The project issues
NCH has gone through a period of rapid growth and development as an organisation, and is now moving into a period of consolidation and re-balancing to ensure it continues to provide effective services to the most difficult to reach groups of children in the UK.

The IS services provided by NCH have also evolved rapidly over the last few years. A series of projects have delivered a unified infrastructure across the organisation, and NCH staff, volunteers and contractors are increasingly reliant on systems to support them in their work.

These changes pose a major challenge to NCH and require a new look at the way IS support is provided.

Socitm Consulting was asked to assist in the preparation and delivery of a number of ‘project products’. These included:

• Benchmarking the current IS Support Service
• User requirements for the IS Support Service
• Review Recommendations for the IS Support Service
• User Workshops
• IS Support Staff Workshops

The Socitm Consulting solution
Socitm Consulting analysed the current position by using benchmarking information from peer charitable organisations and Socitm’s extensive local authority benchmarking database. This analysis enabled us to produce a report which validated NCH’s position in comparison with similar organisations and provided a context for recommendations which would go into the final report.

From information gleaned from the staff and user workshops, user requirements were produced which covered the full spectrum of the organisation’s needs.

Through a number of Project Board meetings and discussions Socitm Consulting contributed to the debate of how to move the service forward against a background of extensive change and financial rigour.

The benefits to the client
Socitm Consulting’s extensive experience and expertise were critical in assisting an aspirational client in achieving their objectives. The Client was at a key period in its development, particularly in its use of information technology. Senior management needed to be aware of how to organise corporate ICT and the implications for operational performance. Socitm Consulting provided this awareness.

Project identification
Client organisation: NCH
Client contact: Brychan Watkins, Head of IS, 020 7704 7007, brychan.watkins@nch.org.uk
Lead consultant: peter.o-neill@socitm.gov.uk
Project no: 5806