N.E.D. Start Team
Nominated by: Tracy Chapman
Department: Adult Social Care and Health
Reason for nomination:
I am Nominating N.E.D Start team for their commitment to providing the community with a fast response enabling people to live their best lives, promoting independence and wellbeing, being managed by the best manager any Derbyshire County Council worker could wish for.
Nathan Brookes
Nominated by: Anonymous
Department: Childrens Services
Reason for nomination:
Nathan always goes above and beyond duty and never complains. He's extremely solution focussed and strives to deliver good service. He has been instrumental in shaping the EHE team and streamlining the business services processes into a slick and enterprising model.
He has also contributed to the transformation of EHE processes and the improvement of data collection – this has helped reduce workloads of both operational staff and myself, and in turn reduced the amount of time spent 'lost in process'. Because of Nathan’s contribution to the team, our data is now clean and up to date and processes are clear.
Furthermore, his organisation has contributed to a massive turnaround in performance from the EHE team a whole.
Katy Halls
Nominated by: Chris Newton
Department: Childrens Services
Reason for nomination:
The nomination for Katy is in recognition of her strategic role in addressing one of the biggest financial challenges faced by Children’s services.
Katy’s leadership style, enthusiasm, and natural flare for tackling complex problems led to her being ‘parachuted’ in from her day-to-day job in Autumn 2023 to support the design and development of new initiatives, and systems to tackle the increasing demand placed on the council’s Children in Care budgets.
Katy is a hugely respected and likeable member of the department who has a track record of delivering results. Her strategic focus on solving problems leans on her public sector experience complimented by her ability to think about problems from different perspectives, challenging ‘norms’ and applying theoretical techniques to problem-solve.
Style – A natural leader who exudes enthusiasm and an ability to establish strong working relationships. She has engaged with stakeholders across various services to develop strategies that can re-dress the balance of supply for less expensive provision for children in care. This was completed with empathy and a mindfulness of the complex nature of the work.
Approach – To explore the factors that influence the ‘whole system’ around children in care services, and to inform ideas for new initiatives and approaches, Katy facilitated workshops with strategic leaders to ‘mind-map’ themes and opportunities that could be translated into delivery plans. This was achieved by applying models and techniques applied from learning achieved through recent leadership development programmes.
Impact - Underpinning her style and approach is an exceptional ability to communicate effectively across all levels of the organisation. This has resulted in individuals and teams having a clear understanding and direction of how to deliver new or re-branded ways of working and measuring the effectiveness of the change. Katy has delivered a lot in a short space of time and throughout this she has remained humble of her successes and the impact her role has played within this important area of work.
The Asset Management, Estates and Facilities Management Team
Nominated by: Steve Walters
Department: Corporate Services and Transformation
Reason for nomination:
This is a nomination for members of the Property team that have been involved with the delivery and implementation of the new premise in Chesterfield, known as The Quad, a new modern and agile hub that provides the quality of accommodation for a forward-thinking organisation.
Members of the Asset Management, Estates and Facilities Management teams have been involved at various stages of the project to deliver an outstanding result and I would like to nominate them for the Enterprising Council Award.
They have delivered a standard of accommodation that the council has not previously had, closing down numerous sites and bringing all the functions together into this modern, bright, flexible and future proof space, a real innovative change in the type of accommodation we usual work from that will enhance the morale and mood of those working from the building.
There has been joint working with colleagues from Adult Social Care and Health and Childrens Services, listening, involving, and understanding how their services are delivered to provide a vastly improved space from the buildings they were previously based in.
The teams have delivered an outcome that is far more than the normal type of building we have, they have looked to the future, created a brand and a standard of accommodation that will be transformational for the services using the building. Money has been spent wisely, combining new and old resources to ensure that the project produces a revenue budget saving whilst delivering capital receipts to the council but still providing an outstanding quality of accommodation.
The project commenced in 2022/23 and the site opened for staff in January with a phased move in programmed for the first quarter of 2024, which allows for the closure and disposal of our old, unsuitable accommodation.
Live Life Better Derbyshire Healthier Futures Team
Nominated by: Linda Roper
Department: Adult Social Care and Health
Reason for nomination:
I am nominating Live Life Better Derbyshire for the Enterprising Council Award. They are simply spectacular in their vision and commitment.
This vision and commitment brought about an expansion of service already supporting, empowering and bringing health changes to the adult community, to successfully transform the service, now bringing crucial health and wellbeing knowledge to support our Derbyshire families through the Healthier Futures programme.
This service makes a difference. We are making a difference to the health and lives of Derbyshire people, and we know this from evidenced appraisals from our users.
The Healthier Futures programme was rolled out over this past year, the programme empowers people, the very content and nature of the programmes contained provide much needed support and this is evidenced. The focus is on helping families make changes which have significant impacts on their own health, their children and wider life benefits.
Live Life Better Derbyshire does not achieve this on its own, it addition to its current high standard of work, management and staff have worked together talking with other services, both internal and external to bring about this transformational change. We have established and strengthened a referral process and now have pathways used by Social Care, Children's Services, Community Services, NHS & Nursing, Early Help and SEND teams. Parents can self-refer and many do.
We are continuing to work towards an offer to schools and eventually early years. We are preparing for the future.
To make the innovation a reality, there has been much background work, and this is still in motion; we continue to transform our offer to meet demand as it comes whilst maintaining expansion within the constraints of budget limitations - yet it doesn't stop the ideas, the innovation, the will to make this the best we can. And largely, well largely this is due to fantastic management and a fantastic team of staff and I'm proud to be a member of this team.
