“Unwavering care for children and their families, at every step of the hardest of journeys.” Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) offers palliative care, family respite and support to children and young people with life-shortening conditions.

Its team of around 350 staff work in hospices, hospitals and homecare across Scotland, “making things possible so children have the freedom to be themselves, play outside, laugh and have treasured moments of joy.”

And CHAS recognises how the nature of its crucial work can impact the wellbeing of its staff on top of the day-to-day stresses of life.

Everyone has access to counselling services under the Employee Assistance Programme, and care staff can now be referred to a psychologist under a new psychological support service.

And the charity has newly introduced ‘Schwartz Rounds’, providing a structured forum where clinical and non-clinical staff come together to discuss the emotional and social aspects of working in healthcare, helping them feel more connected and supported.

CHAS wants its employees to “feel safe and welcome and have a sense of fulfilment, security and purpose.” Around 100 staff have helped shape a new organisational purpose and set of values, and performance and development are now the focus of regular manager-employee conversations. It means ambitions can be supported more efficiently and concerns addressed more quickly than in a traditional annual appraisal.

And there’s a culture of sharing and learning at CHAS, with care team members regularly meeting to discuss successes so others can learn from them.