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Promoting
social inclusion and valuing diversity lies at the heart
of all the work undertaken by YFA. We believe that services
designed to meet the needs of all potential users really
are better services and we know from our work that our
clients think so too.
Some
of our recent work has given us opportunities to use exciting,
practical and creative approaches to develop inclusive
services:
YFA has moved office
Our new address is:
YFA Consultancy & Training
New Broad Street House
35 New Broad Street
London
EC2M 1NH
Tel: 020 7194 8253
Skills 4 Work and Life: Work Skills Partnersip
YFA is now a partner in the Skills 4 Work and Life programme – a training initiative for voluntary and community sector organisations who have staff with basic skills needs. The programme gives organisations the opportunity to train staff with basic skills needs for free. Our consultants conduct individual assessments to identify the training needs of staff who need help with basic skills - staff are then referred to a local Skills 4 Work and Life training provider at no cost to your organisation.
Skills 4 Work and Life is being delivered by the Work Skills Partnership – a consortium of training providers with expertise in the development of work-based skills. The Work Skills Partnership is managed and led by the Portobello Business Centre. The programme has been funded by the European Social Fund, and the Learning and Skills Council.
If you want to find out more about Skills 4 Work and Life and how you organisation can apply please download the PDF mentioned below, or contact Donna Archibald at the YFA office.
Skills 4 Work and Life flyer
Download PDF [152KB]
Work Skills Partnership website:
http://www.workskillspartnership.co.uk
Commission for Patient and Public Involvement In Health: Diversity Audit
YFA is pleased to be working with the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (CPPIH) to carry out an audit of its work to promote and mainstream equality and diversity. The audit involves work with interest groups to provide stakeholder opinion analysis as well as interviews and focus groups with staff and other stakeholders. YFA will be producing a report detailing the current situation and recommendations for policy, strategy and implementation. For information about the CPPIH and its work visit the CPPIH website.
YFA achieves ILM Centre Status July 2005
As a learning organisation, YFA Consultancy and Training is constantly striving to improve the quality of the services it delivers. Having already been successful in achieving the Investors in People Standard, we have now achieved ILM Centre Status.
The Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) is an awarding body which sets rigorous standards in order to achieve Centre Status.
‘If we are going to continue to strive to become a training provider of choice we will need to provide high quality training programmes linked to a nationally recognised qualification framework' says Yvonne Field, YFA Managing Director. Folow this link for more information about ILM.
Elevate - Women's Management and Leadership Training April 05
Elevate is a new programme of tailored, higher-level management and leadership training and coaching by women, for women - and it's free!. The project offers women a 'menu' of training courses, participants can tailor their own personal development plans and can choose from 10 days of training courses. Elevate is a partnership between YFA and six other training providers and has been funded by the European Union through the European Social Fund and the Learning and Skills Council.
To find out more about the programme contact the Women's Resource Centre, email: elevate@wrc.org.uk or call 0845 458 5218
Or click here to download the Elevate flyer (pdf 158kb)
Somali Leadership Programme - Hugamaamin Horumarleh
Hugamaamin Horumarleh is Somali for 'Progress Through Leadership'. YFA has been commissioned by the London Borough of Camden Voluntary Sector Unit and Drug Action Team to design and deliver a leadership development programme for Camden Somali staff and/or volunteers who work with the Somali community in the London Borough of Camden. The programme aims to increase participation in local decision making by Somali organisations and create a Somali Community Forum which gives a unified voice to Camden's Somali community.
YFA Consultancy & Training featured in Lewisham Life
YFA are featured in the Business Life section of Lewisham Life, published by The London Borough of Lewisham (edition 36 June/July 2004). Click here to view the article.
Lambeth Primary Care Trust - Sickle Cell Services
Our associates have been conducting research into the experiences of people living with sickle cell in three South London boroughs for Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham Sickle Cell Steering Group. Our report and recommendations form part of a wider process to review the status of local services, and will be used to further develop and improve services available to people with sickle cell.
Richmond Children's Fund - International Women's Day
YFA organised a fun event to celebrate International Women's Day for Richmond Children's Fund. An entertaining afternoon of fun took place at the Hounslow Heath Estate Community Centre and featured an Indian dance workshop, a street dance workshop, Indian cookery and for the children there was colourful face painting.