Fostering Recruitment and Retention Team
Nominated by: Anonymous
Department: Childrens Services
Reason for nomination:
Fostering recruitment and retention over the past year deserves a Vision Award for its exceptional collaborative efforts and remarkable achievements in shaping better outcomes for individuals and communities. Despite facing numerous challenges, the collaborative efforts of foster care agencies, local authorities, community organizations, and other partners have led to significant advancements in fostering recruitment and retention.
Firstly, the collaborative approach to fostering recruitment has resulted in an increased pool of potential foster carers, ensuring that more children and young people in need have access to stable and supportive homes. Through targeted recruitment campaigns, outreach events, and community engagement initiatives, partners have effectively identified and recruited individuals who possess the qualities and commitment needed to provide quality care to vulnerable children.
Secondly, efforts to enhance fostering retention have yielded positive outcomes by providing ongoing support, training, and resources to existing foster carers. Collaborative programs and initiatives, such as mentorship schemes, peer support groups, and specialized training opportunities, have bolstered foster carers' confidence and skills, reducing burnout and turnover rates.
Furthermore, the effective use of existing resources has been integral to the success of fostering recruitment and retention efforts. By leveraging partnerships and pooling resources, partners have maximized their impact and efficiency, ensuring that available funding, staff expertise, and support services are utilized effectively to meet the needs of foster carers and children in care.
Overall, fostering recruitment and retention initiatives in the last year exemplify the power of collaboration in driving positive change and shaping better outcomes for individuals and communities. The dedication, innovation, and collective efforts of partners have not only addressed challenges but have also transformed lives and contributed to the well-being of local people and places. Therefore, recognizing these achievements with a Vision Award is a testament to the exemplary commitment and impact of fostering recruitment and retention efforts.
Early Years SEN Service(EYSEN) and Specialist Service for SEN (SSSEN) Team
Nominated by Alex Butler
Department: Childrens Services
Reason for nomination:
Nomination of EYSEN Service and SSSEN for:
Reception transition support project
These two specialist support services have worked together to devise and implement a transition support offer for your young children with complex SEND starting school.
The problem:
- There was no support for these caseload children when they started reception.
- Schools had to apply for support
- Support started well after it would have been most useful – at the point of starting school
- Transitions are challenging for everyone, and even more so for our young children with complex SEN
This offer was piloted in 2022 and offered universally in 2023 and is continuing with further improvements this year.
We worked with our school and setting partners through the SENCO networks during the planning process to coproduce a support package that comprises:
- Transition meeting
- Transition summary reports
- Opportunity for parent to meet the new specialist support teacher.
- Ongoing support visits during the first term in reception for the child and class staff
- Joint visit of EYSEN and SSSEN teachers to the child in their setting
Impact:
- Of the children provided with this support, none have been excluded
- Only 42% have a referral for ongoing SSSEN support
- 96% of school said that this support had a positive impact
Schools said:
- Really useful to have contact with specialist as the child starts at school.
- Good that quality handover from previous support service provides school and other specialists with knowledge of the child.
Parents said:
- We felt more confident that our child’s transition to school would be successful and that school understood and were able to meet our child’s needs.
- Great to see everyone sharing information and working together.
We believe that through this offer we have:
- Identified and met a need for vulnerable children with SEND
- Worked in partnership as services and with schools and familie
- Achieved an effective transition project which effectively supports a potentially challenging transition
- Achieved this benefit through service capacity available at the start of the school year without incurring additional cost
- Potentially reduced the number of children needing longer term specialist inclusion support
- Ensured that children with SEND joining our reception classes are given the maximum possible chance of enjoyment, engagement, development and learning from day 1
Accommodation Team
Nominated by: Anonymous
Department: Corporate Services and Transformation
Reason for nomination:
Over the past year this team have been in charge of moving 11 assets to a new building in chesterfield called The Quad. This is possibly one of the biggest projects they have had and I do think it deserves recognition. Although this is part of their role, they have had to be involved in choosing an outstanding establishment to change the ways Derbyshire has been working for a long time. They have had to get hundreds of operational workers on board with the change and new ways of working which takes dedication and commitment. They are keen to save public money where they can during the moves and in the middle of doing this they have been moving other offices in Derbyshire, they have grafted above and beyond what is expected in my opinion and are such a committed and positive team.
Robin Heath
Nominated by: Dan Riley
Department: Children’s Services
Reason for nomination:
Nomination for Enterprising Council Award. Robin Heath. White Hall Centre.
Since he started in role as Centre Manager in May 2022, Robin has inspired significant transformation of White Hall Centre.
Robin has headed up the Alternative Provision programme at the centre which has a seen a significant increase in the number of young people using this programme. The programme continues to receive positive feedback from partners and can also be evidenced by young people returning to full time education after significant periods of absence.
Robin has overseen an efficiency drive at the centre which has entailed a review of the how staff are deployed at the centre and has seen significant increase in efficient deployment of staff and has realised cost saving for the centre.
Robin has been a driving force in the development of the centre's campsite which represents a significant income stream for the centre in the summer months and represents an opportunity for more young people to benefit from attending a residential programme at the centre.
Robin has increased the number of corporate clients using the centre, which helps offset the costs of the centres running costs.
Robin has led a significant piece of work around increasing the centre's online presence. This has included introducing Instagram as an additional platform and overseeing the creation of a social media plan to ensure that the content of posts meets the business needs of the centre.
Finally, Robin has worked extremely hard to ensure business continuity at the centre. Two particular challenges have been constant battles with ensuring the centre's heating systems continue to function and bring the website back up after it was hacked. In these matters Robin has relentless in ensuring a quick solution.