work. your way. - poppy factory...work. your way. impact report 2017 5349 03.03.17 5 ed 210x210 yes...

Work.Your way.

Impact Report2017

5349 03.03.17 5 Ed 210x210 Yes No

5349 The Poppy Factory Impact Report 2017_Main Section Single Pages_V05.indd 1 14/03/2017 16:39

Work mattersGetting back into work is about more than just getting a job.

It’s about gaining independence, self-respect and purpose. It’s about making friends, learning new skills and becoming part of a team.

In fact, it’s about many of the things that automatically come with a career in the Armed Forces.

But for many ex-Service personnel, finding or staying in work in the civilian world is a challenge. This is especially true when trying to cope with mental and physical health issues.

We’re here to help. To give ex-Service men and women the support that they need to get back into work and to help employers realise that the best appointment they’ll ever make could be a veteran with a disability.

But we need your help to do that because, when we work together, the results can be truly life changing.

17,000 disabled ex-Service men and women of working age are without employment

Over 25% of our veterans are presenting both mental and physical health conditions

85% increase in number of individuals registering with us in 2016 compared to 2015

“I applied for a lot of jobs… but having ticked medically discharged, just didn’t get in the door.”

Casper

“I’d tried to commit suicide three times and I couldn’t work for even an hour a day. I was either full on or full off.”

Mark


“He got me back

on my feet and

helped me every

step of the way.”

Chris


made by hand last year by our team of disabled veterans, dependents, home-workers and volunteers (up 10%)

12.5million poppies

seeking our support since Getting You Back to Work began in 2010

2,000+new individuals the number of job

starts last year

173


A new way of workingThe Poppy Factory is the UK’s leading employment charity for veterans from all Services with health conditions or impairments.

Disabled veterans count on us to find them great career opportunities, helping to restore their financial independence through rewarding and sustainable work.

Of course, we started with The Poppy Factory itself. Today, our headquarters in Richmond employs over 30 veterans and dependents with health challenges to produce Remembrance products for The Royal British Legion.

We are developing new ways to create a modern workplace where all staff are empowered to succeed and be happy. We want to become a model employer and to show other employers what an inclusive workplace really looks like. We’re proud to be the first charity to have earned the MOD’s Employer Recognition Scheme Silver Award and we’re now aiming to go one better and earn a gold award.

Our priority is to support the 17,000 disabled veterans of working age who are currently unemployed into the jobs they want, where they want. To do this, we offer a free and highly-personalised Getting You Back to Work employability service across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

We have been doing this for 7 years now, supporting hundreds of individuals back into fulfilling employment. We have seen, listened and learnt a lot – and we have used scientific research to evolve our employability service to get the best results for our veterans. This has led us to adopt the evidence-based ‘Individual Placement and Support’ (IPS) model to improve outcomes and build successful, long-lasting relationships between disabled veterans and their employers.

“I am forever grateful to The Poppy Factory for helping me get back on my feet again.”

Gregg, Poppy Factory production team

“Without The Poppy Factory, I don’t think I would be in work at all. They helped with CV writing, job applications, how to write an eye-catching cover letter, training for interviews. I am able to support myself now.”

Ralph, employed with help from The Poppy Factory


Mark’s storyThe Army was Mark’s life until a severe brain injury forced his early discharge. Mark’s injuries left him unable to concentrate and terrified of loud noises. He found it difficult to control his emotions and became aggressive if he felt threatened.

Despite this, he learnt new IT skills which led to a successful job with British Aerospace. However, his mental health issues returned after changing jobs and he decided to return home to Hull. A new job didn’t last long and Mark was soon facing the loss of his home and marriage.

Transforming livesWhile on Facebook he saw a link to The Poppy Factory. He clicked on it and was registered that day, with Giles Harrison assigned to be Mark’s Employability Consultant.

Their first 3 hour phone call was “A life-changing moment”. Giles recognised that Mark was suffering from ‘Hypervigilance’ a condition which makes people feel constantly tense and ‘on guard’. He also knew the local jobs market and helped Mark to revamp his CV, cover letters and interview techniques.

A brighter futureWithin 2 days, Giles had lined up 2 interviews. More importantly, Giles recognised that Mark had the aspiration and drive to be his own boss and worked with him towards that goal. Now Mark has been offered a 50% stake in a new café in a sports centre specialising in rehabilitation.

