People

The staff and volunteers at Ormiston Families are the driving force behind the charity’s success. Their dedication, adaptability, collaborative spirit and alignment to the values of the organisation have been central to delivering high-quality services and achieving strategic goals, with strong support from the Board of Trustees.

Staff wellbeing remains a key priority for the organisation. Over the past year, Ormiston Families introduced a range of initiatives, including the training of eight Mental Health First Aiders, access to unlimited counselling through the Employee Assistance Programme, and individual support sessions with an independent practitioner. These efforts were reflected in the annual staff survey, which showed significant improvement across multiple areas and strong performance compared to national benchmarks within the charity sector.

Learning and development also continued to be a major focus. Staff completed over 2,200 hours of continuous professional development through more than 60 eLearning courses. Twenty-eight managers took part in the Skilled Managers Programme, while 81 staff members received Emergency First Aid training. Safeguarding remained a priority, with training delivered through the DICES framework and sessions on topics such as autism awareness, safer recruitment, and the organisation’s new HR and finance systems.

Volunteers remain an integral part of Ormiston Families, contributing a wide range of skills and unwavering commitment. The organisation was proud to be reaccredited with the prestigious Investors in Volunteers status, recognising its continued dedication to creating a positive, supportive environment for its volunteer community. Volunteers represent an underutilised resource, with significant potential to expand and strengthen the volunteer community across all locations where Ormiston Families operates in the East of England. Enhancing volunteer recruitment and retention will be a key opportunity for the incoming CEO to explore and develop.

Together, these efforts reflect Ormiston Families’ deep commitment to fostering a resilient, well-supported workforce that is equipped to deliver meaningful and lasting impact across the East of England.