walkinstown association

Walkinstown Assocation, 1 Longmile Road Walkinstown 12 Tel: 01-4650388 Fax: 01-4607899 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.walk.ie

walkinstown association

STRATEGIC PLAN 2007-2012

WALKINSTOWN ASSOCIATION

STRATEGIC PLAN 2007-2012

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword 5

Introduction 6

Walkinstown Association Services 7 History Day Services Residential Service Respite Service Community Inclusion Service Clinical Support Service Recreational Service Model of Service Delivery Philosophy of Low Arousal Our Beliefs about Behaviours that Challenge

Our Mission 12

Our Guiding Values & Beliefs 13

Our Strategic Goals 14 Goal 1 – Delivering Person Centered Services Goal 2 – Promoting and Supporting Social Inclusion Goal 3 – Responding to Changing Needs and Future Demands Goal 4 – Becoming an Employer of Choice Goal 5 – Maintaining Effective Communication Goal 6 – Ensuring Efficient and Effective Financial Management Goal 7 – Providing Strong Governance

Premises 23

Management Team 24

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FOREWORD

It gives me great pleasure to welcome the first Strategic Plan of Walkinstown Association.

The plan has been developed in response to the changes taking place in our environment, and the learning that has occurred in our Association and society in general over the last number of years. This learning has led to a greater welcome for the participation of people with disabilities in community life; has focused more on the contribution a person can make and less on personal limitations, and has clearly identified social inclusion as a goal for enriching our communities and the lives of people with disabilities.

Our changing environment has also brought a welcome emphasis on the rights of people with disabilities to be treated as equal citizens, and to exercise choice in the services that they receive.

As we face into the future, our new environment will require us to increase our responsiveness to the changing needs and wishes of service users and families, we will need to engage in a continuous cycle of service improvement, and our understanding of our role in the lives of people with disabilities will become more defined – our role is to serve.

I am confident that the Strategic Plan addresses the challenges that we face, and that the dedication of our management and staff will ensure that its ambitious aims are realised for the benefit of our service users and their families.

Joe Connolly Chairman

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INTRODUCTION

The need for our Association to renew its mission and engage in strategic planning has been influenced by a variety of factors. The task of facilitating social inclusion with limited resources; the importance of supporting service users in exercising their rights; the challenge of providing individualised services; and the need to recruit and retain staff of the highest quality, were all significant issues.

Demands from the statutory environment in which we operate have also influenced the plan. These require us to deliver services based on person centred plans; to actively support advocacy by and on behalf of service users; and, to meet independently evaluated service quality standards in the not too distant future. While each of these changes addresses a specific issue in service provision, they all support one particular development – the empowerment of each service user to choose the services that he or she receives. This development represents a significant shift in decision-making power from the organisation to service users and their advocates. It will require flexible and creative responses at service delivery level, and the design of services in accordance with service user choices is likely to result in altered roles and responsibilities among staff.

This new environment requires a strategy, which acknowledges that the level of change will impact on all areas of the Association. Adjustments in organisational policies, procedures, systems and practices will be required to ensure that they support the goals of individualised plans; and a process of organisational re-design will emerge as service users needs and chosen goals are placed at the centre of organisation strategic development.

In addition to the above, the issues of supporting ageing service users, coping with challenging behaviour, and providing services for individuals with complex needs will remain a daily feature of service provision in the association.

This Strategic Plan is designed to address the challenges that we face. It is informed by statements of organisation mission and beliefs that will guide our decision-making and activities, and which will ensure that our services are based on firm foundations of positive values and person centredness.

Ultimately, the achievement of our strategic goals will be dependent upon the willing commitment of organisation staff; on the basis of our past achievements, I have no doubt that this commitment will be forthcoming.

Joe Mason Chief Executive Officer

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OUR SERVICES

HISTORY

Walkinstown Association was founded in 1967 by a group of parents and friends in response to a need for community based services for people with learning disabilities. The first service opened was a social club originally known as the Sacred Heart Club. This service operated from a number of local halls such as Walkinstown Youth Club and the Sisters of Charity school hall. In 1979 the Association received a donation of a pre-fabricated building from St. Mary’s hospital in the Phoenix Park. This was moved to a site at 1 Long Mile Road provided on a long- term lease by the Sisters of Charity.

