Salford CVS is the city-wide infrastructure organisation for the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector. It provides specialist information, advice, development support and opportunities for influence and collaboration. As Salford was the North West’s first Social Enterprise City, Salford CVS plays a pivotal role in the region.

After an introduction to Alison Page the Chief Executive of Salford CVS, Result CIC had a scoping meeting in the summer of 2016 to discuss the needs of Salford CVS staff, our experience of staff development and the benefits of coaching.

We agreed to provide coaching to 8 staff first as a pilot and to review results after completion to see whether the coaching should continue with other staff members. The aim is to increase the staff’s understanding of their own needs and aspirations and as a result to feel empowered to make the biggest difference in the organisation and as a result within Salford.

Jane and Hormoz delivered an introductory workshop for all staff to explain the coaching process and this was followed by 4 sessions for each member of staff between September and November of 2016.

The coaching was extremely well received all round:

‘Coaching has been really useful – to have that space to be able to really think through what I wanted to do. It now feels like something I can do, rather than just an idea. It’s exciting. It has been excellent. All of us who had coaching have really got a lot from it and we have also been challenged – in the right way.’

Early in 2017, Alison Page commissioned another round of coaching for the rest of staff including herself and the Chair of the Board which started in February. The coaching is due for completion for all staff by the end of March and continues for Alison and the Chair, Chris Fox, as they only start this month. The signs are that the coaching is having a positive impact on the organisation and we look forward to looking at how we can further support the development of staff at Salford CVS.

Read more about coaching.