Teamwork Trust is among a handful of charities in Central England to be awarded a silver accolade from the Investors in People scheme.

Of the ninety two organisations in the East of England, East and West Midlands to attain silver in the national accreditation benchmark, only four were charities.

Among the positive feedback for Teamwork Trust, a Northamptonshire-based, award-winning charity and social enterprise which supports adults with mental health needs, learning and physical disabilities, the Investors in People assessors acknowledged “a clear vision that is fully embraced by all who work there” and strong leadership from “passionate and committed” staff.

John Bruce, the strategic director of Teamwork Trust, which has centres in Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough, believes that being among only a small number of UK charities to achieve silver status highlights how far the organisation has come.

John said: “The Investors in People scheme is widely recognised as the mark of high performance in business and people management, with a strict criteria and an in-depth process of assessment which involved key stakeholders, volunteers, staff and trustees across all our centres. We had to show that business systems encourage each individual to progress through learning and personal development.

“We achieved bronze status when we were last assessed in 2015, and were able to demonstrate very clear improvements so we are absolutely thrilled to have achieved silver this time. We are an organisation with a very firm commitment to developing people, and through our continuous development action plan, we are now aiming for gold.”

Some of the other points Teamwork Trust was described by the assessors as having include:

• Leaders who are passionate and committed to ensuring the continued sustainability of the charity in an ever-changing climate with limited funding opportunities
• A strong desire to retain and develop individuals whether staff, volunteers or members.
• Great efforts to empower individuals and devolve decision making throughout the organisation
• A visible commitment by staff and volunteers to deliver the vision of the organisation
• A working environment in which trust, honesty and openness is actively encouraged
• Individuals who enjoy working at the charity
• A focus on continuous improvement where ideas are actively encouraged and acted upon

This Investors in People accolade comes hot on the heels of three 2017 Teamwork Trust awards, which saw the charity scoop:

Not for Profit SME Business of the Year at the SME Northamptonshire Business Awards
Apprentice of the Year at the Northamptonshire Logistics Awards
Community Business of the Year Wellingborough Chamber Business Awards 2017