"Having worked with Yvonne for a short period of time soon after I joined CIH 18 months ago, it was lovely to recently invite her back to undertake some work on behalf of ConsultCIH. Yvonne has a wealth of housing knowledge, which when combined with her commercial & project skills and warm approachable manner, means she quickly delivers results and secures buy in from all involved. Yvonne wasn’t phased by a number of difficult projects with demanding deadlines, and indeed it was hard to keep up with her on occasions! She works well at all levels and understands the importance of regular dialogue and communications. She quickly secures respect, her honesty was much appreciated and ConsultCIH is now in a much stronger position to deliver on its objectives this year."
Janet Talman,
Director of Commercial Services
ConsultCIH
Octavia House, Westwood Way, Coventry, CV4 BJP
Telephone: 024 7685 1744
www.cih.org“YCChange and their colleagues from the commercial sector designed and delivered a bespoke Away Day with our leadership team. We wanted to raise the awareness of commercial issues and solutions, learn from these and identify how we could translate these to our own sector. The day exceeded our expectations – great facilitation and timely input from YCChange and the team. The sessions enabled us to hear at first hand real life, practical examples around the themes of cost, people and performance management, how the sectors learn from others and how they manage change, adapting quickly and effectively. Our team went into action planning mode both immediately following the day itself but this change has also been subsequently sustained. The outcome has been that we now have a much clearer vision of what we need to do to align ourselves with the commercial sector, how we will go about it being aware of the challenges and how we can maximise the use of the resources we have. Thanks to Yvonne and the YCChange Private Sector Team. A session I would recommend to any organisation looking to diversify and become more commercial in its business outlook.”
Nick Atkin
Chief Executive
Halton Housing Trust
Daresbury Point, Green Wood Drive, Manor Park, Runcorn, Cheshire, WA7 1UG
Telephone : 0151 5105101
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“It is often said that an external consultant will ‘borrow your watch to tell you the time’. I’m pleased to be able to say that this was NOT the case with Yvonne Castle, whom I recently had the pleasure of working with during a service review of our contact centre. I was impressed with her general thoroughness throughout the process and more than anything appreciated her ‘earthy’ approach. If you are looking for a consultant who tells it like it is and speaks in simple terms rather than management clichés then Yvonne is the lady for you! Thanks again Yvonne for a job well done.”
Luke Benfield
Contact Centre Manager
Southway Housing Trust
825 Wilmslow Road, Didsbury, Manchester. M20 2SN.
Telephone 0161 4484 350
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“Yvonne worked for us as an Interim Manager for 6mths, covering for both of our front line Directors who had moved on. Yvonne hit the ground running, and soon built good relationships with the Managers and Teams that she was leading. A number of issues unfolded during her time and she dealt with them efficiently and without any drama. She made it as easy as possible for her permanent successors to pick up the reins. We were really lucky to find her exactly when we needed her and I would unreservedly recommend her. Thanks for everything. I don’t know what we’d have done without you!” Mike Muir, Chief Executive
Impact Housing Association, Nook Street, Workington, Cumbria Tel: 01900 842137 www.impacthousing.org.uk
"Yvonne had been brought into the Housing Association as an Interim Director covering two vacant positions over a period of six months. She had the whole operational part of the organisation to manage and was also tasked to review several specific areas of work including performance and assurance.When I joined the organisation in my new role as Director, Yvonne and I had a short handover period during which time I was able to work alongside her and pick up the various projects she was involved with. I was immediately impressed by the incredible pace at which she operates, getting straight to the heart of an issue in a short space of time. She is able to investigate, analyse and organise a huge amount of information and tasks, across many areas of work.Yvonne helped me to hit the ground running and was a great support for me in those first few weeks, not just with the transition of work, but also a to build confidence and skills to take on the challenge. I would highly recommend her to any organisation. Thank you for all the help and support you have given me settling into a new role with lots of challenges. You are an inspiration!" Julie Monk, Director of Assets and Homes
Impact Housing Association, Nook Street, Workington, Cumbria Tel: 01900 842137 www.impacthousing.org.uk
“Yvonne was appointed interim Director with Impact Housing Association and had been working for 3months when I started in my new role as operational Director, in early summer 2015.Yvonne had been appointed at a time of large scale change within the organisation and as the twooperational Directors had departed due to retirement and a promotion to another Housing Association, Yvonne had to steer the changes from the very beginning of her appointment.Yvonne had set out clearly the aims, targets and accountability framework for the operational seniormanagement team to support them through the period of change.
The quality of information beingsupplied to Directors, CEO and Board enabled a full appreciation of the change management processthroughout Yvonne’s time in her role at Impact. More importantly Yvonne brought with her wide experience of the Housing sector, which benefittedthe organisation in terms of approach and standards. Yvonne was able to quickly identify trends andrisk factors and was extremely flexible in her approach to meeting the required outputs andoutcomes of her role. Yvonne also brought with her the skills and experience to provide profilingusing the Talent Dynamic system.Yvonne also brought a culture of challenge, accountability and continual improvement with her andapplied it to her day to day dealings with staff at all levels of the organisation. Yvonne’s approachwas fully appreciated by the senior management team and the Board, achieving the desired resultsin her time at Impact. I look forward to working with Yvonne again in the future and would be happy to recommend her across the sector.” Bryonie Shaw, Director of Support and Communities
Impact Housing Association, Nook Street, Workington, Cumbria Tel: 01900 842137 www.i mpacthousing.org.uk
“Yvonne, I couldn't let you go without saying a huge thanks for the fantastic work you have undertaken since February. You have helped to lead us through immense change in a short space of time, with energy and hard work and good humour. You’ve had the unenviable task of working directly with me during a very busy time and I've learned so much - many thanks Yvonne!” Grainia, Chief Executive
Chartered Institute of Housing, Octavia House, Westwood Way, Coventry, CV4 8JP Tel: 02476 851 771 www.cih.org/
“Just wanted to wish you all the best for the future. I think it made a great positive difference having you at CIH and you had a significant impact. Everyone at CIH who has come across you only have good things to say. I hope things work out well, am sure there are lots of other organisations who will benefit from working with you but I hope that we're able to work with you again in some capacity."
