We’re always looking for innovative ways of working to improve the services we offer to customers, and to support our people to do the best work of their lives.
Earlier this year we were really pleased to welcome Claire, a clinical psychology student from The University of Sheffield, to work with the team at Cuthbert Bank – our temporary accommodation for families experiencing homelessness.
Throughout Claire’s six-month placement she provided the Cuthbert Bank team with regular group sessions where everyone focused on reflective practices, and received support to talk about the emotional impact of their work. This partnership was a really exciting collaboration, not least because it was the first time that the university had worked with a non-NHS based organisation. We are really proud to have been involved in this process and to have contributed towards the important evidence and research around the need for clinical psychologists to be based in non-NHS settings.
Most importantly, our team at Cuthbert Bank had an enormously positive experience and gained so much from their time with Claire, resulting in a positive impact on the people receiving their support. Some of the feedback from the team taking part in the sessions focused on better wellbeing, a greater sense of confidence in supporting customers, and an improved team spirit:
After the success of this partnership we will be looking for further ways to incorporate this kind of work into our organisation, and we’d been keen to hear from other organisations who are looking to do the same.