YFA achieve Investors In People Standard - March 2004
YFA has achieved the prestigious Investors In People standard, a nationally recognised award that can be attained by all kinds of organisations - from small and large businesses to schools - it demonstrates a focus on staff development, efficiency and effective work.
Yvonne Field, Managing Director said: "We are very proud to get Investors In People, it recognises how seriously we take the development of our staff and link them directly to our business objectives, you have to invest in people to achieve results and IIP provides us with the framework to do this".
More information about IIP can be found at the IIP web site:
http://www.iipuk.co.uk/IIP/Internet/default.htm
'Every Child Matters' Consultations
YFA have been planning and facilitating consultations around the new Green Paper 'Every Child Matters'. We have worked with the child health services of a PCT and with multi agency planning groups in a local authority to inform and consider the Green Paper. The results of this are informing the national consultation and local service development.
Lewisham Children's Fund
Lewisham Children's Fund and YFA recently undertook a needs assessment of training needs for all of the LCF projects and their partners. This focussed on not just what support they needed but also how they wanted it delivered. The result is a programme of workshops, training sessions, 'project health check' style sessions and 'NetWorkshops' to help strengthen projects and partnerships, keep projects on target with their plans, develop their skills and most importantly meet and share their learning with each other. YFA are delivering some of the programme including the NetWorkshops which are proving to be creative and popular. 
Managing Change
YFA has been supporting a Change Management Process to Modernise Disabled Children's Services in Lewisham. The aim is to involve staff, voluntary organisations, parents and carers to work together to develop an integrated disabled children's service. YFA is providing consultancy advice to the management group and facilitating a Stakeholder Group involving staff, organisations and service users. The group acts as a point of reference for learning from the process and maintains a 'reality check'.
Facilitated Commissioning
The Lewisham Children's Fund consultation also tested out views on using a different kind of commissioning process 'facilitated commissioning' - and the groups were very interested in it. YFA had previously worked with Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham Health Action Zone and had managed a review of the commissioning process (and set up and led a Race and Diversity Task Force). The review identified institutional racism in the way that black and minority ethnic groups were often excluded from the commissioning process because the groups were small, new or had not developed an infrastructure. In addition lack of access to funding meant it was hard for them to develop their capacity thus limiting their potential to serve the communities they represented. This led to the development of the 'facilitated commissioning' process, which sought to involve all interested groups right from the start and 'build in' opportunities for small community groups to participate and pragmatic partnerships to grow.
HAZ Development Manager Julia Mason, who led the pilot of this new commissioning process across Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham, supported YFA to adapt this model for commissioning the Children's Fund programme and is pleased to see how well it is working in Lewisham.
Creating Dynamic Partnerships
Using the 'facilitated commissioning process', YFA supported the development of 12 new projects for the Lewisham Children's Fund. All groups with an interest in a project met to discuss the project area, agree on what was needed and the best way to deliver it. From this a project specification was developed. They also discussed and negotiated how a partnership of interested organisations could work together to deliver the project. The result has been some dynamic partnerships between small and larger organisations where each is able to use their particular skills or strengths. Smaller organisations (often black and minority ethnic led groups) have been able to get involved in projects that previously they would have been excluded from. Helen Naylor, the Manager of Lewisham Children's Fund commented 'It has meant that major projects have been able to involve small organisations in partnerships and it will be interesting to see how this develops as projects get underway'
Lambeth Children's Fund
YFA has used the facilitated commissioning process to get 14 new projects up and running. Tom Searle, Chair of Lambeth Children's Fund Partnership Board explained 'The Partnership Board was keen to see consideration given to smaller less developed organisations in participating in the delivery of the services. This process helps us do that.' We have also provided programme management support and have recently organised the successful Launch of Lambeth Children's Fund - an action packed afternoon of activities and fun for children and adults.
Contact us soon
If you think YFA can assist you to develop inclusive services then please contact us soon. We would be happy to discuss your needs and how we can help you. Email: info@yfassociates.co.uk
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