CEO Today United Kingdom Awards

35 www.ceotodaymagazine.com CEO Today United Kingdom Awards 2018 CHARITY laptop and smartphone so that I can keep up with my emails and read up on any relevant news across the sector. We have a number of locations across Wales and I try to visit as many as possible within the year, so I meet with our staff and clients and hear first-hand the difference we are making to people’s lives and also the issues our staff are dealing with on a daily basis. Our business delivers a much- needed service and I am fortunate to have an excellent team within the business and this is evident from the positive feedback we receive from our commissioners and stakeholders alike. What can you tell us about the Freedom Programme you provide? The Freedom Programme is a 12-week course which aims to educate women on why Domestic Abuse happens. The course is designed for any women who have or are experiencing domestic abuse. The course aims to help women identify potential early warning signs of abusive behaviour to safeguard themselves and their children from future harm. The programme was developed by Pat Craven in 1999 and has become a nationally recognised resource. What are your top recommendations for building a solid Learning Culture? Staff need to feel listened to and understood plus see that action has been taken and commitment and promises delivered on. When I first joined I visited all our locations across Wales, I listened to our teams then found quick wins following my visits which demonstrated I had taken their thoughts and views on board. Building an environment of trust was key, demonstrating that I not only listened but was able to take forward action. I encouraged reflection on the way we did things and find ways of improving and sharing best practice across teams, empowering staff to take forward ideas and look at new ways of doing things, listen to clients/colleagues and speak the truth to enable decisions to be taken on a ‘right-first- time’ approach. Understanding the talent in the business was also key and how we captured knowledge transfer, so we could build for the future. What emerging challenges do you face regarding the welfare reform? The issue of quality and capacity of service provision as this is linked to the substantial reduction in funding for support services and the continued threat for further reduction in funding. Welsh Government has provided funding to help limit the impact on public services in Wales, however, the administration of welfare benefits is not devolved to Wales and the Welsh Government will not be able to continue to carry the financial costs and will look to absorb costs, which means there will be an effect on these services going forward and it is likely we will face further cuts! We are continually planning and horizon scanning to ensure that we are prepared for future opportunities and also potential funding cuts. FIRM PROFILE Hafan Cymru is a Registered Social Landlord which delivers a range of prevention and support services, housing-related support and a range of innovative community based projects. We own 96 homes and two refuges across Wales and being a Registered Social Landlord enables us to deliver the sanctuary and transitional housing needs of our client group. As an organisation we are always striving to provide the best service to our clients, stakeholders and the communities in which they live. We are committed to the pursuit of service excellence and will continue to develop and enhance our services. Our aim is that our clients will be able to access our services with minimum effort; they will deal with employees that take ownership of the enquiry and respond courteously, effectively and efficiently. We will always put our clients and stakeholders first and place a high emphasis on working together with our clients, to ensure their views and voices are heard and acted upon. We set out our Pledge and Mission and ways of building upon what we have already achieved. The last five years have seen considerable change for Hafan Cymru and our future aims not only include growth but also diversification. We believe that this will ensure that we can continue to provide targeted specialist support that we are known for whilst taking our expertise into new areas that we have not previously explored. We are a charitable housing association that offers a complete package of support provision to help women, men, their children and young people with a wide range of needs, often complex or multiple. We offer sanctuary through a range of housing provision via our refuges, safe housing schemes and supported housing projects. We believe this to be our unique selling point (USP) as none of our ‘competitors’ provides such a diverse variety of offerings. We are committed to the delivery of Hafan Cymru’s mission to ‘build opportunities for people to live well’ through gaining their independence and self-worth, feeling safe, personally develop and connect with their communities. Our coverage is National across Wales and we are continually looking to improve as a business and help make a difference to people’s lives. Additionally, we aspire to extend our reach to England where our products and services are in demand such as training initiatives.