For the second consecutive year, Leaders Council members Five Rivers Child Care, a local social enterprise based in Salisbury, has earned the highly regarded We Invest in People Gold accreditation. The organisation has been providing specialist fostering services, children's homes and independent schools in Wiltshire for over three decades.
This prestigious recognition is a testament to Five Rivers' exceptional workplace culture, which is especially significant at a time when there is a national recruitment crisis for social care staff and foster carers, and an all-time high number of children in care. The assessment, conducted by Investors in People, a leading authority on workplace culture, acknowledges Five Rivers as an outstanding employer that values its workforce. The report commences with the statement, "It is evident from the assessment that people believe Five Rivers to be a great place to work," and cites several reasons why.
The Investors in People's evaluation is rigorous, and it examines how organisations lead, support, and develop their employees. Five Rivers earned the Gold status after undergoing a thorough assessment that included interviewing a diverse selection of workers from across the company and an anonymous survey sent to all staff.
The assessment covers a wide range of areas, including inspiring and leading people, recognising and rewarding good work, developing capacity, and pursuing continuous improvement. Five Rivers is committed to this regular independent review to ensure that its work environment remains at the forefront of industry standards.
Kate Bromfield, Head of Human Resources (pictured, right) said, “Our Gold re-accreditation demonstrates the unwavering commitment we uphold to developing and supporting our employees. Investors in People have a simple vision and that is to make work better, something we wholly subscribe to. We’re delighted not only to have been awarded Gold status, but the icing on the cake is to have strengthened our performance across several key areas”
Pam McConnell, Chief Executive and Founder of Five Rivers (pictured, left) added, “I am so proud to see Five Rivers get a strong Gold awarded by Investors in People. I am particularly proud as despite the last three most challenging years, we have seen an improvement in our overall grading, with clear improvements across six important categories.
“Everyone knows how hard it is to recruit and retain the right people to work with children and this is one way of measuring what we can do to make a difference.
“We are committed to continuous improvement and this independent review highlights so many areas of excellent leadership and development. It’s been lovely to have something to celebrate and enjoy as an achievement. Now we turn our attention to the areas we can improve on further to ensure we keep building a welcoming, learning culture.”
About Five Rivers Child Care
Five Rivers Child Care is an organisation that provides a range of services for children and young people in England and the Republic of Ireland, including foster care, residential housing, education, assessment & therapy and crisis intervention. The organisation works in partnership with various stakeholders, including service users, carers, local authorities, health and education services, and parents, to help ensure the safety and happiness of children and young people under its care.
Through a child-centred approach, Five Rivers Child Care offers locally-based support services to foster carers, children and young people, and their families. As a social enterprise in the foster care industry, any surplus income generated by the organisation is reinvested to provide additional support services, training, and to recruit more foster carers. This reinvestment is aimed at providing more stable and loving homes for children and young people, thereby promoting their wellbeing and helping them achieve their full potential in life.
