Testimonial - Small Business Support - ASEND

"As we come to the end of 2011 and the first 6 months of ASEND, I'd just like to thank you again for your huge contribution to getting the company going and moving forward. 2012 should see some big changes as we develop and grow, but the seeds have most definitely been planted, nurtured with care by you."

Barbara Ball, Director of ASEND

If you need help getting your business off the ground - especially around marketing, staffing and putting efficient processes in place - then contact karen@flourishing.me.uk for support.

Developing an Employee Promise

LinkedIn does actually work!

I commented on a discussion thread that resulted in a brief to develop an employee promise for a large corporate client.

The organisation in question has four divisions, and has been absorbing new companies into its structure over the last few years. The aim is to preserve and reinforce the organisational culture through this period of change.

The brief is to provide the company with a range of employee engagement tools - to capture the views of different groups (from talent pool to long servers, graduates to front line) and consolidate them in a three part employee promise to all who work for them.

The starting point is investigation into psychological contract research to ensure that we are tapping into different elements of the relationship between employee and employer. These are then addressed in the design of accessible focus groups, on-line surveys and structured telephone interviews to be delivered locally.

Important to remember that the workforce are largely blue collar - and so some hygiene factors may be important, as well as aspirational and self-actualising factors. Also, command of the English language and cultural issues may come to bear on the views expressed.

A challenging piece of work - but ultimately satisfying in its potential impact.

Supporting new business - ASEND

Six months in, and I realise that it has been a while since I recorded exactly what I have been doing to support a new organisation to get up and running.

The organisation in question is ASEND - www.asend.co.uk - set up in the summer of 2010 to provide special educational needs and disability professionals into educational settings - primarily schools. ASEND will provide individual assessments and support programmes for SEN children and young people - but will major on whole school approaches to SEN support and inclusion.

There is a strong emphasis on multi-agency support, and the provision of a team with impeccable expertise and professionalism, and with the vision to draw in support across different disciplines.

Flourishing Consulting are providing business support on a one day a week basis - covering operational issues around the recruitment and assessment of potential ASEND Advisers - partnership development - and marketing ASEND through social media and events.

So far so good - we have a steady influx of new Advisers, and strong relationships developing with schools keen to involve ASEND in their SEN provision.

My personal angle is very much around inclusion and safeguarding - particularly where there may cultural barriers. With this in mind, I am writing an article for the Spring Edition of the SEN magazine drawing all these themes together.

Report Back from FGM meeting in Barnet

26 Professionals across a range of disciplines came together in the London Borough of Barnet to find out more about Female Genital Mutilation, and the actions that can be taken to eradicate it.

The meeting was scheduled as part of Barnet Council’s annual Safeguarding Month. Each year Barnet develop a range of safeguarding briefing, training and action planning opportunities for front line staff, voluntary and community groups and anyone locally who is keen to improve their understanding and skills.

Barnet Safeguarding Children Board has a Faith and Culture sub-group, who have been keen to address FGM issues in the borough. 28TooMany offered to run a workshop on Council premises, and this was facilitated by Flourishing Consulting Ltd.

Ann Marie Wilson from 28TooMany set out her aims – to bring together organisations working in the FGM area, and create some opportunities to join up information, support and programmes of action. The meeting started with an explanation of FGM – in its four forms – and the prevalence of FGM across different countries. 28TooMany gets its name from the number of African countries where FGM is common practice.

Illustrated by personal stories Ann Marie explained the cultural reasons why FGM is practiced and the stigma associated with non-compliance. She expanded on the global situation, UK legislation and emphasized that FGM is practiced in London Boroughs including Barnet. This was confirmed by health professionals in the group.

FGM has been illegal in the UK since 2003. However there have been no prosecutions, and it is very difficult to prevent. Anti-FGM guidelines are available on the Home Office website. Details of resources are provided in a separate document prepared for distribution to those attending the meeting – and the 20 or more people who expressed interest, but were unable to come along.

