Why did you enter the Investors in People 2023 Awards?

Having been accredited by Investors in People for 20 years we were delighted and very proud to realise our ambition of achieving the Silver award for the first time in November 2022.

We have continued to work tirelessly to improve our staffs working lives and therefore help all our  teams achieve our vision for ‘more safe and happy childhoods across the UK’. We have never entered the awards previously; however, we are so happy with our Silver award that we wanted to enter so we could share our story to an even wider audience and set the bar high for other voluntary sector organisations.

What has it meant to you, your team and your organisation to be shortlisted for an Investors in People 2023 Award?

We are thrilled to be shortlisted, as this is our first awards submission, we had no knowledge of what it would take to provide an entry that would be strong enough to be shortlisted in any of the categories. To have been shortlisted for both submissions has been a huge morale booster for the whole People team and those other departments from across the organisation that we collaborated with.

We are equally proud of both submissions, Employer of the Year Silver 250+ has allowed us to show how aligned our staff are to our vision, how they live our values and how we are working to support under-represented groups across all roles.

The Award for Best People Team has given us a platform to tell our story on how we are working to support Care Leavers across the UK to improve their opportunities into employment with us. We’ve become a Care Leavers Covenant Gold Partner, we’ve changed some of our recruitment practices and we are working with other partners like John Lewis to help support career opportunities for young people leaving the care environment.

What would it mean to your organisation to win an Investors in People 2023 Award?

Ultimately, it will provide validation for the amazing work our People Team does every single day in supporting all our staff to ‘ensure more children and young people in the country have a safe and happy childhood, and the foundations they need to thrive’

As an organisation it’s another opportunity for us to tell the world about the work our amazing charity does 365 days a year.

As a potential employer for many applicants wishing to work in a children’s social care or an early years environment it’s another great reason for wanting to come and join us.

How important is it for your organisation to be a part of the Investors in People community and engaged in awards and events like this one?

We’ve been part of the Investors in People community for 20 years and having the quality accreditation in our collection is an endorsement of the great working environment we offer.

It’s important for us show our staff teams and potential future employees that we care about how we manage our staff and their welfare. Being accredited by Investors in People enables us to do this.

Involvement in Investors in People events, both large and small, gives us an opportunity to mix with our peers across the HR spectrum, sharing our successes and learning from others.