Many of the people who attended the social club had no other service and in response to that need in 1981 the Association opened its first day service. This service provided eight places and was staffed by a full time manager and a team of local volunteers. The service was funded by local fundraising, which included an annual wheelchair push from Dublin to Tralee.

In 1990 due to financial difficulties St John of God Hospitaller Services took over the Day Service. However the Social Club remained under the control of Walkinstown Association. In 1992 due to rationalisation St John of Gods closed the service.

Due to the Associations continued commitment to community-based services the Day Service reopened in 1993 with a grant of £25,000 from the National Lottery. This grant enabled the provision of eleven places and the employment of a full time manager with further staff provided by FAS under their Community Employment scheme.

In 1994 the Association received recognition as a service provider under Section 65 of the 1953 Health Act. This recognition enabled the Association secure regular grants and saw its income rise from £10,773 in 1993 to £64,308 in 1994. This regular funding allowed the expansion of the Day Service to fourteen places and for the first time put the Association on a firm financial footing.

In 1995 the Association opened its first community residential house at 76 Tyrconnell Road, in partnership with the Eastern Health Board. Over the following five years the Association expanded its Day Service to twenty two places and opened a Home Support Service. In 2001 a Home Support service tailored to the needs of young adults who were out of service was opened with funding from the Northern Area Health Board.

In 2001 after a decade of political lobbying the Association received funding to build a new Centre at 1 Long Mile Road on the site kindly donated by the Sisters of Charity. During construction the Associations Day Service moved to the Scout Den on Bunting Road. In June 2001 the new Centre opened and between then and 2006 the Day Service expanded to provide forty six places. The Association also continued to expand its residential services with the purchase of 40b Dargle Wood, in 2002, 37 Orlagh Park, Knocklyon in 2004 and 27a Walnut Close, Kingswood Heights in 2005.

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The organisation has undergone considerable expansion and current services including:

Day Services To provide a tailored holistic service that promotes the growth and development of adults with intellectual disability through the provision of appropriate training, education, social, recreational and occupational programmes. To provide a comprehensive system of services that enable individuals to exercise self- determination, be independent, be productive, and be integrated and included in all facets of community life.

Residential Service The Association provides residential services in five homes in the Knocklyon, Orwell, Inchicore, and Kingswood areas of Dublin. A sixth home will open in 2008. The objectives of the residential service is the integration and inclusion of service users into the community by ensuring that the principles of ordinary living for adults with an intellectual disability are encouraged and practiced and that the care and services received are service user centered in a friendly, supportive and homelike atmosphere.

Respite Service The Association recognises respite as a vital part of the continuum of services for families, respite reduces family stress and thereby helps preserve the family unit, supports family stability, and prevents lengthy and costly out-of-home placements.

In establishing respite care emphasis was placed on the duality of its focus to enable families/caregivers cope with pressures of everyday life and to continue care giving and to provide a positive experience for the service user.

Families often describe respite as the ‘gift of time’.

To respond to the needs of service users and their families The Association developed a number of innovative and novel ways of providing respite services.

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Residential respite is provided in one of the two following ways:

Respite in a community based residential home

Planned respite breaks in an informal community based holiday setting promoting and supporting inclusion, independence and socialisation skills.

Non residential respite is provided through our community inclusion services

Community Inclusion Service Service users receive individually designed support programmes for an agreed number of hours each week. Support programmes are agreed between the service user, family members, and the organi-sations support staff. The activities engaged in are chosen by the service user and may include: personal development, computer skills, bowling, drama & film making, swimming, cinema, literacy skills, equestrian skills, social and community integration, and life skills.

Community inclusion services strives to provide assistance, support and a level of care to service users and their families that is flexible, adaptable and tailored to meet individual needs

Objectives To ensure that each service user is supported and empowered to identify and make known his/her personal choices and goals

To support the service user in their quest for the attainment of individual goals and life experiences through their inclusion and integration into community based resources and facilities.