Alan, Director, Scotland
Chartered Institute of Housing, Octavia House, Westwood Way, Coventry, CV4 8JP
Tel: 02476 851 771
www.cih.org/
“A great big thank you for me for the fantastic job that you’ve been doing in your time here and the fantastic support that you’ve provided to me. It has been a pleasure to meet and work with you for the last 4 months. We’ll all miss you."
Janet, Head of Membership
Chartered Institute of Housing, Octavia House, Westwood Way, Coventry, CV4 8JP
Tel: 02476 851 771
www.cih.org/
“Thank you for all the support and confidence you have given me over the last few months, it has been greatly appreciated. Good luck with everything you do and hope to see you again soon.”
Yvette, Head of Finance
Chartered Institute of Housing, Octavia House, Westwood Way, Coventry, CV4 8JP
Tel: 02476 851 771
www.cih.org/
“I need to thank you for all your time and support over the last few months. Even though you were so busy you always made time to listen to me – and I’ve learnt so much from you. I’ve really enjoyed working with you and will miss you loads.”
Dawn, Executive Support
Chartered Institute of Housing, Octavia House, Westwood Way, Coventry, CV4 8JP
Tel: 02476 851 771
www.cih.org/
“It’s been wonderful to know such an inspirational person. I think you’ve left everyone with a tiny bit of you”
Chris, Executive Support
Chartered Institute of Housing, Octavia House, Westwood Way, Coventry, CV4 8JP
Tel: 02476 851 771
www.cih.org/
"Working with Yvonne has been an inspiration, not only because of her enthusiastic, supportive approach but also from the quality of work she produced. Yvonne was greatly respected by everyone, from the board, senior management team, staff and colleagues. I have no hesitation of recommending Yvonne and hope to work with her again in the future."
Martinette Proud
HR Manager
Charnwood Neighbourhood Housing, Charnwood Borough Council Offices, Southfield Road, Loughborough, LE11 2TN
Telephone: 01509 634666
“During her time with Allerdale Borough Council Yvonne has been a highly regarded colleague to us, wider portfolio holders and elected members and the rest of the Management Team. She is a highly motivated individual who is delivery orientated and certainly a colleague that can be relied upon to take forward sound decisions, and deliver tangible results in an inclusive and measured way. Throughout this period at Allerdale, Yvonne has tackled complex management issues providing professional evidence based solutions and has used her expertise in local government and performance management to address a number of service based and corporate performance challenges. This has raised awareness of the importance of evidence based solutions performance information to officers and elected members to support our improvement and development agenda. Yvonne was a valued member of the Corporate Team and the knowledge and expertise she has provided will have a lasting affect within the organisation”.
Jim Musgrave, Leader of the Council
Gillian Bishop, Chief Executive
Allerdale Borough Council
Allerdale House, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 3YJ
Telephone: 01900 702702
“Yvonne worked as an interim Head of Policy and Performance for us for 4 months. I was amazed at how quickly Yvonne fitted into our organisation and with our culture. She adapted immediately and has worked extremely well with colleagues at all levels. I've felt that Yvonne's been working with us a long time! She has managed our corporate policy and performance team and has supported all colleagues through our Corporate Assessment. I would have no hesitation in recommending Yvonne to anyone. Her help has been much appreciated.”
George Garlick
Chief Executive
Stockton On Tees Borough Council
Municipal Buildings, PO Box 11, Church Road, Stockton-on-Tees, TS18 1LD
Telephone: 01642 527000
"I can't heap enough praise for Yvonne's interpersonal and management skills. She managed the Policy and Performance team through the Comprehensive Performance Assessment, providing excellent guidance and support for those that were lucky enough to work with her. A big thank you once again."
Jenny Elstob
Residents' Panel Co-ordinator
Stockton On Tees Borough Council,
Municipal Buildings, PO Box 11, Church Road, Stockton-on-Tees, TS18 1LD
Telephone: 01642 393939
"I know I didn't have a lot of direct contact with you while you worked here Yvonne, but I appreciated having such a positive person around when lots of people were feeling the pressure. You are obviously very knowledgeable about what you do and your motivational approach to work and management was really refreshing. There was also a member of staff from another section who made similar comments to me. She felt your approach was really inspiring and motivated her to want to provide what was needed, rather than feeling as though it was an extra demand during an already busy and stressful time. I think for someone from a different area of the council to make this comment really is a testament to your style of working.”
Kirsty McNally
Diversity Officer
Stockton On Tees Borough Council
"Working with Yvonne was a great experience. she is both inspiring and motivating. Yvonne's professionalism is always evident but she also takes the time to get to know the people she's working with and make it enjoyable. It's rare to find someone who works as hard but still manages to have a sense of humour. At Allerdale, more than 12 months later, we're still reaping the rewards. I'd jump at the chance to work with her again, she's a true gem!"
