Huw John, chief executive of the Canmphill Village Trust60 seconds with... Huw John
Huw has recently been appointed as the first Chief Executive in 55 years for Camphill Village Trust.
What is your background?
I have 30 years of experience in the health and social care sectors, starting out in a variety of front line roles, such as working in a homeless shelter, as a psychiatric nursing assistant and youth worker. I then worked in learning disability care as a carer, and senior carer. In the 80's I moved into development roles that focused on paid employment and social opportunities for people with learning disabilities. As a manager I was also involved in the closing down of the old institutionalised facilities for learning disability care and the development of supported living schemes.
I was chief executive of Joint Manchester Care for over eight years in which time it moved from a Local Authority service to a not-for-profit organisation, developing and delivering a range of services to older people across the North West.
Then, having always wanted to try working for myself, I set up as a free lance consultant, working predominantly with the NCF, providing a range of support to PCTs, LA's and operators, but mainly focusing on development and modernisation programmes. I also set up a specialist marketing company for health and social care which is still in practice. And now here I am, on day one, at Camphill Village Trust (CVT).
What are your priorities?
My first priority is to discover and capture the views, ambitions and concerns of the service users, co-workers and staff.
My second is to support the charity to establish its current place and direction in the ever changing social care world. The fact this post was created, the first chief executive in 55 years, recognises the pressures that CVT face.
The third is to take the organisation forward with confidence, building upon the amazing history and achievements in support and social enterprise models. CVT, like many charities does need to embrace change, but the Charity's unique past must be respected and acknowledged.
What challenges and opportunities do you see?
As for everyone, maintaining and developing services in the current economic climate is the challenge. The constant changes in regulation, commissioning and funding are key issues and we need to acknowledge external pressures whilst continuing to support internal transformations.
However, I am very excited to be part of the future of CVT and to have the opportunity to engage positively with CVT and our external partners, regulators and commissioners. I want to re-introduce Camphill to the sector. We know that we have to adapt, develop and make our voice heard, and it is our responsibility to tell people that we are on a journey.
What would you change about the care sector?
The third sector has an increasingly important role in social care, but at present I think there is a gap between Government rhetoric and the economic reality. I would like to see the third sector provided with the realistic resources, opportunities and respect that enables us to protect valuable services whilst developing new support models.
How do you like to spend your weekends?
Like most parents, I am a taxi service! At this time of year I am working on our allotment, preparing it for the growing season, and I coach junior rugby on Sundays. I am from Gower in South Wales and my family like to get back there as much as possible to be by the sea, it's our magic place.
This article was first published in Care Management Matters, March 2011, and is reproduced with kind permission of the editor. Visit CMM