Clinical Support Service Service users and families receive necessary supports from the Associations community liaison coordinator, consultant clinical psychologist, consultant psychiatrist, and appropriate consultant psychotherapy and other counseling services when necessary. In addition, the Association’s clinicians provide advice and support to front-line staff, who require specialist input.

Recreational Services The recreational service aims to offer a friendly and stimulating environment in which service users can enjoy themselves. It encourages service users to participate to the best of their ability in the running of the service and the development of activities and events that are interactive, stimulating and most importantly that are fun.

It offers a number of service users a social outlet in which they can meet and form friendships in a supportive and relaxed environment.

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Model of Service Delivery

Walkinstown Association’s services are built on a foundation of respect for the individuality and dignity of each person. We have adopted a low arousal non-aversive model of care in all of our services.

Low arousal means: A non-confrontational way of managing challenging behaviour A philosophy of care which is based on valuing people An approach that specifically attempts to avoid aversive interventions An approach that requires staff to focus on their own responses and behaviour and not just locate the problem in the person with the label A collection of strategies that are designed to rapidly reduce complex behaviours

We cannot "fix" others. They must reach and obtain the solutions to their own problems. The most we can do is offer them assistance in finding that solution.

The Philosophy of low arousal

Humane Environment - It is the responsibility of the Organisation to provide a healthy, therapeutic, and non-judgmental environment within which change may take place. The uniqueness of each individual is recognized and valued.

Least Restrictive Environment - The least restrictive environment should be provided to all individuals. In cases where it is necessary in the best interests of service user to provide a restrictive environment this is evaluated on an ongoing basis by appropriately qualified personnel.

Systems Approach - We believe in a systematic, consistent approach to supporting people with complex needs. In this view, individual behaviors are given meaning in consideration of the context in which they occur. That context includes the individual personality system, the family of origin, the community, and the greater culture of which a person is a member.

Neutrality - All intervention should proceed from a stance that respects the inherent value and potential of every person. A position of therapeutic neutrality is consistent with the systemic approach and provides the basis to maintain positive regard for people recognizing that they are more than just their behaviors. Such a stance also recognizes that human processes are reciprocal and needs seeking and disallows bias, side taking, and blaming.

Family Perspective – Where appropriate all services are coordinated with and cognisant of the family role and importance.

Individual Support Plans – These are designed with the involvement of both the needs, determination of core issues, and strategies designed to support and guide each service user in leading self determined lives.

Diversity - All programs, services, and personnel must honor and respect the diversity of the service user and families served. Emphasis on diversity awareness and education is encouraged as an ongoing process.

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Our Beliefs about Behaviours that Challenge

At Walkinstown Association we recognise that:

Each person is special and unique.

Safety and structure are the foundations for success. Service users need to know that staff within Walkinstown Association care enough about them to expect them to succeed. This is demonstrated by staff's ability to provide safety and structure and by expecting the best from the person they are supporting.

It is difficult to change. People tend to be naturally resistant and fearful of change. Service users must be guided to try new behaviours, succeed, and be allowed to possibly fail before actual change occurs. Much practice and support must occur before internalisation of new behaviours is accomplished.

People desire to do well and succeed. Every person hungers for approval and acceptance.

People have needs. Everyone has fears, insecurities, and basic needs including safety, attention, and belonging. Our job is to attend to these needs and assist service users in learning to fulfil these needs in positive and productive ways.

Emotions are not to be judged. Feelings are not right or wrong. Service users may often have limited communication skills and are unable to distinguish between their thoughts and emotions. They often feel very little control over their behaviour and perceive feelings as controlling factors in their lives.

Behaviour has a purpose. Behaviour is often a symptom of unmet needs. Services within Walkinstown Association are designed to help address these needs, to help the service user investigate and understand their behaviour and its effects, and to explore more healthy alternatives.

People do the best they can with the resources available to them. The family has an important role to play. All members of the family system affect each other. Services provided by Walkinstown Association take into account the values and behaviours established within the family system. Family input and cooperation is an essential factor in service users lives

Behaviour as a symptom. Problem behaviour presented by service users can be symptomatic of other and more deep-seated problems. While it is necessary for the problem behaviour to stop, long-term change requires contextual issues and concerns to be identified and addressed.

