Carers UK reports that 5 million people in the UK are juggling caring responsibilities with work – that’s 1 in 7 of the workforce. In reality, this number is likely to be far higher with carers reluctant to admit to their caring role for fear of stigma and an impact on career prospects and progression.Those with caring responsibilities develop a wide range of transferrable and valuable skills to the workforce, often unrecognised and undervalued. Their contribution to organisations is vast but without the right support, employees report high levels of burnout, presenteeism and low levels of job satisfaction resulting in resignations or job moves.
From a business perspective, it makes sense to recognise the strengths and challenges of all team members and ensure that they can work at their best.
From a human level, there is a moral responsibility to support employees holistically and not just from a place of improving performance so that they can live at their best inside and outside of their work roles.
Proud to have worked with…
At Santander Consumer Finance, we are committed to achieving an inclusive and supportive work environment for our employees. As part of this commitment, we are focused on raising awareness on disability and those who have caring responsibilities within the workplace.
We were delighted to invite Charlie Beswick to speak about the challenges and values of parent carers. Her powerful and informative session provided invaluable information and guidance on how managers and colleagues can provide support for team members.
Charlie obviously has a very inspiring and unique story to tell, but the experience I had working with her, was so much more than just this one element. Charlie worked with me and a number of our Account Managers, delivering a workshop on building resilience in our work life. Not only was Charlie wonderful to work with – she was able to suggest the most interactive group sizes and delivery medium to get the most out of the day – the content felt on point and bespoke for our needs.
the content was thought provoking, stirred very honest conversations and most importantly for me was very practical. I think with training on topics such as resilience it can be difficult to move to a clear ‘HOW’ we change – but the suggestions were usable, real and I know my people took a lot from the session. The HEART model is something that has really changed the way I, and our management team, coach people though difficult conversations or moments of poor self talk and has made those conversations far more productive and positive.
What a great session Charlie gave to my Business Developer students! There were clear messages and ‘take-aways’ delivered in Charlie’s energetic style and underpinned by her inspiring story.
Listening to an inspiring story is always great, but coming away with usable personal tools that can lead to behavioural change is always the ultimate goal. Charlie managed this superbly. Still to this day I am able to have discussions with my students about Charlie’s message and tools and how they have, and will have, influences on their life and practice.
I would highly recommend Charlie!
Charlie was an absolute pleasure to work with, a real professional that delivered a well-planned webinar that was thought-provoking and inspiring. She shared strategies that were really simple but effective and great tools for anyone to have.
I offer a variety of services for organisations
Education
Webinars are informative, awareness sessions and include time for Q & A at the end.
Motivation & transformation
Group mentoring and discussion work over several sessions facilitates personal growth and development in areas such as self-confidence and reducing mental overwhelm in ways that one-off sessions can’t always achieve.
I also run a selection of 30-minute sessions called ‘Tips in 20’ which cover suggestions and solutions to a variety of parenting issues. The information part is 20 minutes long and attendees are welcome to stay for an additional 10 minutes for Q&A. This is the perfect bite-sized advice session to develop a proactive, positive approach to a life that parents may never have expected and build resilience in the face of setbacks and challenges.
Examples of sessions so far
- Oh, for a flux capacitor – Dealing with worries for the future
- Chill out or burn out – The importance of self-care
- Lost and Found– Reclaiming self-identity
- The Momma Bear Effect – Advocating for your child
- Not my circus, not my monkeys – Dealing with the opinions of others
- Shall we dance? – Managing relationships when your child has SEND
Inspiration
Lunch and learn / sharing sessions encourage attendee participation and give practical tips and strategies for people to apply following the session. I am also available to deliver keynote speeches at away days or events.
Collaboration
Working with the appropriate personnel in your organisation, I can develop a parent newsletter at a frequency that suits your needs as well as reviewing and supporting developments in inclusion and parent carer policies and practices. Finally, where parent networks are not already established or are in the early stages, I work with appropriate teams to develop a thriving, engaging and rewarding parent network.
Examples of sessions that have been delivered.
- ‘Caring for the carers-lives touched by disability and diagnosis,
- ‘Parent power- 5 ways to build resilience,
- Understanding a parent’s perspective of the SEND system,
- ‘The CHART model’, dealing with change, challenge and pressure.
Information on each session is available on request.