I’m sharing our annual report for 2021/22 – it has some focus on our story so far, what we value as a team, what we stand for, as well as some insight into the difference we have made.
In the opening statement I wrote ‘to say 2021/22 has been another year of increased challenge would be an understatement’ and reading that back only a couple of months later, I feel like we’re already in another phase of unprecedented change, turmoil, and anxiety. It's true that adversity reveals the best of co-operation, creativity, and new ways to deliver services. It’s also true that I wish we could have a calmer, settled year where we can get back to normal, whatever that means. I doubt it.
Since finalising this report, we’ve been commissioned to work with people who are in work and struggling, with the NHS, Liverpool City Council, via the LifeRooms. This is great. On the one hand it’s much needed and well done to partners who ‘get it’. It’s also a tragic sign of the times that it’s needed at all. I’ve been doing this work since the late 90’s and never have I seen a commission of this kind. It shows that health services are seeing people whose underlying issue is an economic one, their anxiety is caused by not being able making ends meet anymore, among people who never expected to be in that situation, because they work and always have. Work should negate the need for more government help to cope with spiralling costs of food and energy. But this is a structural issue, of a broken system that isn’t working for real people. That’s another blog!
It makes us more determined to step-up, be brave, sensitive, and ready to keep supporting people and communities to feel better or be ready for work. I think the numbers and return on investment show a very strong picture of our work. For every £1 spent with TLC there is a social return of £13; over a third of people we supported were unemployed for more than 3 years; we saw a 50% improvement in their social capital, such as their work networks, their understanding and practical application of how to find ‘hidden jobs’, not to send CVs pointlessly and with no chance of a reply.
Everything we’re doing links directly to supporting people to find work and feel better. We’re growing our work with more organisations who want to support their staff, with wellbeing as well as practical advice, if this is something you want to know more about please get in touch. Working with us means we can deliver more of the support we talk about in our report, it’s a win:win.
See you soon!
- Tracy Fishwick OBE, Managing Director
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