Our staff champions
We launched our Staff Champions Network in April 2023, and since then, our champions have driven real progress and positive change across the organisation.
We have four groups of colleagues who come together to drive change in key areas for Connection Support and the wider community: Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion; Wellbeing; Client Involvement; and Environment and Sustainability.
Here's a look at some of their recent achievements over the year.
Client Involvement Champions
Our Client Involvement Champions have made impressive progress in embedding the client voice throughout our work. They’ve encouraged managers to involve clients in recruitment, aiming to include a client on every interview panel wherever timing and availability allow. This focus has seen client participation in interviews rise significantly - from 20% of all recruitment to 50%. During this time, we have engaged and trained more clients keen to get involved, and we’re continuing to build on this progress to make participation even more accessible in the future. To support this, the Champions have developed comprehensive guidance for hiring managers, and training sessions have been delivered to help prepare clients for taking part in interviews. Beyond recruitment, the Champions have also started organising monthly fishing trips in Oxfordshire and Milton Keynes, helping to build trust and encourage further engagement. These trips have been a huge success so far, with 19 clients attending.
Equality, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champions
Our EDEI Champions have led and supported a wide range of activities to celebrate and raise awareness of diversity across the organisation. Highlights include marking Black History Month and Pride Month with office displays, running activities for International Women’s Day, and joining Oxford Pride with a stall and parade. The group supported the Marketing Team’s impactful Refugee Week campaign, raising awareness of the challenges faced by displaced people and promoting our support services for refugees and asylum seekers. They also helped organise Razom Fest to celebrate Ukrainian Independence Day. In March 2025, we were proud to be recognised as a Disability Confident Employer. To achieve this, we made our recruitment and interview process fully inclusive with reasonable adjustments, shared interview questions, widened our advertising reach, delivered disability awareness training, and built a supportive culture through engagement, support groups, wellbeing days, and an open-door approach. Next, we’re aiming for Disability Confident Leader status, which means proving we’re delivering, monitoring, and improving on our commitments - for example, by offering apprenticeships and traineeships for people with disabilities and ensuring our policies and culture stay fully inclusive. It may take time, but we’re excited to keep building on the support we already offer our team.
Wellbeing Champions
Our Wellbeing Champions have introduced a range of initiatives to support staff wellbeing and create more positive working environments. In Milton Keynes, a traffic light system was rolled out to encourage a calm, respectful atmosphere, alongside a dedicated “Wellbeing Space” where staff can relax and recharge. The Aylesbury office received a refresh by providing additional computer screens and chairs to create a dedicated wellbeing space. The Wellbeing Champions also launched new initiatives, including the provision of sanitary products in every office, weekly mindfulness sessions, monthly Menopause and Neurodiversity peer support groups, and intranet articles covering stress management, workplace wellbeing, and men’s health. The team marked World Menopause Day in October with a dedicated online event that over 70 staff members attended. A standout moment of the year was our first-ever Wellbeing Festival, which saw fantastic staff engagement in activities like yoga, meditation, and art therapy. The event created a real sense of community and provided a much-needed opportunity for relaxation and connection. Several new Champions have joined the group as we move into the next financial year, and plans include organising another wellbeing festival, continuing the peer support groups, understanding how we can make our offices more psychologically informed, and continuing to shape our approach around staff wellbeing needs.
Environmental and Sustainability Champions
Our Environment and Sustainability Champions have been actively involved in a range of initiatives to help reduce our environmental impact. Their work includes engaging in discussions around new traffic controls in Oxford City, sourcing quotes for sustainable lighting and electric vehicle chargers at our offices, and reviewing our environmental and sustainability policy. They also supported the closure of our Witney office. The most complex and time-consuming task has been calculating Connection Support’s carbon footprint - a detailed process that required extensive data collection and technical analysis. With this now complete, we can set meaningful targets for the years ahead and benchmark our progress against similar organisations. In addition to this, the Champions are currently organising an energy audit of our properties to help us understand our environmental impact and shape future sustainability plans. They’re excited that we’re recruiting a Board sustainability lead to help drive this work forward.