weeks voluntary work, doing day to day duties, I started being paid on a temporary basis working on the reception within the sports centre and this has now become permanent.

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“The team that dealt with me at St Loye’s were all fantastic, helpful and kind and made me feel very welcome from the outset. It was really awesome when I got the news of my placement and I couldn’t wait to tell them. It was also very special receiving my certi¿cates once the course was completed.”

Jason acknowledges his life has turned around, adding: “I’m just very grateful to be given the chance to do well. I’m really enjoying life and feeling so much better in myself again.”

Jason has now completed a pool plant operations course as part of his training to become a lifeguard.

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The team that dealt with me at St Loye’s were all fantastic, helpful and kind and made me feel very welcome from the outset.

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Jason had been out of work for some time before he came to St Loye’s. He had suffered from arthritis in his spine, which meant his options were very limited. During this time he had also cared for three children after taking on the role of ‘house husband’.

Annual Review 2013-14

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St Loye’s showed me how to use my skills in the workplace and designed an instructions list to help me remember how to do my job and learn new skills.

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new self-financed projects approved for launch in 2014/15

Annual Review 2013-14

Alice • 22 • Job seeking Alice’s story is one of determination and strength of character. It shows how an individual can overcome life’s challenges and gain real value from working.

Alice is 22 years old and lives at home with her parents. She has a visual impairment with a learning disability which means everyday tasks like making dinner and going to work need a little extra support.

After attending the WESC Foundation (formerly the West of England School for children with little or no sight) since she was a child and then progressing to the college, Alice was given a direct payment by social services to allow her to access Enabling Services when the college was closed in the holidays.

Alice and her family came to St Loye’s because they knew it specialises in advancing personal development and independence. After being helped to build a person-centred plan and a CV, she was in a position to apply for voluntary jobs to gain workplace experience and it resulted in a placement at Exeter Community Centre as an administration assistant.

Alice also works alongside other deaf blind people at the ‘Sense’ Café 55 in Exeter,

and during the college holidays she is assisted by her St Loye’s support worker.

This allows her to continue in her learning and gain valuable work experience.

In July 2014, Alice will be leaving college and is being supported to further explore the world of employment. She wasn’t sure where she wanted to begin, but through regular consultation and the use of some choice-making tools she showed an interest in of¿ce work or retail. Like many others, Alice will continue to access Enabling Services to equip her with the skills she needs to live and work as independently as she can.

Alice said: “St Loye’s are very helpful. After a day at work I feel happy and good about myself.

I really feel that I have achieved something.”

“St Loye’s showed me how to use my skills in the workplace and designed an instructions list to help me remember how to do my job and learn new skills.”

Enabling Services at St Loye’s support people to build social networks, live healthy and active lifestyles, as well as build con¿dence in the community through tailor made support services.

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75+ years experience

Billy • 21 • Budding horticulturalist

Based in Cardiff, Billy left school at 16.

Living with a concentration de¿cit disorder and mild autism, he was unsure what ¿eld of work he would be best suited to. He had spent time on and off as a conservation volunteer. He also spent a short spell studying for a retail NVQ, however working in retail was not where his heart lay and by the start of 2014 Billy had been unemployed and de-motivated for quite some time.

Things started to change for Billy after he was referred to St Loye’s by his local Jobcentre Plus to study for a certi¿cate in horticulture.

Based at St Loye’s garden nursery site in West Hill, Devon, Billy’s love of horticulture was re-ignited, with him passing eight assessments in a short space of time. The training was made accessible to Billy via supported living in St Loye’s Exeter based residential accommodation Hope Court, with weekend travel back to Cardiff. St Loye’s provided him with support and assistance to acquire all the skills he needs to be able to pursue his dream of a career in horticulture.

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He said: “All the staff and my colleagues are so friendly and happy to help each other out. My time is being spent constructively and I’m learning so much.

I feel more con¿dent, happy and positive about myself as a person and my future.”

Billy’s improved con¿dence has already shone through. Following a successful interview, Billy has secured work experience and with the support of the St Loye’s Employment Team he very much hopes that this experience will help him to be able to secure permanent employment in his chosen ¿eld.

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I feel more confident, happy and positive about myself as a person and my future.

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Billy’s love of all things horticultural was inspired by his time spent volunteering for a local conservation group.

Annual Review 2013-14

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The nationwide impact of our work Developing our presence in SW and NW England, Wales and beyond We have consolidated our presence in the South West and have continued to deliver programmes in Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset.

After securing funding from the Big Lottery Fund, in the last twelve months we have been able to develop our presence in Wales through expansion of our veterans’ support project Transitions.

Over the coming year this will enable us to assist many more veterans.

We further developed our presence in North West England. The last year has seen us deliver Skills Funding Agency training programmes, locate to larger premises to increase our capacity to deliver more services, and coordinate a veterans’ drop-in centre in Warrington.

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128 employees nationwide

Chris has been supported by the St Loye’s team based in Warrington, North West England, in setting up his own business.

Chris had been driving commercially since he left school. The 45-year-old initially worked for a removal company and gained his Class I HGV licence at the age of 21.

A road vehicle collision which involved head injuries put a stop to his driving career and left him wondering what to do next.

He received six months of employment support allowance but was also recommended to St Loye’s Foundation by his disability employment adviser at the local Jobcentre Plus and his world was about to change.

Courses arranged by St Loye’s North West Of¿ce including TIG Welding (Tungsten Inert Gas) and MIG Welding (Metal Inert Gas), have enabled Chris to set up his own business building motorcycles from scratch.

