Business Plan 2011-12

 

 

Overview of the situation at the start of the plan (April 2011)

 

Services

Sevenoaks Area Mind has a long and proud history of delivering services and campaigning with and on behalf of people with mental health needs. These services are delivered in three locations: Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Edenbridge Outreach, with Sevenoaks as the main office.

The services currently delivered are:

• Community/day services which include centre and community based activities such as art, sports, creative writing, cooking, drop in sessions and one to one support. The latter is very effective but also very resource intensive. Most but not all of the clients who access these services have longer term mental health needs.
• Two supported housing schemes, both in Sevenoaks, with capacity for 16 residents.
• One to one counselling.
• Support groups for mums.
• Peer support.
• Awareness raising sessions about mental health.

 

The Environment

The economic and political environment is extremely challenging. Global and national events are impacting at a very local level. The global recession, wars and civil unrest in Africa and the Middle East, and the national deficit reduction plan, are all having an impact on local spending plans which in turn impacts on our ability to retain a stable funding base. Our key funder Kent County Council is finalising its forward strategy and we have been advised that this will be ratified by its members in July 2011. Major changes are planned for the Health Service such as GP Commissioning and the dismantling of the Primary Care Trusts, personalised budgets, and changes to social housing and the benefits system. None of these are yet in place in Kent and there is debate about the planned NHS reforms.

Across all sectors there will much greater competition for resources and this at a time when resources will be reducing. It is not clear at this stage which agencies might be our competitors for resources or which agencies we may want to proactively engage with as partners in joint bids. It is likely that in the local environment we may do better if we develop strong partnerships and join forces to bid for larger contracts, however at present there are no local tenders that we could bid for alone or in partnership. This is likely to change later in the year and we will need to deal with these on a case by case basis ensuring that we give ourselves the best chances of success.

All of these changes have the potential to impact positively or negatively over the coming year. Because the country is in a state of transition and is likely to remain so for the next few years one thing we can be sure of is that there will be considerable uncertainty to manage.

 

Our Financial Position

Most of our funding is from statutory sources with the largest proportion coming from Kent County Council. In this financial year our current funding breakdown is as follows:

Financial position at the start of the plan (amounts are approximate)

 

The charity is therefore in an extremely vulnerable financial situation with over 93% of its funding coming from statutory sources. This needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency in the next financial year and will be a key part of the 2011-12 Business Plan.

 

Human resources

It is expected that over the next twelve months our statutory funding will remain at the current levels and therefore our staff base as well. However in the event of a tender for, or the withdrawal of, any of our current services, we may have a very different situation moving into 2012/13. It will be essential to keep staff and Trustees aware of the unfolding situation.

Staff training has been kept up to date in terms of mandatory training and they have been given a number of development opportunities. However most staff do not have any formal qualifications in the mental health/ support worker field. So for the coming financial year we are exploring the option of longer term training leading to a relevant qualification.

 

IT and telephony

There is a shortage of IT for staff both in terms of quality and quantity and there are some training needs in the use of IT. This will need to be addressed. A new phone system, which had been causing problems, has now been re-configured to deliver a more effective service for enquiries. The existing website has been developed but it looks dated, a new website will be developed to give a fresher and more modern image. This can be achieved largely in house.

 

Threats

The key risk to the charity is its reliance on statutory funding from two sources with the bulk of this coming from Kent County Council. Kent County Council is making major changes to meet its own deficit reduction plan.

The charity needs to be very clear about potential liabilities in the event of a major and sudden loss of resources.

 

Weaknesses

The Charity has gone through a period of relative stability but with little real growth. It does not have any regular and independent donors. Client numbers have been relatively low, although we have met the KPIs set by our funding body. The profile of the charity is good in Sevenoaks but less so in Tonbridge where the main developments have centred around services rather than building key relationships. Parts of the organisation have operated in silos, in particular SAMAHG and Counselling, meaning that we have not created enough added value from these areas of work or looked at the potential for commercialising some elements of these services to make a profit for the charity. This will be a key development over the coming year and both our counsellors and SAMHAG volunteers have been consulted.

 

Strengths

In spite of the risks/weaknesses identified above the charity is in a good position to create a dynamic forward plan and has a good reputation. Our key strengths are that we have a good and stable staff team that are forward thinking and want to develop and grow the charity. In addition we do have an excellent strategic partnership with Kent County Council as we provide Kent wide strategic roles on their behalf. There is a strong Trustee Board with an excellent range of skills to ensure good governance. It may also be strength that the Chair, Chief Executive and Treasurer are all relatively new and can bring fresh thinking from different sectors to assist the charity going forward. We are in a better financial position for the next twelve months than many other charities of a similar size that have already faced significant and in many cases catastrophic funding cuts. We have some excellent partnerships that are highly supportive of the charity and its work. We have very good support locally in Sevenoaks which we need to replicate in other parts of our area.

