PRINCES TRUST CASE STUDY

Prior to adopting Info Exchange, The Prince’s Trust didn’t have an in-house digital system, with the majority of its internal processes being paper based.  This caused work duplication, prolonged working methods and an inability to review data effectively.

Andy Griffiths, Head of Health, Safety and Safeguarding, said: “We were quickly outgrowing our old procedures and required a modernised system that enabled us to share data and gain a deeper understanding of any incidents that occur”. Andy also found that stakeholders tended to think their responsibility ended when they completed the paper-based form. However, this was not the case and employees needed to recognise and understand that their responsibility extended beyond this to follow up actions and proactive responses to ongoing incidents. 

Another challenge The Prince’s Trust had was around the strength of the data available to them. On occasions, this impacted on the charity’s ability to demonstrate the value of its work in a wat that was tangible and could be clearly understood by senior stakeholders.

Commenting on the improved access to data that Info Exchange has enabled, Andy says: “The quality of data available previously was really challenging, meaning we weren’t able to showcase the great job we do.  We also couldn’t easily identify what caused particular problems, so rectifying this was challenging. Info Exchange has completely transformed this, allowing us to download a range a quality data, which gives the team a better chance of preventing future problems and allows us to clearly demonstrate our work.”

A big part of the charity’s function is safeguarding young people from incidents and harm, meaning there is a moral and legal responsibility to ensure those in its care are looked after. The Prince’s Trust is dedicated to continuously improving this service and has found that Info Exchange has allowed the charity to completely overhaul its reporting process. The new system helps the Trust to collect far more vital information and, therefore, identify a lot more issues facing thousands of young people. Furthermore, the broader team are supported with an automated email notification to alert them when a new problem has been uploaded, ensuring nothing is missed and that young people get the support and guidance they need.

Bringing a new system into a company that has used the same paper-based processes for 40 years can be challenging.  However, the ease with which Info Exchange has integrated into their operation means that is was welcomed by all members of the team. “The software is very highly regarded and plays an integral part of the team’s work”, says Andy. “We expected some initial teething problems as staff learned how to navigate themselves around the new dashboard, however, these quietened down much more quickly than I had predicted”.

With Info Exchange’s new scheduled reporting system, Andy has been able to save around one day per month in administration time, as it will automatically generate comprehensive email reports, rather than Andy and the team creating these manually.  What’s more, it allows staff to structure their own consolidated reports, giving the entire company confidence in the system.

Overall Info Exchange has significantly improved The Prince’s Trust’s internal systems and practices, allowing them to continue safeguarding young people, prevent accidents and improve health and safety as a whole. Commenting on the implementation, Andy says: “It’s honestly been a massive game changer. Both adopting the new system and partnering with Alcumus; it’s changed the charity for the better.  The work we do here at The Prince’s Trust is so vital and depended upon by thousands of young people, so it’s imperative that our systems can continue to support and protect them.”

Find out more about Alcumus Info Exchange’s Health and Safety Software today.