Hazel Cushin
Head of Corporate Services
Allerdale Borough Council
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| Shared Services and Efficiencies |
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“Hambleton and Richmondshire District Councils have been pursuing shared services and shared Chief Executive and management arrangements. I wanted external, objective challenge on our Project Board and hence invited Yvonne in to fulfil that role – which she did exceptionally well. Although working well with the team, it was clear that Yvonne asked the challenging questions required and identified those areas of risks we needed to tackle. Her 6P model for excellence was used as the Business Appraisal model to ensure that we looked holistically at how we may share services which we found extremely useful. This focused our attention at vital aspects to the whole project such as communications, performance and clear measurable outcomes.”
Peter Simpson
Chief ExecutiveHambleton District Council
Civic Centre, Stone Cross, Hambleton, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL6 2UUTelephone: 0845 1211 555 www.hambleton.gov.uk
“Yvonne Castle from YCChange delivered our very first joint tenant and staff Value For Money training session. Our tenants felt they had really benefitted from the training and they had enjoyed being involved in the exercises and debates. We were very keen to carry out tenant training to enable our tenants to effectively scrutinise and challenge us. The quality of the session was excellent as care had been taken in the preparation to ensure that it was designed exclusively for Cestria, meaning that staff and tenants could identify with the content. Yvonne had a relaxed style in the delivery which made everyone feel at ease and willing to get involved. I would definitely use YCChange again." Julie ClarkeHead of Finance Bowes Offices,Lambton Estates,Chester-le-Street,DH3 4AN Telephone: 0191 3851400 www.cestria.org“Interesting, now I understand VFM much more” “Very effective delivery of the VFM subject matter” “Informative, gets people working together across different teams” “Enjoyed the session especially reflecting on the work we have completed to date. It was useful in highlighting where we need to focus as a group” “Lots to take in, but found it interesting. Also I was able to have lots of input” Value For Money Training with tenants and staff at Cestria Community Housingwww.cestria.org "We were tasked by the Audit Commission to develop a VFM Strategy and Action Plan. YCChange have been absolutely brilliant to work with. Gill picked up the task in hand and ran with it ensuring that even when the Council officers involved changed focus, because of the radical cuts facing the sector, the strategy was seen through to a successful completion. We would definitely employ YCChange again and have already made enquiries about an additional piece of work.
Sharon Thomas
Head of Development
Middlesbrough Council
Town Hall, Middlesbrough, TS1 2QQ
Telephone: 01642 729601 www.middlesbrough.gov.uk
"Irwell Valley needed to embrace VFM across the organisation and make sure it drove business decisions and service improvements. Yvonne delivered VFM training for staff across the whole of the organisation and also for the Board. She also delivered training for the newly established VFM Tenants Scrutiny Panel, supporting their development in shaping their role and responsibilities. There was great feedback on the training through the evaluation process and many new specific examples of how the learning was to be used across the organisation to make significant VFM improvements and to quantify the cashable benefits. The YCChange team was professional and engaging and brought the subject matter to life, and I would not hesitate to use them again.”
Gordon DavidsonValidus
4 Hillpark Way, Blackhall, Edinburgh, EH4 7SSTelephone: 0131 312 8100 www.validusconsulting.co.uk
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| Customer Insight and Diversity |
"It has been a pleasure to work with Yvonne. Charnwood Neighbourhood Housing had not performed very well in terms of E&D and had a poor strategic approach. Yvonne came in and worked tirelessly to put us in a much stronger, more focussed position. Yvonne fitted in as part of our team and quickly built good relationships with partners and staff. We now have a focus and strategy and are in a good position to move forward to consider the diverse needs of all our customers and staff.
Yvonne also delivered some training for us. Her training design is excellent – she caters for every learning style. Her course is a mix of practical exercises, group working, individual learning, sharing knowledge and quiz questions. Her delivery is bright and enthusiastic which keeps the audience engaged. As well as clearly disseminating her depth of knowledge across the subject matter, she made the training completely relevant to our organisation which adds value for our staff, partners, tenants and our Board Members. Significant thought and research goes into the design of the course which makes it so different from other ‘off-the-shelf-packages’ that we could have had from others. We would highly recommend Yvonne and YCChange to any other organisations wanting any type of training.”
Sally Harbey
Customer Services & Engagement Manager
Charnwood Neighbourhood Housing Limited
Council Offices, Southfield Road, Loughborough, LE11 2TN Telelephone: 01509 634666 www.cnh.org.uk
"We are delighted with the progress which has been made over the past few months to set up a robust equality and diversity work programme for CNH.
We started from a very low base, with a history of no leadership and only sketchy awareness of equality and diversity. Since Yvonne joined us we have progressed to a position where we have in place a new Equality and Diversity Strategy to help us continually improve awareness, profiling information and our culture towards Equality and Diversity within the organisation and with external stakeholders.
We are grateful for the help Yvonne has given in terms of helping us to reach this position to set up firm foundations to take us forward. We know we are just at the beginning of the journey but we are excited and keen to improve.
Yvonne’s enthusiasm is contagious and her work ethic is fantastic. The whole experience has been very enjoyable and certainly value for money.
Thank you Yvonne, for the support you have given us in getting to know where we can now move ahead with some confidence."