 

Opportunities

Significant changes bring opportunities as well as threats and the charity must be in a position to both create and pursue opportunities. Given the situation at the start of the plan it appears that there is considerable scope for increasing and diversifying the funding base.

Key areas for financial growth are as follows:

• New statutory funding streams – e.g. tenders, grants, GP commissioning and personalisation.
• Non-statutory funding – e.g. lottery, comic relief, small local trust funders.
• Individual Charitable giving – we have no regular donors at present.
• Corporate sponsorship – this tends to be help in kind.
• Community fundraising – we currently have three agencies fundraising for us this year but also includes events, projects and sponsorships.
• Constructive partnership development that may lead to joint funding bids.
• Growing commercial services – e.g. training, workshops, counselling and room hire.
• Big society.

 

Being able to access these opportunities we will need to be backed up by a much higher profile, an excellent reputation, and innovation in service delivery and project ideas. In addition the charity must be more responsive to wider community needs beyond its traditional or core client group.

 

Key Business Objectives 2011 to 2012

 

The purpose of this section is to provide more detail on what we will actually do over the next 12 months to achieve our strategic aims. Given the rapidly changing environment however we must also be prepared to change or re-prioritise our objectives. What follows below will be subject to regular review. First review September 2011.

 

Business Priority 1

Increase the number and diversity of the people we support via our services and where appropriate develop some chargeable services at commercial rates

 

Our services need to be relevant and accessible to a wider range of people. There are a number of services that we will simply continue with some modifications but we will also aim to increase the services on offer to meet additional needs.

Alongside this we will need to be much clearer about the services on offer, who they are for and what need/s they are intending to meet.

We also need to respond more effectively to needs as they present themselves, and be in a position to provide services outside of normal working hours to increase access for people in work.

 

1.1 Community/Day Services Development

By 31 March 2012 we will have:

• Key objective 1: Designed a new programme of work that meets a wider range of needs and implemented it.
• Key objective 2: Created new and simple marketing materials to describe what we do and how to access services, this includes an updated website.
• Key objective 3: Developed mechanisms to respond more directly to client needs including the potential development of a help-line.
• Key objective 4: Increased our capacity by using more volunteers e.g. to cover drop-ins, reception, telephone and information resources.
• Key objective 5: Improved quality and efficiency of services – this will include meeting the quality standards of MIND and making better use of existing resources.
• Key objective 6: Developed new and existing partnerships. An operational plan will be developed with the team, which currently consists of 3 full time staff and one casual member of staff working for 4 hours per week in Tonbridge. There are also a small number of volunteers.

 

1.2 Housing Service Development

Work is in progress to achieve a Grade B Supporting People Quality Assurance Rating – this is extremely important given that we may want to tender for new services within the next 6 to 9 months. We should also aspire to achieve a Grade A in the next twelve months for the same reason. In addition we need to think about floating support models for people in their own tenancies – if these services are to be tendered and we want to bid for them we need to be ready with a cost effective model.

By 31 March 2012 we will have:

• Key objective 1:  Achieved a grade B – this requires us to develop a Move-on Strategy, Business Continuity Plan, and Equal Opportunities Framework.
• Key objective 2: Move-on and void management – we need to develop a system for this to minimise financial and reputational risk to the charity.
• Key objective 3: To develop a floating support model with costings ready for potential tender of these services.
• Key objective 4: Having achieved a Grade B we will have identified what is needed to move on and achieve a grade A.
• Key objective 5: Increase service user involvement and empowerment.

 

1.3 Counselling Services Development

This is a potential area for growth. There is a new commitment from the government to talking therapies, and although much of this is likely to be delivered directly by the NHS there is still a growing need for these services and the potential to bid for statutory funding.

Given the shortage of internal capacity for service development this is likely to be an organic and to some extent opportunistic development. However we have identified some key objectives most of which will be subject to market testing and which are already work in progress.

By 31 March 2012 we will have:

• Key objective 1: Increased the range and number of clients accessing the existing service, and subject to feasibility expanded the services on offer to include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).
• Key objective 2: Developed Wellbeing Workshops, Coping with Life courses and other chargeable programmes for the wider public. This latter objective crosses over into the development of our mental health awareness work (SAMHAG – see below) and the broader objective of increasing preventative work and wellbeing work.
• Key objective 3: To have fully researched becoming a provider of CBT training and to have implemented this if feasible – this will require an upfront investment of £1,500 to become a licenced provider of CBT courses. This will also enable counsellors to run chargeable workshops for depression, anxiety attacks or other issues where a CBT approach may help.
• Key objective 4: To have developed this service from loss making to at least break even point within the year, ideally to turn this into a service that makes a profit for the charity whilst still making the service accessible to lower income groups.

