Our mission
Our services give people the stability, support and challenge which they need to enable them to realise their full potential
We specialise in preventative, community based services, giving people the stability, support and challenge which is often required in order to enable them to realise their full potential. We deliver a range of projects promoting the well being of children, young people, adults and families alike.
Our activities, both charitable and publicly funded are delivered within three broad headings:
- Community Safety – helping people to feel safe
- Housing Services – helping people to keep a roof over their heads
- Advice, Guidance and Advocacy – helping people to be heard
With our headquarters in Ipswich, we deliver services across Suffolk and into Norfolk and Essex, with satellite offices across the region. We offer a spectrum of flexible and interconnected support services, ranging from longer term Intensive Support, through to a series of bespoke services, tailor made to meet Service Users’ needs, such as short term Money Advice.
We have a large team of nearly 130 volunteers who we are very proud of: their level of specialist training as well as their commitment is outstanding and we appreciate their dedication – we could not successfully deliver some of our services without them.
We are an Investors in People Bronze Standard organisation and hold Investors in Diversity Award at Level 2; in 2017 we were ranked 66th out of 100 top companies in the UK for our approach to equality & diversity by the National Centre for Diversity. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable adults and young people, an equal opportunities employer which values diversity and expect all our staff and volunteers to share these commitments.
In delivering our strategic objectives, Anglia Care Trust seeks to bring about positive changes in our operating environment. To assist us influence such change, we work collaboratively with other agencies and are an active member of the Suffolk Congress. The Suffolk Congress is a collaborative network which is open to all voluntary and community sector groups in Suffolk. It enables communication, challenge and action. The Congress is committed to working alongside statutory agencies and other stakeholders, in a partnership of equals, to provide practical solutions to enhance the lives of the people of Suffolk. The Congress believes that by speaking collectively our voice will be heard.
For more information about the Suffolk Congress visit www.thesuffolkcongress.org.uk
Our history
ACT has been operating for over 40 years and began to support prison leavers with finding accommodation. Read how we’ve evolved and now offer a huge range of services to all individuals and families.
ACT has been operating for over 40 years. Based in Suffolk, we started as a group of like-minded individuals who thought there must be something more that could be done to help offenders upon their release from prison. We provided supported housing and helped them back into education and employment.
As time has gone on, we have expanded our services to help all vulnerable people in the community in many different ways. Our services give people the stability, support and challenge which they need to enable them to realise their full potential.
Our team
ACT employs over 60 staff and has around 130 volunteers who are based across the region. We regularly host student placements from UCS in years 1 and 2 of their BA (Hons) Social Work degree.
Our staff are our most important asset and, alongside our volunteers, deliver all of our services to people and families who need our support. Our team have come to us with varying degrees of experience in many different fields, all of which has been valuable to their current roles. Several members of our team began joined us after volunteering for a while.
Because of the nature of the work we undertake and the vulnerable people that we work with, we adhere to a strict Safer Recruiting Policy. In addition, all staff and volunteers must undertake a satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check which is renewed every three years.
If you are interested in a career with Anglia Care Trust, please return to our website regularly for current vacancies, follow us on social media or email [email protected]. We recruit for volunteers all year round, running several intakes throughout the year. If being a volunteer with ACT is of interest to you, in whatever capacity, and for as many hours as you can spare, please either complete an application form which you will find on our support us page, or call the team for a chat on 01473 622888.
Our recruitment policy is very much about finding the right person for the right job – some of our work is very unique and previous experience is hard to find. If you feel strongly that you are that right person, please apply and convince us that you are!
For an idea of the way in which our team is made up, take a look at our current team structure
Our Trustees
Anglia Care Trust is governed by our Board of Trustees who meet at least four times a year. As well as the main Board, we have three Board Committees who meet on a quarterly basis
As well as the main Board, we have four Board Committees who meet on a quarterly basis:
- Governance
- Finance
- Human Resources
As well as attending the Committees and Board meetings, our Trustees attend our Service User Forums which are held at least 6 times a year. It is at these meetings that our Service Users can inform the Board of their view on current and future services, ensuring their views are heard at Board level and inform and influence the strategic direction of the charity.
Our Trustees come from diverse backgrounds, each bringing with them different skills and experiences from their varying careers.
For more information on how ACT is governed, please click on the button below
Please find below information on each of our trustees:
Colin Shiers
Colin is a retired Company Director who spent his career in the electronics industry (defence & industrial) rejuvenating established companies and during this time helped young managers to realise their potential and develop their careers.
He retains an interest in developing small businesses and the careers of former employees and is a volunteer Appropriate Adult for ACT. He joined the Board in November 2006 and became Chair of the Board in December 2014.
Ann Bryant
Ann has a background in local government management and environmental health. In 2010 she left Ipswich Borough Council, retrained and embarked on a new career in education, training and coaching. She now works for Realise Futures Learning and Development and also undertakes some freelance work.
Ann joined the Anglia Care Trust board in November 2009 and in December 2014 became Vice Chair. She chairs the Governance Committee and is also a member of the Human Resources Committee.
Colin Reid
Colin’s career was in schools; he taught History and directed a project in Peace Education financed by the Leverhulme Trust. He was then a Head Teacher for over twenty years, edited a series of books for teachers and chaired the Boarding Schools Association.
Since retirement, he has been a volunteer Appropriate Adult for Anglia Care Trust and has taken Open University master’s courses in criminology. He has been Chair of the Independent Monitoring Board of the juvenile prison at Warren Hill and is still a member of the Board while also interviewing prospective prison monitors across Eastern England. Colin joined the ACT Board in November 2006 and was Chair from November 2008 to November 2011. He sits on the Finance and Governance Committees.
Sue O’Gorman
Sue has many years’ experience of operational and strategic management in a wide range of adult learning settings. These include the post of Deputy Dean in a University in London, Director of an awarding body in Oxfordshire and manager of the local authority adult learning service in Suffolk.
Her most recent employment was with the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) where she undertook a number of different roles including Regional Programme Director for the East of England. She managed the Community Learning Innovation Fund and previously the Adult and Community Learning Fund. These were both national funds supported by the Skills Funding Agency and designed to support projects which maximise the impact of community learning on the social and economic well-being of individuals, families and communities, particularly the most disadvantaged of these.
Sue serves as a trustee for the Open College Network Eastern Region, acts as a Volunteer Specialist for the National Trust, and is a Volunteer Advisor for Citizen’s Advice. She joined the Board of ACT in November 2013 and is a member of the Finance and Human Resources Committees.
Stuart Sumner
Stuart has a background in finance and is a qualified accountant who also holds an MBA. He has worked in the logistics industry for over 20 years in a number of finance and operational roles and is currently the Compliance Director for a multinational organisation.
Stuart joined Anglia Care Trust in 2013 as an Appropriate Adult volunteer and then went on to join the board of trustees in December 2014. He is Chair of the Human Resources Committee.
The formalities
As a charity, transparency is key to everything that we do
For our current Business Plan for 2016 – 2019, please click the button below
For our latest Trustee’s Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2016, please click the button below
