Sport and Physical Activity

People Culture Skills

SPORT FOR CONFIDENCE

Understanding what works well, and where their focus needs to be has been the main driver for Sport for Confidence to take up the People Culture Skills framework.

Sport for Confidence CIC mission is to support residents living with a long-term health condition and/or disability to participate in physical activity. Founded at Basildon Sporting Village in 2016 by Occupational Therapist Lyndsey Barrett, the organisation has grown quickly. Led by Operations Director, Jake Turner, they provide meaningful opportunities in a supported, safe and sociable environment.

Sport for Confidence are nationally recognised as an example of the power of whole system working across health, social care and leisure provision, to enhance wellbeing and prevent ill health in the hardest to reach communities.

staff consisting of Occupational Therapists and Sports Coaches

leisure facilities host adaptive physical activity sessions

12,000

participants are engaged in Sport for Confidence sessions annually

In 2022, Sport for Confidence attended the launch of the Active Essex People, Culture, Skills Strategy. Sport for Confidence reflected on how integral Active Essex have been in their advocating and over the years have build a really strong working partnership.

The People Culture Skills framework has helped the organisation take a step back, review and plan. In a fast-paced environment, and with a growing team, the diagnostic assessment and workshop highlighted what's going well, and where there is work to be done.

The team came away from the diagnostic assessment with some clear insights into pathways forward:

Develop work with volunteers in the future
Establish clear communication between coaches and volunteers
Provide structure to support volunteers effectively
Create a culture that is attractive and is a desirable environment to work in, to counteract remuneration (keeping up with NHS pay increases)

We’re at absolute capacity across most of our organisation and an extra pair of hands would really help our staff’s wellbeing as well as improving delivery. So now we’re scoping a new volunteer pathway. Our team will benefit and the volunteers will have a much better experience and stick around! I think this piece of work will be great for us, but it would have been at the bottom of the priority list if it hadn’t come up in this process.

Jake Turner, Sport for Confidence

As part of the People Culture Skills framework and organisational development programme, organisations have the opportunity to regularly check-in with others to share learning, successes and challenges. These events and workshops allow for deep learning and development in a structured and relaxed environment to ensure our sector can thrive.

Jake shared that he was now optimistic about the future, and felt this work had helped him and Sport for Confidence stay ahead of the curve in relation to the national sector, and their strong connection they have with health, leisure and sport, and it is important they now build the infrastructure to support their people, to enable growth in the next chapter.

Being part of the People Culture Skills workshop group makes me feel connected to the system. That’s important because if we have staffing problems, skills problems, then there's other people in there who can offer input from their experiences with apprenticeships or coaching. All of the organisations have common ground, and experience similar challenges and positives and successes, and we’ve made connections with universities through that group.

Jake Turner, Sport for Confidence