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OUR MISSION

As our Association copes with the challenges of a rapidly changing society and strives to learn from our history and experiences, it is timely that we renew our mission to the men and women who are our service users.

It is timely that we review our role in the daily lives of our service users, that we ask constructive questions of our approach to supporting people, and that we develop a sense of mission which is relevant to our service users in a new and very different century.

In reflecting on our mission, we accept that scarcity of resources, traditional ways of supporting service users, and lack of supports within the community; have in the past placed limits on the personal growth of service users and their participation in the life of the community.

We also recognise that we have learned much. We have a greater appreciation of the capacities of our service users to acquire knowledge, develop skills, grow in maturity, engage in meaningful relationships, and make informed choices.

We have a deeper understanding of the importance of social inclusion; and the enhanced quality of life, increased self-esteem, and rich sense of personal identity that arises from socially inclusive living. We are also keenly aware that effective social inclusion provides vital supports and safeguards in the lives of vulnerable people.

In considering our learning as an Association and in acknowledgement of the rights of our service users to make informed choices, we conclude that:

The mission of Walkinstown Association is to support our service users to lead self-determined lives within socially inclusive communities.

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OUR GUIDING VALUES AND BELIEFS

We believe that effective service delivery is founded on principles of dignity and respect; person-centredness; individual rights; personal choice; and social inclusion. These beliefs inform and guide the daily activities of the Association and include the following:

The Association’s service users share the same rights and entitlements as all other citizens

The Association has a duty to advocate on behalf of service users, and to pro-actively support service users in exercising their rights and receiving their entitlements

Service users are entitled to the support of independent advocates in their dealings with the Association,

The Association is accountable to service users for the quality of services that it provides

Service users are entitled to be treated with dignity and respect at all times, and to be supported by appropriately trained staff who act in a professional manner

Mutual cooperation, responsibility and respect form the essential character of relationships between service users and staff

The use of respectful and positive approaches and tones that reflect care and understanding, is the basis for all interactions with service users in even the most challenging of situations

The needs, wishes and personal choices of service users provide the basis for determining the Association’s services

The design and delivery of person-centred services includes the sourcing of supports required by service users which are not provided by the Association

The goal of social inclusion provides the context for the delivery of services provided by the association

The Association has a duty to engage in activities designed to eliminate barriers to social inclusion. The Association promotes and fosters positive relationships where service users are supported in a low arousal non aversive environment which is underpinned by unconditional valuing

The Association promotes relationships between staff members and service users that are characterised by mutual cooperation, responsibility and respect.

The Association is committed to developing and implementing activities, policies, practices, and procedures, which are consistent with its statement of values and beliefs

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OUR STRATEGIC GOALS 2007-2012

GOAL 1 – Delivering Person Centred Services

Walkinstown Association is committed to providing a person centred service that respects the dignity, rights, wishes and needs of each service user. In pursuit of this goal the organisation will take the following actions:

4.1.1 Person Centred Planning

A formal system of Person Centred Planning (PCP) will be put in place which:

Ensures that each service user is supported to express their needs, wishes and preferences in order to provide the basis for his / her Person Centred Plan.

Ensures that each service user is assisted in developing a personal network of people (support circle) committed to helping him / her achieve their chosen goals.

Ensures that members of support circles are given the advice, education and training that they require to provide effective assistance to the person that they are supporting.

Ensures that Person Centred Plans are reviewed on a continuous basis in order to accomodate the changing needs, preferences and circumstances of individual service users.

Ensures that the organisation is responsive to the individual needs and wishes of service users, by utilising Person Centred Plans to inform organisation plans and activities.

Ensures that the organisation is flexible and creative in its response to the individual needs and wishes of service users, by utilising Person Centred Plans to inform organisation systems and practices.

Key Tasks • Introduce POM’s based PCP system • Develop and implement ‘circles of support’ strategy • Develop strategy for utilising PCP information in organisational planning

4.1.2 Advocacy and Rights

A process for ensuring that the dignity and rights of service users are promoted and respected will be implemented by:

Providing each service user with the education, training and individual support necessary for them to understand their rights and express their grievances.