Maria Maltby
Corporate Services Director
Charnwood Neighbourhood Housing
Charnwood Borough Council Offices, Southfield Road, Loughborough, LE11 2TN
Telephone: 01509 634666
“Just a quick note to express my gratitude to Yvonne for allowing us to participate in the training session on Tuesday morning. I thought the content was ‘pitched’ at the correct level, the interaction was good and Yvonne’s overall management of the session was excellent and a credit to your organisation.”
Paul Senior
Operations Director
Frank Haslam Milan Yorkshire & East Midlands
Balby Court, Carr Hill, Doncaster, DN4 8DE
Telephone: 01302 556303
"I employed Yvonne as our Equality and Diversity Lead. She has not only provided us with a gap analysis and a direction for going forward in the future, but has been hands on in building the long term capacity of the organisation. Yvonne has revamped our training programme, supported our staff and managers in understanding and using Equality Impact Assessments, improved our performance reporting to maximise the impact our customer profiling data has on access and service delivery and also worked with the Council on strengthening the strategic links between the Local Strategic Partnership aims and objectives, our own Business Plan and the context of our population going forward into the future. Yvonne was an excellent colleague and I would have not hesitation in recommending her again for any E&D projects."
Tim Harris
Interim Chief Executive
Homes in Havering
Chippenham Road, Harold Hill, Essex, RM3 8YQ
Telephone: 01708 434015
“The best (Equality and Diversity) training course I have attended to date in what can sometimes be a very dry subject. The YCChange team were engaging in their delivery of the topic and their use of interactive exercises really grabbed the attention of the group and got us all talking. Although the elements of legislation and implications for Local Government were covered fully, they really added value by encouraging the group to think and to raise our awareness about what we can do personally to improve our interactions with others. ”
Simon Davies
HR-Business Services
Newark and Sherwood Homes
Kelham Hall, Kelham, Newark, NG23 5QX
"Newark and Sherwood Homes engaged YC Change Services over the summer to deliver Equality and Diversity Training for all our employees. Having meet with Linda and Yvonne before the training we were able to tailor the training to our specific requirements which allowed us to make the training more meaningful to our employees and also covered the latest on the Single Equality Act. Training evaluation of the event showed us that our employees were happy with the training they received and they enjoyed the format. We also received comments on the professional and knowledgeable approach taken by Linda who delivered the training."
Michelle Whitaker - Chartered MCIPD
HR- Business Services
Newark and Sherwood HomesKelham Hall, Kelham, Newark, NG23 5QX Telephone: 01636 655447 www.nshomes.co.uk
“Since the inspections you carried out we have worked extremely hard in putting good practice in place and I now lead on the Equality and Diversity for Cestria. 18 months on and Cestria has just received an E&D award regionally recognising the good practice we have put in place! I am really pleased!!! Thank you for your recommendations and input.”
Arshia Bhatti - Corporate Services Assistant
Cestria Community Housing Association, Bowes Offices, Lambton Park, Chester-le-Street, Co. Durham, DH3 4AN
Telephone: 0191 385 1442
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| Working With Communities, Tenants and Residents |
“Yvonne Castle from YCChange delivered our very first joint tenant and staff training session. Our tenants felt they had really benefitted from the training and they had enjoyed being involved in the exercises and debates. We were very keen to carry out tenant training to enable our tenants to effectively scrutinise and challenge us.
The quality of the session was excellent as care had been taken in the preparation to ensure that it was designed exclusively for Cestria, meaning that staff and tenants could identify with the content. Yvonne had a relaxed style in the delivery which made everyone feel at ease and willing to get involved. I would definitely use YC Change again."
Julie Clarke
Head of Finance
Bowes Offices,Lambton Estates,Chester-le-Street,DH3 4AN
Telephone: 0191 3851400
www.cestria.org
“I have found it very interesting and have a bigger voice as a tenant”- G Garbutt
“Very informative and interesting. I am much more aware now that Tenants have a voice”- A Brown
“Very informative. I’ve done mystery shopping in the past but not for housing associations”- J Ather
Mystery Shopping Training at Cestria Community Housing
"A big thank you to YC Change Consultants Ltd for their invaluable help in training our residents on how to carry out mystery shopping. The training was relaxed, fun and interactive and enabled our residents to feel more confident in becoming involved in helping us to tailor our services more effectively. In addition to the training they advised on the most effective way of carrying out the process leaving everyone really clear about how to proceed."
Olivia Jackson
Head of Customer Service
Vale of Aylesbury Housing Trust
Fairfax House, 69 Buckingham Street, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP20 2NJ
Telephone: 01296 732605
"Lynne Burns from the YCChange team worked with our Tadcaster Community Engagement Board, which is made up of councillors, partners and members of the community. Her knowledge and practical application of the Open Space process allowed the Board to work together and develop a number of ideas which will be instrumental in the future development of the Community Development Forum (CEF), a Forum working to create better links with the community. As with any externally facilitated event there was a sense of trepidation but Lynne managed to put delegates at their ease and to create an environment which enabled all who took part to make a valid contribution. The report produced as a result of the event provided a record of all the discussions, the recommendations and prioritised actions which will form a solid basis for the development of the Board and ultimately the CEF."
Janette Barlow
Head of Service - Customers and Business Support
Selby District Council
Civic Centre, Portholme Road, Selby, North Yorkshire, YO8 4SB
Telephone: 01757 705101
“YCChange have carried out the final household survey of our Strong Safer Communities Funded Neighbourhood Management Pathfinder. This entailed designing and mailing out the survey, going door to door in the snow over the Christmas holidays (to make sure that the sample size was big enough and the demographic mix representative enough), analysis of the data on SPSS and comparing it with previous years and then writing the final report. The team was lovely to work with and the finished product very professional. I would not hesitate to use YCChange again.”
