Case Study: Cancer Support Centres and Services February 2023

What is the name of your Training Network? 

Cancer Support Centres and Services Training Network

What is the goal of your Training Network? 

The goal is to deliver a coordinated personalised training programme to Trustees, managers, staff and volunteers of Cancer Support Centres and Services nationally. Members of this network are charities /community groups that deliver a very specific service and to have a personalised programme to meet these specific needs was very important.

What activities have you been doing to work towards that goal?  

During 2022 the Network delivered 9 x 3 hour training courses with an average of 21 attendees per course. The content had been decided on by the Network Committee – a representative group of 12 members.

What have been the successes for you so far?

The success of the Network can be seen by the attendance as well as the feedback received in the evaluations.

Of particular note has been the recorded resources. With changes in personnel in organizations, these training sessions have been invaluable for training new staff. Especially in the areas of Governance, Policy Development, Budget preparation.

Have there been any challenges? 

One challenge was the different levels/experience that attendees had. Some organisations have full time staff and some are volunteer lead. Having detailed course outlines and clear learning outcomes were very important in allowing network members choose the most appropriate person to attend the training.

What value does being involved in the Training Links Network bring to your network members? 

There was huge value in being involved with this project over the last 12 months. The network is made up of colleagues from similar services nationally and we all share similar experiences and challenges. We were all facing unprecedented challenges in running our services after COVID and the networking opportunities were very beneficial as we navigated these challenges.

Is there anything else you would like to add? 

Testimonials from trainees:

Excellent presentation and very well linked to our sector.
Excellent speaker pitched perfectly for the audience with really good explanations made everything simple
Excellent workshop - really enjoyed it especially working in the smaller groups and everyone's participation. The facilitator is fantastic. Thank you so much.

I felt the facilitator was very informed and educated and the content very useful for newer centres or newer people in the sector.
Very good session. I found the examples used very practical and easy to transfer into my work