Establishing a formal grievance and complaints system that is understood and easily accessible by all service users.

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Arranging regular management-service user meetings where the expression of individual grievances is actively encouraged, and where it is reinforced that complaints are welcome and will be responded to.

Developing linkages with external agencies in order to pro-actively support service user access to independent advocacy services.

Providing all staff members with the education and training necessary for a comprehensive understanding of the principles which underpin the issues of service user dignity, respect, advocacy and rights and of the behaviours and practices that are required in support of them.

Key Tasks • Design and implement training programme • Design and implement grievance procedure • Identify and utilise sources of independent advocacy • Design and implement staff training programme

4.1.3 Service Quality Assurance

The quality of service experienced by each individual service user will be maintained and enhanced by:

Adopting the Personal Outcomes Measures (POM’s) system of service quality evaluation as the organisations quality system.

Ensuring that all organisation staff receive training in the values and techniques of Personal Outcomes Measures.

Developing and implementing a planned programme which ensures that the values and techniques of Personal Outcomes Measures are embedded in service practice.

Establishing formal systems which ensure that the information gained from the use of Personal Outcome Measures informs and guides organisation plans and activities, systems and structures.

Arranging for regular independent evaluation of the quality of service experienced by the organisations service users.

Achieving formal accreditation as a provider of quality services from an independent body (The Council on Quality and Leadership in Supports for People with Disabilities).

Key Tasks • Implement POM’s training • Design and implement programme to embed POM’s • Formalise POM’s feedback and integrate with organisational planning • Achieve accreditation for service quality

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GOAL 2 – Promoting and Supporting Social Inclusion

Walkinstown Association is committed to maximising the participation of all service users in the daily life of the community. In pursuit of this goal the organisation will take the following actions:

4.2.1 Community Based Service Delivery

The active presence and participation of service users in the life of the community will be enhanced through:

Completion of a systematic review of all service activities (work, learning, leisure, and personal supports), to determine the extent to which individual service users are supported to live in and use their communities on a daily basis.

Implementation of a phased programme of service development specifically designed to increase opportunities for all service users to participate in community life on a daily basis.

Engagement with families of service users to increase their understanding of service users needs, wishes and chosen goals; and to generate support for increased community participation by their family member and the Person Centred Planning process.

Key Tasks • Conduct comprehensive review of service activities • Design community participation programme • Implement programme in conjunction with families

4.2.2 Skills for Community Living

The benefits of increased community participation will present opportunities and positive challenges for many service users. The organisation will support service users by:

Delivering individualised education and training programmes aimed at enhancing community living skills.

Key Tasks

• Identify individual needs and design and deliver programme

4.2.3 Building Competent Communities

The organisation will address barriers to social inclusion in the community by:

Designing and delivering a schools educational programme.

Developing a disability awareness programme for delivery to community groups and employers.

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Engaging with community groups and employers to promote and support the inclusion of service users in their activities and employment settings.

Key Tasks • Design appropriate programmes and implementation strategy • Identify and train staff • Implement schools and community education / awareness programmes

4.2.4 Socially Inclusive Living Arrangements

The organisation will respond to the needs and wishes of service users who require living accommodation by:

Actively supporting the development of a social housing association which offers a range of living options suitable to the needs of individual service users.

Key Tasks

• Develop and implement strategy for social housing

GOAL 3 – Responding to Changing Needs and Future Demands

Walkinstown Association is committed to responding to the changing needs and preferences of current and future service users, and to supporting families who are adjusting to the changing needs of their family member. In pursuit of this goal the organisation will take the following actions

4.3.1 Service Users of Advanced Years

The organisation will respond to the needs of service users who are advancing in years by:

Designing and delivering services specifically tailored to the identified needs of older service users, in the context of each individual’s Person Centred Plan.

Key Tasks

• Identify best practice in the area of ageing service users and implement within Association

4.3.2 Service Users Who Engage in Behaviour That Challenges

The needs of service users who engage in behaviour that challenges will be catered for by:

Enhancing organisational capacity to support challenging behaviour through intensive training of selected staff members, implementation of programmes to increase the competencies of staff at all levels in the organisation, and the employment of individuals who bring specific expertise in this area.

