Chair's Welcome
Message from Colin Javens - SIL's Chairman

SIL is a Department of Health User-Led Organisation and our continued commitment is to meet the needs of disabled and older people who need support to live in their own home. Our strength is in creating carefully structured services with people to meet their individual needs. Service users value the service highly for the independence and quality of life they have.

We have laid the foundations for expansion into neighbouring counties, where we can see there is demand for our services and have recently won a contract to provide Direct Payment Support Services in Torfaen. We have also built relationships with potential local partners and with Local Authorities and Primary Care Trusts.

Issues affecting SIL

The single biggest issue for the organisation, and our service users, has been the UK's worsening financial situation. All public services have been affected by the budget cuts and SIL have been planning ahead for some time to meet this challenge.

We have worked hard to increase efficiency, examining how time is used and how it might be used more effectively. The introduction of Peer Mentor volunteering is a creative and innovative example of this. Together we co-produce services and can achieve more without putting in lots of extra resources. In line with increased efficiency, SIL recently gained ISO 9001 quality standard accreditation. Auditor comments were good, particularly about how staff adapted the material to SIL's use.

Future Plans

SIL will continue to work in collaboration with other organisations where we can achieve more together for service users by offering complementary activities, extend our reach, and / or be more efficient. We will also continue to explore the potential of technology to improve efficiency across the organisation and at service level. This was highlighted during a collaborative assistive technology event with Age Concern and Herefordshire Carers Support.

Board performance is reviewed annually and new trustees recruited where a gap exists for particular skills, knowledge or experience. Various recruitment methods are in use including a national placement service, advertising in the local press and through local networks.

Despite the increase in board members this year, SIL still need more people, particularly those with business knowledge and leadership skills.  We also need people with impairments for whom extra provision can be made.

Recruitment is a thorough process and prospective trustees are given a trustee role description and person specification and the Charity Commission publication 'The Essential Trustee'; observe a board meeting; and are interviewed by the Chair and Chief Executive. Access needs are determined in order to provide appropriate support. On appointment trustees sign a Contract and Code of Conduct and are given a comprehensive induction, including a trustee 'buddy'. Periodically trustee induction days are run when new trustees meet senior managers and service users.

Colin Javens
SIL Chairman