Bespoke Projects

Board reports can be lengthy, time-consuming and a challenge for everyone involved - both the staff writing them, and the board receiving them. Whilst high quality reports can inform meaningful discussion and decision-making, there are others that can divert attention from core strategic priorities by overwhelming readers with operational detail. We worked with the executive team of a large trust to review their board reporting structure and mechanisms, identify challenges and pinch points, and to retain what worked well for trustees. The project included the delivery of strategic away day discussions, a review of board reports and meetings, and live feedback sessions with executive team members. The result was a set of clear board reporting protocols for the team to implement, clear agreement across the team on what reports should look like, and - most importantly - the development of papers that insured the board was informed and assured.

It's hard to line manage a function you know little about. It's hard to understand what's involved in governance and compliance if you're not working in it on a daily basis. Sometimes governance needs to be de-mystified. We have an expert, lived understanding of what it means to recruit, build and nurture and trust governance team. We can provide you with tailored support to get to grips with 'The Governance Year', and the demands that are placed on your governance team throughout, so that you can support them most effectively and compassionately. This includes resources to support the appraisal of the governance professional, the development of the governance professional's role description, and planning materials to guide you confidently through their induction.

Working in a governance professional role across a complex organisation is both a privilege and a challenge. For those at the start of their journey, it can feel exciting but also incredibly daunting. That's why we offer bespoke support to governance professionals as they step into a new role. To support a governance professional stepping into their new role with no previous experience, we provided mentoring support through their induction period. This included a review of their job description, attendance at board meetings to support minutes and the development of the governance lead's advisory role to the board, and scheduled check ins to develop their knowledge and confidence. This was combined with access to our virtual induction programme, Trust Governance Deliver, enabling tailored conversations about their learning and progress. For those requiring longer-term support we offer a full bespoke 12 month mentoring package through our Trust Governance Mentor programme. (see Trust Governance Mentor page)

Our governance projects are different because we place the governance professional at the heart of everything that we do. We commit to providing support and advocacy for them - and that commitment informs all of our bespoke work: we want them to be able to lead governance in your trust with confidence, knowing that their development has been a core of the project delivered for your trust. This means that we don't deliver off-the-shelf external reviews of governance or strategic sessions: we work closely with your governance professionals so that they are integral to the project, so that we can deliver something truly bespoke for the trust's needs, and which enables the governance team to continue to build on its outcomes after the project has completed. If that feels like the right fit for you, we'd love you to get in touch.