It is worth stressing that FGM is not supported by the scriptures or holy books of any faith.

In Barnet FGM has been found in girls and women presenting themselves for maternity services – and referrals are primarily from the health service, rather than through social care. FGM can be seasonal, with young girls travelling abroad at the beginning of the long summer school holidays – so that they are recovered in time to return to school. Cutting parties are evident in the UK.

Rita from Forward spoke of the support and actions underway in the UK. The organization works with communities to empower women to take control of the situation. An NHS funding project in Bristol has made significant progress. Forward services include clinics, counseling and leadership training skills so that groups of women are able to achieve change for their communities. Peer to peer support is crucial within communities – as is the training of young advisers to catch a generation.

Dorrett from Imkaan talked in detail about an integrated response across different agencies – highlighting best practice – and agreeing to adopt consistent standards.

The actions in Barnet include the following:

- Providing those attending the meeting with materials with which to brief their peers – including copies of the slides presented

- Including FGM in the Barnet violence against women strategy

- Sharing information about support available

- Developing a detailed plan through the Faith and Culture sub-group of the Safeguarding Board

- Reporting back progress during the 2012 Safeguarding Month.

Karen Walkden

Flourishing Consulting Ltd

www.flourishing.me.uk

IT Health Check

Flourishing is pleased to offer a new service for voluntary and community organisations, businesses and statutory organisations of all sizes. We can save you money by reviewing your use of information technology and identifying efficiencies to be achieved.

The IT Healthcheck service starts with a review of your current systems - from information management, customer service management systems, office systems, data storage etc. We then talk through your business plans to determine ways in which technology could assist you to meet your organisational goals.

The next step involves researching alternative approaches, reviewing your current contracts and identifying simple, reliable and efficient processes that will support your work. These are then presented succinctly as costed proposals for your senior management to consider. If you choose to proceed then we can manage the implementation and change over for you - drawing on our team of information technology experts.

If you want to reduce your IT bills, simplify your processes and move towards a greener business model, then get in touch - and we can arrange your IT Healthcheck.

FGM meeting in Barnet - 11am 28.11.11

Great meeting on 28th November 2011.

In fact we chose the date and time to be memorable - 11am, 28.11.11.

It was great to work with 28TooMany founder Ann-Marie Wilson and to host a meeting for front line professionals in Barnet exploring ways to eradicate FGM (Female Genital Mutilation).

Barnet Council offered us a meeting space and refreshments as part of their Safeguarding Month. We weren't sure how many would come, but in the end we had to go and get more chairs three times to accommodate the number of people who came. We had another 20 people who couldn't make the time - but wanted to be kept in touch.

Ann- Marie talked through her own journey, working in different countries, encountering women and girls who have suffered FGM. She also explained actions that are being taken in the UK and abroad. The numbers of women and girls impacted in the UK are difficult to quantify - but it most certainly does happen in Barnet and elsewhere locally.

Rita from Forward and Dorrett from Imkaan also spoke of their work - particularly in gaining commitment from local community groups, empowering women to lead on stamping out FGM. There is a great example in Bristol - and we explored parallels and lessons for elsewhere.

If you would like Ann-Marie to speak with your group then please get in touch and we will see what can be arranged.

FGM meeting in Barnet - 11am 28.11.11

Flourishing Consulting Limited are delighted to be supporting 28TooMany - an organisation lead by Ann-Marie Wilson with the aim of eradicating FGM.

As part of Barnet Council's Safeguarding Month we are delighted to be holding a meeting in their offices, to draw together professionals from different organisations to explore the scope for working together co-operatively on this issue.

Front-line professionals are welcome to join us, as well as those from voluntary and community organisations.

Contact annmarie@28toomany.org or karen@flourishing.me.uk to book your place.

The meeting takes place at 11am on 28th November 2011 - in Building 4 of the North London Business Park in Barnet.

There will be speakers from Imkaan, 28TooMany and we hope to welcome a speaker from the Home Office as well.