Chris • 45 • Self-employed businessman Chris said: “I met Suzanne from St Loye’s and she arranged for me to take the welding courses. I quali¿ed for the new enterprise allowance which provides money and support for living expenses and help starting your own business, including a loan.

“After completing my courses, I rented a unit on an industrial estate near my home and began my own business (NW Choppers) building bikes and specialising in custom frame builds and frame work. It hasn’t been easy but I’m making enough to pay the business overheads and feed the kids. We don’t have a lot of money but at least I’m working and we get by.

“After setting up in business, I met with Suzanne in Carlisle every couple of weeks. Getting quali¿cations was very special but Suzanne’s ongoing support and guidance have been invaluable.”

St Loye’s were fantastically supportive even giving me a grant to buy a Tube Notcher – specialist equipment required to build motorcycle frames.

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Annual Review 2013-14

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Working in partnership

We are delivering partnerships with an expanding number of organisations ranging from Working Links, Prospects, Twin, Somerset Skills and Learning and the Community Care Trust. We have increasingly strong partnerships with Jobcentre Plus of¿ces and local authorities across the South West and NW England, and Wales.

Our links with employers are strong and growing. We have provided disability awareness training to a number of employers, including the Environment Agency and SW Highways. We have supported clients with learning dif¿culties and autism in their employment with Sodexo, Exeter City FC, Waitrose, Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, Yeo Valley and Millets.

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Anna Cooper, South West Highways

We are also sourcing communal housing for clients who need support in the community, as well as developing partnerships with Housing Associations to offer training and employment services to tenants.

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St Loye’s programme is very well organised and managed and it is clear that all team members are committed to supporting their candidates in developing the skills, confidence and motivation to find meaningful work.

We have continued to innovate, with initiatives including developing the Place and Train model of employment training to working with older students within Special Educational Needs (SEN) schools in Devon to facilitate their transition to adulthood.

Meanwhile, we are testing new approaches to re-integrating female ex-prisoners with mental health conditions in Wales.

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Working with St Loye’s helps us to extend our reach and meet more inspiring people who with the right support can achieve amazing things. Without St Loye’s we may never have met Paul.

Julie Carthy, UnLtd

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Developing productive partnerships and encouraging innovation

Annual Review 2013-14

Viable, diversified and ethical Remaining a viable, diversified and ethical organisation

16th in the Top 100 Best Not-for-Profit Organisations

Paula Bromley, Bath & North East Somerset Council

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We have really enjoyed working with St Loye’s. We have found them to be helpful, friendly and efficient.

Working together Social entrepreneur Paul is pictured with Julie from UnLtd. St Loye’s introduced Paul to UnLtd, which resulted in him being awarded a grant for his social enterprise.

In the last year, some payment by results programmes have taken longer than anticipated to generate income. However, net income was positive after charitable donations. Furthermore, our investments gave a positive return over the course of the year. A total of £411,000 was approved by the Board as a contribution to the cost of managing our own, charitably funded projects.

One of the most signi¿cant achievements during the year was St Loye’s being placed 16th in the Top 100 Best NFP Organisations in the 2014 Sunday Timess league table. The results of the survey reÀect the views of our staff.

Meanwhile, a new Chair of Trustees, Graham Faulkner, was appointed in November 2013; Graham was previously CEO of The Epilepsy Society.

Your support We are very grateful for the generous support we have received from individuals, groups, trusts and foundations, as well as gifts in Wills over the last twelve months.

Your commitment to our work enables us to help more people. We couldn’t do it without you. Thank you.

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Help us to deliver change Talk to us about how you can help us to raise the funds we need to run our lifechanging programmes, and help individuals like Sarah to live more independent lives.

Contact the Fundraising Team

01392 255428

fundraising@stloyes.ac.uk

Sarah • 23 • On the road to independence

23-year-old Sarah, who has autism, studied with St Loye’s, not only learning to build her con¿dence and self-esteem, but also gaining the practical skills that the food safety and catering quali¿cation brings. This has led her to be more con¿dent. She is now looking for work experience, or a job in retail to further establish an independent way of life.

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To allow us to do our work, we need your help.

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Sarah celebrates after completing St Loye’s in-house certi¿cate in Community Con¿dence and gaining a Level 2 quali¿cation in Food Safety and Catering.

Our offer Special thanks to our clients and supporters for featuring in this publication, including photography by Steven Haywood, Jim Wileman and Guy Newman and design by Paul Chinn.

We offer a range of services at St Loye’s: • Employment Training Services; • Health and Social Care; • Learning and Skills.

We are empowering individuals to live more independent lives. Our employment training helps people to ¿nd, and stay in work. Our care and support services enable people to live more independently, while our learning and skills training equips individuals with the skills they need to get on.

Getting Stuck In 32 people raced for St Loye’s at the RockSolid race in Devon raising more than £2,500 for us.

Whoever we are working with - from veterans to individuals on the autistic spectrum - our client-centred approach is our guiding ethos.

For more information sFan oXr 45 FoGe or Yisit oXr ZeEsite ZZZ stOo\es orJ XN

St Loye’s Foundation is a registered charity, No. 235434, company No. 393477, registered in England and limited by guarantee. +HDG 2I¿FH St Loye’s Foundation Beaufort House 51 New North Road Exeter Devon EX4 4EP Tel 01392 255428 Fax 01392 420889 www.stloyes.org.uk info@stloyes.ac.uk In addition to our main Head Of¿ce, St Loye’s has a number of other of¿ces, including Wales and the North West of England. Contact details are available on our website www.stloyes.org.uk

Our approach Our client-centred approach is at the heart of what we do.

Contact us for a large print version of our Review.

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@stloyes

/stloyes St Loye’s Foundation