2018-2019 has been another busy and exciting year for Penderels Trust. This year has seen us achieve a record turnover and the work undertaken by our teams puts us in a strong position to meet the challenges of the future. 

Penderels Trust is in a privileged position as the largest independent provider of direct payment support and guidance. Throughout our history, we have developed a record of identifying potential barriers to invididual choices for independent living and for coming up with innovative solutions.  Our work brings us into contact with a wide range of organisation and government bodies. As this work develops, we have been able to understand how decisions made in one area can fundamentally affect the choices an individual can make.  In the annual report, we have summarised the outcomes of the customer survey we conducted at the beginning of 2019; it is clear that whilst direct payments are seen as an overwhelmingly positive choice, there is still a way to go in making the system straightforward enough for a large number of people to make this choice.

In response to this, we are making a clear commitment to becoming an influencing voice on this matter. We want to act as an adviser to the sector, to liaise with government and public bodies who may be unaware of the impact specific policy decisions have on the individuals we work with. We also want to promote the understanding of and value attached to those who work independently as carers or personal assistants (PAs) with our client group. 

Monica Macheng, Chair