Hayley Ash
Cotmanhay Neighbourhood Manager
Cotmanhay Enterprise Centre
Bennerley Avenue, Ilkeston,DE7 8PF
Telephone: 01159442073
"In my experience, an all too common approach consultants use when dealing with local government is to sell what has been done for someone else with the name changed and little else. This "generic consulting" provides little help to local government because we all have our own local issues that need to be considered.
I have been very pleased that the approach of YC Change has been just the opposite. It is apparent the work done for us has not been just an "off the shelf" piece of work, already done for someone else . . . YC Change’s approach to neighbourhood working has been an excellent one. They have continued to be flexible, offering us several options on most issues instead of only one recommended outcome. An example of this is the variety of community involvement and survey options that have been provided. YC Change’s understanding of community cohesion/ empowerment, the targets of the Local Strategic Partnership, and providing Local Community Action Plan options, has been very helpful as we continue to discuss what steps our Local Strategic Partnership may wish to take in the implementation of this study."
Ian Wolstenholme
Head of Partnerships
Richmondshire District Council
Swale House, Frenchgate, Richmond, North Yorkshire, DL10 4JE
Telephone: 01748 828760
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| Organisational Development |
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“Yvonne designed and led a superb team-building awayday event that got everyone involved. The feedback was really positive and has given me some solid foundations to take further initiatives forward. Yvonne's style was perfect for this, very focused, excellent timekeeping and great fun. Everyone worked really hard but I don't think they really noticed. I would definitely recommend Yvonne to lead such an event.”
Rob Winter
Assistant Executive Director of Finance (Audit and Risk Management),
Barnsley MBC
Westgate Plaza One, PO Box 599, Barnsley, S70 9EY
Telephone : 01226 773241
"Hambleton District Council wished to update its performance appraisal scheme to ensure its corporate plan goals were supported by every member of staff through the appraisal mechanism. In addition we wanted a reinvigorated scheme that supported the development of individuals yet offered robust challenge to the achievement of targets. To help us with this we engaged YC Change to complete the work. The final product is exemplary, exceeding our expectations. It has now been implemented throughout the organisation and we are confident of the improved outcomes."
Phil Morton
Executive Director and Deputy Chief Executive
Hambleton District Council
Civic Centre, Stone Cross, Hambleton, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL6 2UU
Telephone: 01609 767022 (direct line)
“MVMP engaged YCChange to undertake a staffing review during a transitional phase of the company. Through a process of desk top study, one-to-one interviews and focus group sessions, staff skills and experiences were matched to future work activities and a sound basis established for a company re-launch, expected during the next financial year. The approach was interactive, fully inclusive and resulted in a better understanding of strengths and gaps in the skill base which will help the company move forward in an ever changing operating environment. YCChange undertook this work in a thoroughly professional manner and I would recommend them.”
Gary Kirk
Chief Executive
Meden Valley Making Places
34 Sherwood Street, Warsop, Mansfield, NG20 0JW
Telephone : 01623 848318
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“Commissioning YCChange to act as a critical friend has been one of the best investments we have ever made. YCChange provided a comprehensive independent reality check for us. The team of experienced professionals were thorough and challenging in their review of all our services. They helped staff produce a detailed improvement plan drawing on good practice and their ongoing role as a supportive but challenging “critical friend” was a key driver in delivering theses improvements. Within 12 months our performance has improved, tenant satisfaction has increased and our highly motivated workforce are determined to deliver excellence in all they do. YCChange certainly helped to move us forward and we are confident that we now have solid foundations in place from which we can continue to raise standards, improve services and meet new expectations and challenges in the future.”
Geraldine Wilcox
Chief Executive
Derwentside Homes Limited
Greengates House, Amos Drive, Greencroft Industrial Park, Stanley, Co. Durham, DH9 7YE
Telephone: 01207 524200
"Yvonne worked with Plus Dane Housing during the beginning of 2010 to assist us in maximising performance through business planning. This included developing a more robust approach to our performance management framework.
Yvonne and Julie’s approach was supportive but also challenging in an extremely effective manner and enabled senior managers, staff and customers to engage fully and easily understand the process.
They were an excellent team, very professional and easy to work with and always delivered on time.
It was a real pleasure working with Yvonne and Julie, and I would have no hesitation in working with them again."
Julie Walker
Excellence Manager (Performance)
Plus Dane Group
Baltimore Buildings, 13/15 Rodney Street, Liverpool, L1 9EF
Telephone: 0151 7080674
www.plusgroupltd.org.uk
"YCChange provided us with organisational support over a four month period, working directly to me as Deputy Chief Executive. In this time they completed a difficult staffing review, making sensible suggestions for moves that will create greater efficiencies as well as enhance the services we provide. They recruited a new team and supported existing senior staff through a difficult period.
YCChange also developed a new performance management framework and reporting arrangements for us. Our ability to challenge both under and over performance will assist us to adjust our services and medium-term financial planning to deliver what we have promised. I believe that these new arrangements are simple but thorough and will give us exceptional clarity about the delivery of our Corporate Plan.
The brief was a wide one; covering human resource management to performance management. They needed the ability to work well with people, identify and improve systems and processes and gain trust quickly. YCChange did all of this with great skill and supported me exceptionally well."
