What has been your proudest moment at Birtenshaw in recent years? I am absolutely delighted about a number of things that our organisation has achieved, and the difference we’ve made in the lives of so many people. I am delighted to be the person in a privileged position that is able to employ so many incredible people, who can in turn help so many people. In terms of the things that I am happiest about that we have achieved, most recently is the opening of a brand-new special school in Liverpool which is a partnership arrangement with the City of Liverpool Council and the only partnership of this type in the UK. It’s a service that has only opened last September and we had expected it to take 3 – 4 years to reach full capacity, however we are already at threequarters capacity now, and by September of this year, or at the start of the second Academic year, that school will already be at full-capacity. We’re really pleased to be able to support so many families in Liverpool, however this also demonstrates just how great of a demand there is for this service. We’re looking to find ways of increasing this as quickly as possible in order to meet this demand. A significant number of people in the organisation have won various awards, such as our education staff, care and support staff. All have taken on the task of contributing to the success of the organisation and, as a result, have been rewarded for their work, some of which have been on a national level. I’m delighted for them to get that recognition. What is your top goal as you lead Birtenshaw forward? To continue transforming the lives of hundreds if not thousands of young lives, and to meet the demand for the current supply of quality services. We need to develop our services as quickly as possible in order to provide more services in other regions in the UK and, ultimately, have a complete UK footprint so that we are able to reach and support more people. It’s a very difficult thing for us to think that there would be anyone in the UK that isn’t able to get the support they need to thrive, prosper and become independent; we want to be that mechanism to help them achieve their potential. About David David Reid is the Chief Executive of Birtenshaw, an organisation that provides a unique range of services for children and young adults with special educational needs and disability. Birtenshaw operates as a social enterprise – while they are a profit-making organisation, all of their profit is reinvested for growth and success in order to improve their services. Although the organisation was founded in 1956, it was technically bankrupt when David became CEO in 2006. When he took over, it had roughly 6 months left of life, had he not made difficult decisions at the time to restructure the business, changing contracts and the way that they sold their services. After four years of hard work, the business turned around for the better and has since then seen 400% of growth from 2012 until today and established itself as a larger employer in the area. About Birtenshaw Birtenshaw was established in Bromley Cross, Bolton in 1956. Birtenshaw provides a creative and dynamic range of Care and Education services for children and adults with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND). Through Birtenshaw Special Schools (in Bolton and Merseyside) and Birtenshaw College we provide education for children and young people with significant physical impairment, complex health needs, learning disability and / or Autistic Spectrum Conditions. Birtenshaw’s education services are complimented by our social care services, which include several children’s homes, one of which is a short break centre, a domiciliary care agency, supported tenancies, an adults short break centre, plus a sports and recreation programme. Our aim is to improve the quality of life of the people we support so that they may lead fulfilling lives as independently as possible. www. ceotodaymagazine . com CEO Today Un i t ed Ki ngdom Awa rds 202 2 Ca re & Educat i on Se r v i ces Leade r of t he Yea r CEO of Birtenshaw David Reid w w w . b i r t e n s h a w . o r g . u k 17
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