Back to Work! – A blogpost by Emma Carruthers

It feels amazing to be back at YMCA Liverpool & Sefton, returning following maternity leave after having my beautiful daughter Edith!

I have returned to my role albeit on a part time basis as my ace ‘oppo’ Becky is covering the other elements of staff Learning & Development and is doing a brilliant job of supporting our colleagues to develop in terms of mandatory learning and personal development – which all contributes to how effective we are in continuing to support the people using our services.

I’m one of three Learning & Development Officers, and my role is to take forward training largely on an external basis as we are invested in developing capacity within our own teams as well as those of sector partners and wider community members. Our training offer is always evolving as we respond to requests for courses such as Mental Health First Aid, mental wellbeing and suicide prevention courses, as well as bespoke training depending upon requirements of recipient organisations. I have a real passion for all things physical and emotional health related in particular, along with homeless and voluntary sector specific learning.

I have just read our latest Annual Report, it’s been so great to hear how every single YMCA Liverpool & Sefton team member has been continuing to operate in their role, despite how the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted us in terms of how we have had to flex and adapt in order to be able to support people using our services (that often operate 24/7) who are some of the most vulnerable and excluded people in our society. I’m proud to work alongside a brilliant team of dedicated, caring and resilient colleagues who in turn work for a caring organisation that operates with genuine integrity in all that it does.

Watch this space for brand new training dates, and as ever if you would like us to run a course specifically tailored to your organisations’ needs, get in touch!