Phil Morton
Executive Director and Deputy Chief Executive
Hambleton District Council
Civic Centre, Stone Cross, Hambleton, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL6 2UU
Telephone: 01609 767022 (direct line)
"Yvonne and her team have been helping South Lakeland to maximise our performance through developing and implementing a more robust approach to corporate and service planning and performance management. I found the 6P model an extremely helpful framework for identifying the key priorities for the organisation. Yvonne and Gillian are first class consultants. They blend their approach of being supportive yet challenging in a most effective way. The combination of their intellect, insight and emotional intelligence has helped to make a real difference to this organisation and meet our needs. I would commend their approach and style to any organisation."
Sandra Walbran
Assistant Director (Corporate Vision)
South Lakeland District Council
South Lakeland House, Lowther St, Kendal, LA9 4UF
Telephone: 01539 733333
"We chose YC Change as our provider for Data Quality training because of the personal touch that they offer with their training. It was all centred on the needs of our business and the specific needs of our colleagues. Susan worked closely with me to develop a specification for the training programme. She was very professional, enthusiastic and dedicated. The programme content was very informative and interactive and it was well received by all participants.
I have enjoyed working with YC Change and would definitely recommend them to others."
Catherine Ponting
Policy & Performance Officer
Copeland Borough
The Copeland Centre, Catherine Street, Whitehaven Cumbria CA28 7SJ
Telephone: 0845 054 8600
"Gillian from the YC Change team provided us with organisational support over a four month period, working directly to me as Deputy Chief Executive. In this time she completed a difficult staffing review, making sensible suggestions for moves that will create greater efficiencies as well as enhance the services we provide. She recruited a new team and supported existing senior staff through a difficult period. She also developed a new performance management framework and reporting arrangements for us. Our ability to challenge both under and over performance will assist us to adjust our services and medium-term financial planning to deliver what we have promised. I believe that these new arrangements are simple but thorough and will give us exceptional clarity about the delivery of our Corporate Plan. Her brief was a wide one; covering human resource management to performance management. She needed the ability to work well with people, identify and improve systems and processes and gain trust quickly. She did all of this with great skill and supported me exceptionally well. I would commend her to you."
Phillip Morton
Executive Director and Deputy Chief Executive
Hambleton District Council
Civic Centre, Stone Cross, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL6 2UU
Telephone: 0845 1211 555
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“Yvonne’s positive approach made our Mock Inspection a very easy and enjoyable process! Yvonne and John engaged well with staff and residents to gain feedback on our services. Their findings provided clear and helpful recommendations that were firm, but fair, helping us to get an accurate picture of where we are now and what we need to do next on our journey to get to 3 stars. We would highly recommend YCChange.”
Jenny Hair
Performance Improvement Manager
Solon South West Housing Association Limited
1 Newfoundland Court, St Paul Street, Bristol, BS2 8AN
Telephone: 0117 9244071
“YCChange supported us in developing and finalising our action plan in response to our Short Notice Inspection, from the Audit Commission. We wanted to make sure the action plan and statement would stand up to the Audit Commission’s scrutiny and clearly evidence our track record, how residents influenced the plan and prospects for improvement; YCChange advised us and acted as a critical friend. We really appreciated their objectivity and openness. Karen, from the YCChange who worked with us was really flexible too, which meant we were able to meet all our milestones. We then went on to achieve our overall objective to achieve promising prospects for improvement. We’d be pleased to recommend them to other people, too.”
Say Leddington
Head of Business Improvement
Wandle Housing Association
15 Abbeville Road, London, SW4 9LA
Telephone: 020 682 7472
"We have just completed a full mock inspection with YC Change and it has been one of the best investments we have ever made. Whether we get inspected in the near future or not, this was money well spent. The inspection team were experienced professionals who were thorough and challenging and clearly knew their areas of expertise. It was conducted as a real inspection and certainly felt like the real thing for all involved! The results were a balanced, fair and honest assessment of our current performance. This was a great external reality check for us. It highlighted weaker areas of service, practice and policies which we certainly would not have identified so quickly and in such detail, if at all, through other means. The inspection process was a learning experience for the staff involved and we welcomed the positive feedback in areas of good practice as well as the feedback on where we need to do better. We now have a detailed improvement plan which we know will drive us towards excellence for ourselves and our customers as well as a motivated workforce who are up for the challenge."
Geraldine Wilcox
Chief Executive
Derwentside Homes
Greengates House, Amos Drive, Greencroft Industrial Park, Stanley, County Durham, DH9 7YE
Telephone: 0800 7839295
"Yvonne supported myself and my colleagues through inspection - and not only did she provide excellent skills, capacity and approach in the areas of work specifically appointed for, but supported the inspection through her general challenge, planning and organisation, evidence collection, preparing and motivating the staff being interviewed to help them put their best foot forward. Yvonne has range and depth of skills that we could draw upon-cross cutting services such as equalities and diversity, value for money and access and customer focus - as well as front line service skills around income, asset management and repairs. Yvonne has great people skills and has worked very well with our Board, our managers and staff and our partners. I would have no hesitation in recommending her for a wide range of housing improvement support assignments."
Tim Harris
Interim Chief Executive
Homes in Havering
Chippenham Road, Harold Hill, Essex, RM3 8YQ
Telephone: 01708 434015
“We have worked with YC Change during our first year as a housing association. This work involved undertaking a series of short notice inspections so that the organisation could get used to the process and to help gauge where our improvement resources need to be focused going forward. Having completed that work YC Change are now assisting us by running service improvement planning master classes for managers. We have found all the consultants used by YC Change to be absolutely first class with a wider range of expertise in the field. On top of that they are a very warm and friendly organisation to work with. YC Change has added significant value to our propriety planning processes.”
