This year, we began to embed our client involvement and volunteering strategy across the organisation. We successfully implemented the first phase by progressing our client involvement champion roles. The purpose of these roles is to embed client involvement effectively within the organisation and to empower colleagues to contribute to the initiative. We also successfully launched our Peer Mentoring Initiative in Milton Keynes. Four former clients participated in training sessions to become Peer Mentors, using their lived experience to support current clients. Looking ahead, learnings from launching this initiative, paired with both our clients' and peer mentors' experience, will inform the expansion of this initiative across the other geographical areas we work in.

"The survey results showed that 90% of respondents would recommend volunteering with Connection Support to a friend, and 90% said they felt valued at Connection Support."

The Volunteer Coordinator team worked to strengthen our processes around volunteering. This was done so we could ensure that the people volunteering with us have a positive experience of doing so.

We surveyed our volunteers to better understand what we were doing well and what we could do differently.

The results showed that 90% of respondents would recommend volunteering with us to a friend, and 90% said they felt valued by Connection Support. Overall, these results are incredibly positive, but they highlight an opportunity for us to develop our strategy further to ensure those engaging with us have an increasingly positive experience.