Midlands charity scoops highest award for putting people first
Press Release: Reach the People Charity
A leading charity which helps people suffering with mental health problems across the 
Midlands has received a top accolade in recognition of its commitment to putting people first.
Reach the People Charity, which is based in Birmingham, was only established two years ago and has now joined the elite group of organisations to achieve the Gold Investors in People (IIP) award, a title awarded to less than 1% of all IIP organisations in the country.
As part of its work across Birmingham and the surrounding areas, Reach operates a Young People’s Service which works with people aged 16-25 to encourage them to reach out and make their aspirations a reality. As part of the work, specialist services have been developed to support young people at risk of becoming homeless, teenage parents and those who may be at risk of offending.
It is the first year that Reach, which helps hundreds of vulnerable people across the region to lead the most independent lives possible, has entered IIP and staff member Joanne Spence encouraged bosses to go straight in for the highest accolade available.
A rigorous assessment was carried out over two weeks including interviews with more than 80 members of staff and Reach achieved 191 of the 196 indicators that the assessor was looking for.
Charity Lead Anthony McCool commented: “I am extremely proud that after just two years as a charity we have been accredited as a Gold Investor in People and that our ways of working have been recognised as best practice UK-wide.”
He added: “Colleagues from all over the charity, and from every level of Reach, were interviewed as part of the process. The feedback from the assessor was that, as a workforce, they totally embraced the charity’s values and every single person interviewed was focused on our customers- this makes us extremely proud. It is why Reach exists and is a great testament to the exciting journey we have begun as an organisation.”
Reach was launched as a charity in October 2009, having previously been a Care and Support Department within Trident Housing. Since then, it has become one of the leading social investment charities in the Midlands, dedicated to supporting vulnerable individuals and the communities in which they live.
A ‘people first’ force, the charity works to develop the capacity and skills of vulnerable people to maximise their independence and enable their full participation in society.A report prepared by the IIP assessor concluded that social responsibility is at the very heart of the charity and stated that the team at Reach is “extremely positive and immensely passionate about the work they do.”
A number of areas were particularly highlighted including the fact that Reach continually seeks feedback from customers to ensure the charity is constantly evolving to meet their needs.
The real team spirit which exists was also noted, along with the excellent communication which is demonstrated throughout the organisation which sees people’s views, opinions and ideas actively sought, listened to and acted upon.
IIP Assessor Pauline Price said: “Considering the complexity and diversity of the organisation, Reach has done a sterling job in successfully implementing the good practice required by the Investors’ framework. Without exception, every member of staff interviewed was extremely positive about their job role, passionate about what they do and totally focused on ‘making a difference’ to those less fortunate than ourselves.”
She added: “There is no doubt that Reach the People Charity are worthy of Gold accreditation and as the assessor it was a pleasure to work alongside such a caring organisation, both for their customers and their staff.”