Ian Broughton
Chief Executive
Cestria Community Housing Association
Bowes Offices, Lambton Park, Chester-le-Street, County Durham, DH3 4AN
Telephone: 0191 3851902
“Yvonne Castle and YC Change have carried out a number of projects with Wandle HA to help us on our journey towards Service Excellence and getting “inspection ready”. Recently this has included a series of coaching sessions for staff and board members to help them prepare for inspection. Yvonne has developed trust and rapport with everyone she has worked with. She brought to the sessions excellent coaching skills, an eye for detail and hands on experience of inspection. This made a real difference to everyone’s confidence in getting inspection ready. Staff particularly valued the feedback from their sessions which was provided verbally and sent on to them after.”
Say Leddington
Head of Business Improvement
Wandle Housing Association
15 Abbeville Road, London, SW4 9LA
Telephone: 020 682 7472
“Wandle Housing Association worked with YC Change Consultants in December 2008 on three service assessments in preparing us for housing inspection within our service excellence framework. This was the second occasion that we have employed YC Change. We feel that YC Change has understood our business position very quickly and has been fair in recognising our strengths but also has offered constructive points about our areas for development and improvement. Yvonne and her team have a strong knowledge of service excellence and standards for housing organisations and this clearly comes across in their work. This has been a very good working relationship and we are sure that we will emerge much stronger as a housing service in our key areas through this assignment.”
Peter Mulloy
Housing & Neighbourhoods Director
Wandle Housing Association
15 Abbeville Road, London, SW4 9LA
Telephone: 020 8682 7435
"YC Change Consultants carried out a full service Mock Inspection for the Vale of Aylesbury Housing Trust in November 2006 and have recently carried out a series of Health Checks on specific housing services. Yvonne and her team were comprehensive in their approach bringing a degree of rigour to the process that would be expected from external inspection. They remained approachable and informative throughout and both our employees on an individual basis and the trust collectively have gained much from the process. Deadlines were always met and the comprehensive reports produced afterwards have greatly helped develop our service improvement planning. In particular their best practice advice has helped us learn from others and achieve the quick wins they identified."
Andy Padmore
Corporate Performance Manager
Vale of Aylesbury Housing Trust
Fairfax House, 69 Buckingham Street, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP20 2NJ
Telephone: 01296 732635
“Just a note to say thank you for the excellent work you carried out for Corby Borough Council as part of our preparation for our Housing Inspection. Your comments on the self assessment and key documentation for the inspection process were first rate. Your external expertise was clear and focused and has helped us in our preparation. I have attached the final version of the self assessment for your information, once again thank you for your expertise, regards.”
Angela Warburton
Assistant Chief Executive and Head of Neighbourhood Pride
Corby Borough Council
Grosvenor House, George Street, Corby, Northants, NN17 1QB
Telephone: 01536 464003
"Yvonne and her team were excellent. The inspection process was challenging, but fair, and has really helped us move forward with our improvement plans. Our Members, staff and tenants found the team extremely approachable and knowledgeable and we all feel much more informed about the process and are well prepared for our actual inspection. We would recommend Yvonne to any of our peers in the future.
Ian Broughton
Director of Community Services
Chester-le-Street District Council
Civic Centre, NewcastleRoad, Chester-le-Street, Co Durham, DH3 3UT
"From the very beginning Yvonne was methodical, helpful and kept me informed on a regular basis on progress and initial thoughts on the service provided. All the required deadlines were met and where additional deadlines were put in at short notice they were never refused. It is comforting to know from the outset that Yvonne was a Associate Inspector of the Audit Commission so therefore the work she did on "Challenge" on Homelessness were very much from the Audit Commission's perspective which was extremely useful to us as we are to have a Strategic Housing Inspection in the very near future Finally, the client/contractor relationship throughout was excellent."
Wyn Aston
Acting Head of Housing
Craven District Council
Granville Street, Skipton, BD23 1PS
Telephone: 01756 706338
"YC Change Consultants have worked with “Johnnie” Johnson Housing for several years, specifically acting as a “critical friend” in our preparations for Audit Commission inspection. They are utterly professional, extremely knowledgeable, and never short-change on their promises. This make them a rarity – a consultancy delivering value for money. They delighted us with the depth and breadth of their scrutiny in a very concentrated inspection. Their feedback was fair-minded and objective and the professional approach of the team earned the trust and respect of all."
Jim Lunney
Chief Executive
'Johnnie' Johnson Housing Trust
Astra House, Spinners Lane, Poynton, Cheshire, SK12 1GA
Telephone: 0845 604 1027
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“I was very impressed with the quality of the tender submission, which was well researched and included areas which added value to the original proposal; the price was competitive. In terms of the work itself, it was completed efficiently, YC Change really made the best use of the time available. Yvonne has a lovely style, which puts partners at ease and allowed open and thoughtful discussions to take place during the review. The report was turned round quickly, and was of high quality providing a well evidenced and well thought through set of recommendations. This was positively received by our partners.”