Giles is there with ongoing support and the future is looking much more positive for Mark. He’s giving back to the community too, doing charity work for homeless people and undertaking an annual Land’s End to John O’Groats charity bike ride.

“He nailed it straight away… nobody else knew what I’d been going through, but Giles knew who I was and where I was coming from. After that call I knew I wasn’t alone.”


Working togetherA lot of work goes into making IPS work. But the most important thing is that it does work.

That’s why more and more ex-Service people are asking for our help. In fact, last year 835 individuals used our employability service. That’s a 58% increase on the year before.

We want to be there for them, but we need your help to fund our work because every minute spent talking to those veterans, understanding their unique needs, identifying and visiting potential new employers, building new relationships and finding new jobs, is vital to the process.

130,000 miles a year

our team travels to meet veterans face-to-face in their communities

623number of new veterans registering for our employment service in 2016

Over 22,000 minutes spent on vocational profiling calls to newly-registered veterans in 2016


Work with usWhilst we’ll always be known for the poppies and wreaths we make in our factory, our work now takes our Employability Consultants across England and Wales, helping some of the hardest-to-reach individuals in our society.

To change the lives of thousands of unemployed, disabled veterans, we need a sustainable income. That means we need supporters and fundraisers from every corner of the country to help us fund our life-changing work for ex-Service people with health conditions.

Last year, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall helped us to celebrate our 500-veteran milestone, and our Armed Forces Day celebratory concert in Richmond was a great success. Hundreds of people enjoyed our social events in 2016.

For the coming year, we already have a number of great events lined up, from marathons to cycle rides and sky dives. You can find out more about our events and volunteering opportunities on our website.

Every new supporter is vital and we need more individuals and organisations to spread the word and join in our fundraising events around the country.

www.poppyfactory.org

195,000 feetHow far our charity skydivers fell in 2016!


Working with othersWe are working closely with senior government ministers across health and welfare departments in an effort to share knowledge and shape the best possible, holistic support for our veterans.

The Poppy Factory also chairs the Wounded, Injured and Sick (WIS) Veterans Employment Group, which brings several major charities and employers together with government representatives to identify any overlaps, gaps or opportunities in the sector. We are also key members of Cobseo and will be part of the new Veterans’ Gateway when it launches later this year.

As part of our efforts to transform employers’ thinking about disability in the workplace, we are developing valuable resources and guidance for employers around the country, such as our recently-launched Employers Toolkit.

We are developing our communications to reach and engage with more disabled veterans as we grow. To this end, we have a new website, we attend more events and we’ve built strong relationships with referral organisations across the country to get help to those who need it most.

of our veterans in Wales report a Physical Health condition

77%

of our veterans in London report a Mental Health condition

71%

Our top referrers in 2016:


Message from the ChairmanThis remarkable Impact Report shows just how successful The Poppy factory is at what it does. Everyone who works for us and with us, in whatever role, can be immensely proud of what they achieve together at this wonderful charity.

A Strategy for SuccessAs we change and improve we have put in place a new 5-year strategy based on 3 key pillars.

Employment Our home in Richmond is a place of truly inspiring work. However, the building is outdated and we plan, supported by the people of Richmond, a major transformation to provide a modern, inclusive and productive environment for all members of staff.

EmployabilityWe will develop and grow our employability service to best meet the needs of disabled veterans. Using the IPS methodology, we will improve outcomes, sustainability rates and build awareness of the work we do.

Insight and InfluenceWe will reach out to, and engage with, new and more diverse audiences. We will share our stories and best practice, and help employers to develop inclusive employment policies. We will also work with partner organisations in the charity and disability space to maximise the effect of our work with veterans.

Each year, we help increasing numbers of disabled veterans into work or help them on the path back to work. As a result, last year we were the first charity to earn the Employer Recognition Scheme Silver Award. Our 5-year plan sets out how we intend to do much more to transform the lives of even greater numbers of our veterans going forward.

We are incredibly grateful to everyone who supports us to change the lives of those we help.

Mark Perowne FRICS Chairman


The Poppy Factory, 20 Petersham Rd, Richmond, Surrey TW10 6UR | Tel: 020 8940 3305

Registered Charity No. 225348

CobseoThe Confederation of Service Charities

@poppyfactory/ThePoppyFactorypoppyfactory.org Find us on LinkedIn


work. your way. - poppy factory...work. your way. impact report 2017 5349 03.03.17 5 ed 210x210 yes...

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