 

Business Priority 2

Become a focal point and key community resource for better mental health

 

This priority will in part be met by a growing profile, greater responsiveness, and a wider range of services to meet different needs.

By 31 March 2012 we will have:

• Key Objective 1: Developed a telephone help-line for other agencies and people with mental health needs, and increased opportunity for on-line interaction.
• Key Objective 2: Improved our buildings in Sevenoaks and Tonbridge in terms of decor, welcome and access, and created more opportunities for the wider community to use the Sevenoaks Centre, creating a more sustainable community hub.
• Key Objective 3: Developed a programme of courses for the community which meet needs but which are also capable of delivering a profit for the charity. This will be developed on a shared risk basis with trainers – internal and external. Places will be made available for lower income groups.
• Key Objective 4: Increased our delivery of chargeable training for other agencies via SAMHAG and other means (SAMHAG will be fully integrated into the work of the charity).
• Key Objective 5: Enhanced our reputation as a service provider.

 

Business Priority 3

Overcome stigma and discrimination

 

This requires an integrated approach with other work and projects, and contributes to raising our profile and our fundraising objectives. Work to achieve this priority will be tied to the Time to Change objectives of a) getting people to talk about mental health and b) creating constructive situations for the wider public and people with mental health needs to meet, work and interact with each other.

By 31 March 2012 we will have:

• Key objective 1: Run a twelve month campaign with Sevenoaks Chronicle – this will include publicising and involving them in events, fundraising and other requests and providing positive case studies.
• Key objective 2: Held at least 4 events with a Time to Change and Fundraising theme in Sevenoaks and Tonbridge.
• Key objective 3: Re-developed the Sevenoaks Centre as a community hub with a range of activities. Potential activities currently under development include partnership with a private provider to create a Get Britain On-line centre, room hire to other groups, and the delivery of training for the wider public around wellbeing and mental health.
• Key objective 4: Developed at least one project for the wider community delivered by the community in partnership with people with mental health needs.

 

Business Priority 4

Raise our profile and standing

 

The key objectives are covered as in priorities 1, 2 and 3. It will be essential as we raise our profile that what we do, what we say and what we are ask are all lined up and form an integrated package. The charity needs a much clearer and more understandable identity.

 

Business Priority 5

Achieve financial stability

 

The key objectives under priorities 1, 2, 3 and 4 will all contribute to our ability attract new funding and retain existing grants (if they are to be continued by KCC).

The better our profile and standing, the stronger our partnerships and the more relevant we are to a wider range of people, the greater are our chances of success.

In addition the development of some income generating commercial services that still meet our core mission will be key in the development of a diverse and sustainable funding base.

Below are some very ambitious objectives, all of which are large projects in their own right. Given the current environment, however, it will be essential to be pragmatic and only pursue those objectives likely to produce the greatest benefits. The list below is really a list of potential opportunities that we may pursue.

By 31 March 2012 we will have:

• Key objective 1: Taken all possible steps to safeguard existing grants from KCC.
• Key objective 2: Kept up to date for potential new sources of funding from statutory sources.
• Key objective 3: Developed ideas that may be of interest to statutory funders including potential pilots to meet gaps in service provision.
• Key objective 4: Submitted at least one major statutory bid in partnership with others or alone (subject to tenders becoming available that further our mission and strategic aims).
• Key objective 5: Submitted at least one major non-statutory bid in partnership with others or alone.
• Key objective 6: Begun the process of building a donor base.
• Key objective 7: Held at least 4 fundraising events.
• Key objective 8: Developed services that can be charged for, as identified in the priorities above.
• Key objective 9: Have achieved at least 3 small grants from corporate, statutory or small trust funds.
• Key objective 10: Reduced our dependence on KCC.

 

Reporting against plan

The Chief Executive will provide regular updates in the form of a narrative against the key Business Priorities to the Trustee Board. This will be backed up by the regular budget report to Trustees, which will clearly show any successes or indeed challenges over the next twelve months as regards our financial position.

It needs to be recognised that the internal resources to deliver this plan are limited, and given the changing nature of the operating environment it is likely that we may have to constantly review priorities. Some of the objectives are untried, e.g. charging for training or workshops, and we will have to market test them to see if they deliver. However we must also be prepared to drop things that are not delivering.

 

Strategic Plan 2011-16