News & Updates
MCF’s December 2022 Newsletter
Posted on
| Season’s Greetings from all at MCF As the year draws to a close, we would like to thank you all for your ongoing support over the last year and wish you every success in the coming year. This year has moved at a rapid pace as we have been able to come out of the constraints placed on us by Covid, and I have noticed that we have all relished the opportunities for in person events and meetings. It was lovely to be able to connect with many of you and we look forward to more in the coming year. I want to take this opportunity to celebrate some of our achievements with you, in the hope it will foster some new opportunities in 2023. Partnership working This is key to our core values. It is only by working together with other organisations that we can bring about real and lasting change. At MCF we are proud of our partnerships and without these, our work would not have the great impact it does. I cannot name all due the number we work with, all of which have been great, and we look forward to working with you all next year. I would also like to thank some of our funders and supporters who make this all possible – namely the Home Office, End Violence Against Children (EVAC), The Oak Foundation, BT, Garfield Weston, Google, North Yorkshire OPFCC and Indigo Trust. Lived Experience Group I am delighted to say that our Lived Experience Group (LEG) is growing from strength to strength, both in terms of influence and size. MCF has always prided itself on having all aspects of the operational organisation of the charity informed by those with lived experience. What was known as our ‘survivors’ group’ has been developed over the past year, under the leadership of our Victim and Survivors advocate Rhiannon-Faye, to be such a cohesive and influential part of MCF. This year members of the Lived Experience Group have created two new resources around supporting victims and survivors speaking about their experiences publicly, co-hosted the MCF Summer Seminar to launch those resources, participated in the Victims Bill Consultation, and also consulted on research with University of Swansea (Dragon-S project), University of Manchester/University of Edinburgh (iMinds project), and the Office for National Statistics (Crime Survey for England and Wales project). They also significantly contributed to our Annual Conference. We are actively seeking funding opportunities to further develop the depth and breadth of the LEG group influence so if you have any ideas, please contact us. Changes in MCF Not only has our LEG grown, but the staff team has had some significant changes too. Rushelle Reid moved into the new post of Partnership Manager, where she has been throwing herself into developing new partnerships both nationally and internationally. Rushelle has a real gift for networking and forging meaningful collaborative working relationships. Sarah Brown joined our team as Training and Development Manager. Her first task was not an easy one, but one she accomplished with style – organising our conference! For those of you who attended, I am sure you will agree, it was a resounding success. Lawrence Jordan joined MCF in 2021 and very quickly demonstrated his vast range of professional knowledge and experience. He has led many initiatives this last year, including a very successful programme of work with the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, North Yorkshire. He was also instrumental in ensuring the quality assurance of the pilot Harmful Sexual Behaviour Support Service which MCF ran in partnership with SWGfL and funding from the Home Office. In recognition of this, Lawrence has promoted to the role of Director of Services. Some of you may have noticed you have not seen as much of Daniel Laskey-Heard as usual this year. He has reduced his working hours at MCF to enable him to take on more responsibilities at home. Claire Cheeseman and Hazel Kirby, the two who keep MCF ticking over, managed to move us to fabulous new offices in Northallerton – they also achieved the unenviable task of clearing out the old office. As CEO, I admit to being very proud of the enthusiasm and experience that each member of the MCF team brings. We are a small but perfectly formed team that is made up of a blend of professional expertise in law enforcement, social work, education, and youth work. This frontline child protection experience, combined with lived experience, is why MCF is able to do the work it does so well. Trustees Last but not least, I would like to thank all our trustees for their continued dedication and support. We are fortunate in being governed by a very knowledgeable group of people who add value to the organisation. We have two new members this year, Oliver Dockray and Charlotte Aynsley. I welcome the expertise they bring and look forward to working with them in the coming year. All at MCF want to send you our festive season greetings and hope you all manage to have a well-deserved break. Vicki and the MCF Team |