Rebranding

It seems that most sensible people have been on leave this last week, and in this relatively quite period we are launching our re-branding. We wanted to give Surrey Youth Focus a more contemporary and purposeful look and I think we have achieved that - there is a great "ripped cover" edition of Surrey Youth News to look out for that introduces the new brand.

Of course, we have started a new financial year and whilst at present we have set a deficit budget I am hopeful that a couple of irons in the fire will come off sufficient for us to have a balanced budget at the year end (ie March 2014), so I am cautiously optimistic.

We are in the process of recruiting a Business Admin Apprentice to help raise our capacity (remembering that we are only 2.5 FTE) and now working well with Guildford College in this - there are 4 candidates. Blog readers may find the cost of an Apprentice to employers interesting, and I'll set these out next week.

I have had several excellent meetings this week about young people and mental health to assist me in writing a bid for the Consortium about developing a specific programme and training for voluntary sector youth workers about mental health and well being issues. Of course this has been the week when the Clinical Commissioning Groups have commenced (just 6 in Surrey). I predict now that within two years there will be a national press scandal about CCGs sending patients to companies in which the same doctors have a financial interest, and compromising their position as objective commissioners. It won't work..bring back PCTs! The serious strategic point that one sees in many sectors is the clash between giving localism and choice (academy schools, health, local government,) and Government's wanting to retain centralised control, and finding that localism generates too much disparity and cost, and so we see clusters form - of groups of academies and so on.

Busy week next week. I am on leave today..just one local meeting with Working Links...Mrs Abbott a bit irritated about work/home life balance..better go...have fun ...I am in the doghouse!

Mike