About The Children's Centre, Isle of Man

The central ‘Learning and Development Bursary’ Fund – a commitment of between £10 and £15k is made annually by the Trustees to support professional development and the acquisition of qualifications by employees. Application is open to all, and an independent panel sits to assess applications.

Induction Days are held three/four times per year for staff new to the organisation. This is a generic induction to the organisation, its history and development. Colleagues from many different disciplines and departments participate who may not physically work in the same building/facility or setting, and who would not meet one another in the course of their work generally. Participants are put into teams to have a go at a series of activities and challenges in which they learn about themselves, their colleagues and the organisation. The emphasis is on working together and having fun. At one event a member of the Fostering Service met and worked with a new member from the Supervised Contact Centre, and as a result within the year successfully recruited them as a Foster Carer.

The Children’s Centre is working on an internal communications strategy that will utilise more progressive technology including social media and an intranet. In the meantime, the CEO produces a bi-monthly newsletter that is distributed to all employees with their salary slip. This is still well-received by employees, who understand that the CEO can be contacted at any time by any of them, and that he will make time to listen.