Bev Compton
Deputy Director Policy and Performance
North East Lincolnshire Council
NE Lincs Local Strategic Partnership, Municipal Offices, Town Hall Square, Grimsby,DN31 1HU
Telephone: 01472 326126
“Yvonne led on our CAA Self Evaluation as part of national pilot. She worked well with the LSP partners and as a result we had our final document produced within 6 weeks. She challenged our approach and made sure that what we included were those things we truly did in partnership – over and above our usual remit. Yvonne clearly knows what’s required in a challenging self evaluation – one that promotes our successes, but also identifies where we need to improve. She’s carried out many reviews and inspections before and so the new CAA methodology did not provide great challenge and her experience of partnership and locality working provided added value. She has great interpersonal skills and I’ve already recommended her to other LSPs”
Peter Simpson
Chief Executive
Hambleton District Council
Civic Centre, Stone Cross, Hambleton, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL6 2UU
Telephone: 0845 1211 555
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"I worked alongside Yvonne at Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council whilst she was Interim Head of Policy and Performance. I cannot give Yvonne enough praise, she was a breath of fresh air to the authority and her determination, work ethic and personality were paramount in the authority having such a successful Corporate Assessment. Despite being three years since she was here, she is still held in the highest esteem and the department improved thanks to her influence. Thank you again Yvonne!"
Chris Walker
Performance Officer
Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council
Municipal Buildings, Church Road, Stockton-on-Tees, TS18 1LD
Telephone: 01642 393939
"We are over the moon that we've finally got the recognition we deserved. Four years ago we were classified as "weak" and now we're "excellent". The YC Change team were absolutely fantastic – they stretched us and challenged us every step of the way. They helped us see how the things that we were doing were not every day run of the mill. I think we'd been that used to being 'labelled' negatively, but Yvonne and Gill helped us get out of that mindset and really celebrate and promote our successes. They were very easy to work with and integrated well with our project team. They "held our hand" throughout the whole process and encouraged and cajoled us along the way. They were an excellent team, very professional and always delivered on time. I would have no hesitation in working with them again and am happy to recommend them to any of my public sector colleagues."
Steve Martin
Strategic Director
Selby District Council
Civic Centre, Portholme Road, Selby, North Yorkshire, YO8 4SB
Telephone: 01757 210741
"Gillian from the YC Change team supported and guided us through our CPA re-categorisation inspection. She developed our project and risk planning processes and supported, encouraged and cajoled us through the project meetings. As "poacher turned gamekeeper" she provided us with an insight into the process and made us aware of Audit Commission expectations and methodology. As a result there were no surprises when it came to the real thing. Her input ensured we were fully prepared and with her support we were able to demonstrate our progress and achievements to the best of our ability. I feel we may not have been able to do this as comprehensively without her support and commitment. On a personal note Gill worked well with our team and brought a focused and professional approach to the project. I would have no hesitation in employing her again and would hope we can work together again at some time in the future."
Steve Martin
Strategic Director
Selby District Council
Civic Centre, Portholme Road, Selby, North Yorkshire, YO8 4SB
Telephone: 01757 210741
"Yvonne Castle worked to support the Council's Comprehensive Performance Assessment in May 2008. Having been highly recommended by a previous client, another local authority, we already had an idea of the sort of support that she would offer. We agreed a number of ways we would like Yvonne to work with us that included reviewing our self-assessment, assessing our proposed evidence list and undertaking mock interviews with officers and members selected for interview by the Audit Commission. She was very well prepared and undertook supportive yet challenging interviews designed to get the best out of attendees and to help them to better prepare for the 'real thing'. A really positive detail was Yvonne gave each person a list of potential questions and areas for further investigation. Finally Yvonne presented a well researched and informative overview of her findings to our Executive members and senior officers after completion of interviews. She knew her subject area well and her past experience of having undertaken CPA inspections was evident in the attention to detail and knowledge of potential inspection questions. Yvonne's work definitely helped us to better prepare for our inspection and I would highly recommend her to any other local authority or similar organisation going, or planning to go, through an external assessment."
Lorraine Poyser
Head of Executive Office
Erewash Borough Council
Wharncliffe Road, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 5RP
Telephone: 0115 907 2241
"Yvonne, I would like to offer my personal thanks for helping us to prepare for this inspection. Your desktop review of the self assessment was pivotal in getting our submission right and the mock inspection was invaluable as a dry run through a safe environment. Both of these elements have been key to our success."
Peter Simpson
Chief Executive
Hambleton District Council (scored excellent through CPA)
Civic Centre, Stonecross, Northallerton, North Yorkshire , DL6 2UU
Telephone: 0845 1211 555
“Very pleased with both the quality of work and the outcomes. Good feedback from the participants, who felt much better prepared for the CPA Inspection as a result of this work. Yvonne Castle's background with the Audit Commission was particularly useful.”
Pat Wilson
Policy and Performance Director
High Peak Borough Council (scored excellent through CPA)
Hayfield Road, Chapel-en-le-Frith, High Peak, SK23 0QJ
Telephone: 0845 129 7777
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"Yvonne carried out an Emergency Planning health check for us, along with a prioritised action plan for implementation of the same in relation to tenants' homes and also our office's (business continuity). The quality of work and timescales within which it was completed were excellent and I would have no hesitation in recommending Yvonne for this work. This area is one that can be overlooked by RSL's until an incident happens - I would urge other RSL's to address this before any major incidents arise. Yvonne is very flexible in her approach to work and will carry out as little or as much of the process depending on the amount of resources you have to spend. "
Julie Smith
Head of Operations
Green Vale Homes
Green Vale Court, New Hall Hey Road, Rawtenstall, Rossendale, BB4 6HR
Tel: 01706 836323
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