Posted on: 29 October, 2019
Niamh Donnelly, Director of Operations
Here at Cranstoun, we like a partnership. We work with a variety of organisations to ensure service users remain at the heart of what we do. These include NHS Foundation Trusts, local community and voluntary organisations, GPs, the Department for Work and Pensions, police forces, academic organisations, subject specialists, national bodies, and of course, service users. We know that more can be achieved when working together.
Cranstoun’s latest partnership launches on 1 November 2019.
Transform is a consortium of local organisations who have been contracted to work together to deliver an integrated domestic violence and abuse service in the London Borough of Sutton. Bringing together a unique combination of local and national expertise and knowledge will ensure that the total offer exceeds the sum of the individual parts. This perfectly summarises the aim of all partnerships and I am proud to work for an organisation that truly encourages and values collaboration in the interests of the communities we serve.
The people we work with don’t present with a single issue to be addressed. We work with individuals with complex circumstances and challenges that require diverse solutions and specialisms which are almost impossible to find in a single organisation. It therefore makes sense for us to focus on what we do and understand best, and to work with other experts to improve our own understanding and learn from others’ practices. It also makes sense to work with our staff to harness their passions and areas of personal interest. Many Cranstoun developments have come about as a result of empowering our staff in this way. Also not forgetting that some of our most fruitful and productive partnerships are with our service users who bring their own expertise and lived experience to the table to better inform service development and delivery.
Successful partnerships are based on mutual respect, trust, a spirit of openness and genuine curiosity. They also require a shared purpose and vision and a real willingness to work together. We acknowledge that each partner brings skills and experience which benefits the work that we do. I have personally found my own professional understanding has increased exponentially as a result of Cranstoun’s partnerships. Indeed, our best partnerships have resulted in innovation and developments that we had not considered at the outset. It has added value to what both organisations provide and ultimately benefited those we exist to support – our service users. Win-win!