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Developing and implementing a model of best practice which provides a broad range of individualised supports for service users whose behaviour is challenging.

Ensuring that all relevant staff and family members are trained in the organisations approach to challenging behaviour, and that they are fully aware of the individualised programme being implemented for the service user in their care.

Key Tasks • Develop organisation specific approach to challenging behaviour • Develop and implement staff and family training programme

4.3.3 Service Users Who Require Flexible Services

The demand for services that accomodate individuals whose needs are not catered for by current service models will be addressed by:

Developing flexible and innovative approaches to service delivery which ensure that individuals are provided with appropriate services regardless of their needs.

Key Tasks • Identify internal candidates and liaise with referral sources to identify external candidates • Develop and implement flexible services unit to deliver tailored services

4.3.4 Supports for Families

The organisation will respond to the needs of families who require support by:

Delivering enhanced personal support to family members including education and training relevant to their needs.

Key Tasks • Design system for gathering data on family support needs • Gather and analyse data • Design and implement family support strategy

4.3.5 Future Development

The future demand for services will be identified and planned for by:

Establishing formal links with all sources of referrals, and developing a database of future needs in the organisations area of responsibility.

Key Tasks • Develop and implement referral strategy • Gather and analyse demographic information • Create and maintain database of future demand

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GOAL 4 – Becoming an Employer of Choice

Walkinstown Association is committed to recruiting and retaining staff of the highest quality, and to providing a work environment that supports staff in performing their roles to the highest standards. In pursuit of this goal the organisation will take the following actions.

4.4.1 Staff Recruitment

The recruitment of high quality staff members will be addressed by:

Developing publicity materials and engaging in a range of planned activities that enhance the organisations image and reputation within the disability sector.

Forging links with third level institutions engaged in the education and training of staff for the learning disability sector.

The development of competency frameworks that specify the skills and attributes necessary for all key posts.

Enhancing the organisations capacity to choose high quality candidates by identifying and utilising best practice methods during the selection process.

Key Tasks • Develop and implement ‘organisation image’ strategy • Create effective linkages with third level institutions • Introduce competency frameworks for all key roles • Introduce enhanced staff selection processes

4.4.2 Staff Training and Development

The ongoing enhancement of staff skills and expertise will be ensured by:

Initiation of a formal process which assists members of staff to identify their training and development needs, and the design and implementation of individualised plans to meet their needs.

Implementation of an IT based system which maintains necessary records of staff training and development plans, and which is monitored regularly to ensure that individual needs are being addressed.

Key Tasks • Introduce staff development process • Develop a specific staff training and development function within the association • Design and implement IT based recording and monitoring system

4.4.3 Staff Retention

The organisation will adopt a pro-active approach to the retention of staff and will address this issue by:

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Putting in place formal mechanisms which ensure that all staff are consulted with regard to the development of the organisation, and that individual staff members are involved in all decisions that affect them personally.

Developing and implementing best practice policies on work-life balance that accomodate staff needs and preferences while ensuring that organisation staffing requirements are met.

Engaging in a range of organisation development activities which lead to independent accreditation of the organisations approach to training and development, and also the quality of the working environment

Key Tasks • Develop and implement work-life balance strategy • Achieve independent accreditation for quality of staff training and development • Achieve independent accreditation for quality of working environment

4.4.4 Human Resource Policies and Procedures

The need to ensure that the organisations human resource policies and procedures are aligned with all elements of organisation strategy will be accomplished by:

Undertaking a complete review of HR policies and procedures in the light of changes envisaged in the strategic plan.

Identifying current best practice in HR policies and procedures and benchmarking against organisations that are exemplars in this area.

Key Tasks • Conduct review of HR policies and procedures • Identify and implement best practice approach

GOAL 5 – Maintaining Effective Communication

Walkinstown Association is committed to the maintaining the highest standards of internal and external communication. In pursuit of this goal the organisation will take the following actions.

4.5.1 Consultation with Stakeholders

Formal processes will be put in place which ensures that:

All key stakeholders are consulted with regard to organisation development and organisation plans which affect them directly.

