“I began to understand myself a lot better. I’ve forgiven myself and am beginning to forgive other people. I’ve let go of a lot of things. It’s allowed me to move forward. I’m 37 years old and I’m just learning who I am!” Aaron
Read our report: First Step – Annual Impact Report 2023-2024 Published
Implementing longer term aspirations remained our focus for this year, underpinned by a funding strategy designed to enable us to continue and develop our great work.
With the momentum of our 25th Anniversary year behind us, and a new strategic plan in place setting out the path ahead, we began the year
looking at how to strengthen the organisation so it could successfully implement changes and achieve the goals outlined in the plan.
With the support of the Lloyds Bank Foundation, we undertook an independent review of our activities and resource utilisation in all areas,
including salaried staff, trustees and volunteers. We examined how work pressures and split responsibilities within current posts impacted on organisational effectiveness and efficiency, and identified changes in the team structure that would provide a robust foundation for growth.
The resulting re-organisation including creating new roles that separate clinical and non-clinical activities, enabling the team to operate more
efficiently and accommodate greater capacity in service delivery.
We secured the additional funding required to implement new roles, and whilst the core salaried team remains small in number, the immediate short term benefits continued to evolve as the year progressed, and we now look forward to continuing to develop the team in order to
successfully implement future activities planned for the organisation.
As part of our commitment to remain a service that is available to all who need it, First Step’s Charitable Objects were updated to be more in
clusive and extend our reach beyond our geographical base to the whole of the UK. We now deliver video counselling services as part of the
national VAWG Project awarded to Mankind UK.
We organised and attended a number of important events during the year, supporting our partners and ensuring First Step continues to be
an active and influential participant in supporting male survivors of sexual violence and abuse.
In June, First Step attended the ECPAT International Global Boys Summit in Morocco, organised as part of the Global Boys Initiative (GBI) to
explore the sexual exploitation of boys and the services available for their protection. Through our participation a paper was published show
casing how First Step provides support to survivors to help them deal with the emotional impact of sexual exploitation and abuse.
Continuing our series of training and development events, in November we held a workshop ‘Working with sexualised trauma’, presented by
Zoe Lodrick, to over 50 practitioners and counsellors working across the sector, which was very well received by all who attended.
At the end of a busy and challenging period of change for First Step, Caroline Freeman stepped down after two years leading the organisation,
and we welcomed Beverley Radcliffe as our new CEO. Whilst only briefly in post before the year concluded, Beverley has been quick to embrace
the First Step culture and ethos, and we look forward to our continued growth and development in the year ahead.
All involved in First Step should take great pride in the positive impact they have made to the lives of those accessing our services. I would like
to express my thanks to our staff, fellow trustees, counsellors, sessional workers, volunteers and supporters for their continuing work on behalf
of everyone we support.
Mark Evans
Chair First Step Leicester Leicestershire & Rutland
Read our full 2023-24 Annual Impact Report
PDF copy: First Step – Annual Impact Report 2023-2024 Published