ECM Workbank – Every Community Matters Workbank
Who we are and how we work
ECM Workbank is a new employment model, it works a little like a bank, we encompass a variety of different professionals and skilled practitioners from across multi services who can be called upon by you; they are partners to ECM Workbank. ECM Workbank partners are “members” of the company employed on a zero hours contract. This style of working brings flexibility to choose the projects that they work on, collaborate with other partners and bid for tenders. They are employed and therefore have all the same cover, support and quality assessment as a full time employee, so you can draw them down to work without worrying about HR. ECM Workbank invests in each employee and provides public liability and public indemnity insurance and a CRB if working with vulnerable adults and children. We also provide comprehensive child and adult protection training, CAF training, health and safety training which incorporates risk assessment, and if appropriate, drug and alcohol training, disability training and first aid training. We want to make sure that all those who are a part of the service we provide are current, appropriately skilled and trained and can fit seamlessly into positions.
All those who come to be partners on the Bank have been recommended, have good references and the ECM Workbank management team visit projects to be assured of quality and ask commissioners for feedback.
ECM Workbank has also developed some key relationships with like-minded companies who care about working with the community and providing an excellent service. ECM Workbank partners with them to provide a wider service to those in the community. Examples of the partners we work with are, The Bay Trust CIC; working on environmental issues, Charlton Athletic; helping young people enjoy sport and build self esteem and Challenger Troop CIC; providing youth leadership and engagement projects to vulnerable young people.
Working in partnership we are able to share resources across a whole spectrum of work situations. We are able to pool creative ideas and support each other. This means that ECM Workbank is cost effective and we can work in an environmentally conscious way utilising excellent IT networking resources provided by another CIC partner Ether Social.
History
ECM Workbank was established 4 years ago with the help of Kent County Council to be a home for people who are self-employed and who provide services to the community. It was originally developed as part of the Children’s Workforce Development Council’s New Type of Worker Programme through a partnership between KCC and the Individual Learning Company. ECM Workbank was launched as an independent not-for-profit organisation in Spring 2009, separate from KCC. It is now working towards becoming a social enterprise. As a not for profit company you can rest assured that any surplus earned through working with your school or community will go back into the organisation to keep services going for young people, families and communities bringing a good social return on investment.
Diverse
Currently there is a wide network of partners, drawn from diverse variety of backgrounds including education, youth work, social services, health, police and the arts. Together partners offer a depth of experience and expertise at practitioner, managerial and strategic levels. ECM Workbank has 13 partners who have a learning disability and provide an expert point of view for many projects working in the area of disability.
Delivery of ECM Workbank activities is supported by a core team working on behalf of the partners. There is an advisory group of partners who give direction to the organisation and a steering group consisting of clients, commissioners and lead professionals who give the strategic input. ECM Workbank sits within The Innovation Consortium which is a group of SME and has access to mentors from large organizations as well as Cambridge and Oxford Fellows.
Core Values
Committed to providing high quality professional services.
To design creative bespoke solutions.
Be outcome focused.
Flexible.
Decisive.
To reinvest any surplus for the wider community.
We are working towards being carbon neutral.
We are working towards excellence as a Social Enterprise.
Objectives
Delivering a high quality, strategic solution.
Outcome driven with an emphasis on quality of service.
Affordable HR solution across varying sectors.
To build strong working relationships with public, private and third sector business.
To attract Partners through a structured referral process.
Committed to training and enhancing our Partner’s skills.