Key Tasks

• Develop and implement a schedule of formal consultation activities with stakeholders

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4.5.2 Information and Communication Technology

An ICT system will be installed which enhances organisation efficiency and effectiveness through:

Upgrading current ICT systems to increase the range of functions and tasks that can be accomplished and to minimise the use of paper based systems for the recording of confidential information.

The development of an easily accessible centralised repository of important data, records and information.

The provision of an organisation wide intranet which enables staff to access information relevant to the performance of their roles, to keep in touch with organisation news and developments, and to communicate with management and colleagues.

The implementation of password protected security which ensures that access to confidential information is restricted to authorised individuals only.

Key Tasks • Review present and future ICT needs • Design new ICT system • Install ICT system and intranet

GOAL 6 – Ensuring Efficient and Effective Financial Management

Walkinstown Association is committed to ensuring that financial resources are efficiently and effectively managed. In pursuit of this goal the following actions will be taken:

4.6.1 Financial Systems

The organisations financial management and information systems will be enhanced by:

The integration of the organisations financial management and HR systems within a single ICT framework.

The development of individualised budgets and the delegation of responsibility for their management to local managers and team leaders.

Key Tasks • Install integrated ICT system • Train key staff in budget management • Delegate budget responsibility

4.6.2 Income Generation

Organisation finances will be enhanced by:

Generating additional income from all available sources in an ethical manner that is respectful of the organisations service users. 21 ______WALKINSTOWN ASSOCIATION STRATEGIC PLAN 2007-2012

Key Tasks • Develop and implement ethical funding strategy

4.6.3 Financial Policies and Procedures

The need to ensure that financial policies and procedures are aligned with all elements of organisation strategy will be achieved by:

Undertaking a complete review of financial policies and procedures in the light of the changes envisaged in the strategic plan.

Key Tasks • Conduct review of financial policies and procedures and implement changes wherever necessary

GOAL 7 – Providing Strong Governance

The board of Walkinstown Association is committed to providing strong and effective governance of the organisation. In pursuit of this goal the organisation will take the following actions.

4.7.1 Board Development

The development needs of the board will be addressed by:

Conducting a review of the composition and functions of the board and the roles and responsibilities of board members, in order to ensure that the future governance needs of the organisation are catered for.

Identifying the education and training needs of the board and ensuring that appropriate developmental activities are undertaken.

Ensuring that all board functions, activities and responsibilities are consistent with legislation for the regulation of charitable bodies.

Key Tasks • Conduct review of board composition and structure and re-organise if necessary • Develop job / role descriptions • Identify training needs and deliver training

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PREMISES

Avalon House Durney House 37 Orlagh Park, 76 Tyrconnell Road, Knocklyn, Inchicore, Dublin 16 Dublin 12

Hook Haven Oaklodge House 40B Dargle Wood, 27a Walnut close, Knocklyn, Kingswood, Dublin 16 Dublin 24

Day Centre Training Centre 1 Longmile Road Inchicore Walkinstown Dublin 8 Dublin 12 Tel: 01-4650388 Fax: 01-4607899

E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.walk.ie

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Senior Management Board Members

Austin O’ Sullivan (Director of Finances & Human Michael Hussey, Joe Connolly (Chairperson), Lena Durney (Vice Resources) Catherine Devine (Director of Services) Chairperson) Sister Pauline Campbell, John Bourke. Joe Mason (CEO) (Maria Mc Nally is absent)

Management Team

Simon Wade (Social Care Leader Avalon), Gavin Burke(Social Care Leader Kingswood ), Brian Mason (Team Leader of Gardening Project & Horticulture), John Farrelly (Manager of Day Services), Frank Kelly (Clinical Co-ordinator), Sandra Whelan (Team Leader Day Services) Gwen Smith (Social Care Leader Dargle Wood), Clare Geraghty (Social Care Leader Durney House), Mary Wardick (Social Care Leader, Orwell )

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walkinstown association

Walkinstown Assocation, 1 Longmile Road Walkinstown Dublin 12 Tel: 01-4650388 Fax: 01-4607899 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.walk.ie

walkinstown association

STRATEGIC PLAN 2007-2012