necessary to ensure the continued
viability and efficiency of the charity.
The move towards personalisation
meant that people with disabilities
were able to choose from a range of
different organisations rather than
having to receive services from one
provider. We therefore had to make
significant changes to the way we
worked by first promoting to, and then
contracting with, individuals for
specific services. This necessitated
both the development of new
procedures and systems and the
provision of training for fieldwork staff.
The development of a new database
ensured we had the necessary
records to differentiate between
‘private’ customers and those still
contracted to a local authority.
The contract managers (Sue Riley,
Sharon Carter, Claire Bickford,
Yvonne Beadle and Zohra Kapadia)
worked hard to make the necessary
changes and developments to
services and their delivery, thereby
contributing to our continued success.
They managed and supported
fieldwork teams responsible for the
provision of services in each specific
area. In areas where services had
been decommissioned, the fieldwork
teams worked hard to promote our
services to individuals. My thanks go
to all of them, especially team
leaders (soon to be service
managers), who not only maintained
Opening the door to independent living
6
Chief Executive’s Report
The past year has been one of
contrasting fortunes. Set against the
background of the global financial
crisis and, nearer to home, the shift
towards personalisation, it was always
going to be a challenging time.
Local authorities were required to
make significant cuts to their budgets
whilst at the same time ensuring they
offered individuals with disabilities
greater choice and control over the
services they receive. The local
authorities responded to this in a
number of ways: by reducing funding
for contracted out services or
decommissioning them altogether,
taking services in-house or offering
services via framework agreements.
Penderels Trust staff worked
incredibly hard to meet the often
demanding timescales to implement
significant changes, including the
decommissioning of services by two
local authorities. Despite being
prepared for these changes and
working closely with the local
authorities, the need to make some
staff redundant in these areas was
unavoidable to manage our costs and
remain in budget.
This is the first time in our 23 year
history we have had to do this. Having
to lose knowledgeable and dedicated
staff was very difficult. It will remain
an unhappy and significant milestone
in our history but one that was