RoadPeace looks to have been screwed from it’s very foundation.
Meeting 1 of the attempt to save RoadPeace. You’ll know who I am, I’m the gobby one. Youtube link
- A group of Trustee’s who no longer understood what the role of charity was anymore.
- Staff, who were given just 3 hours notice of end of business in January, people who in some cases has given over a decade of their life to the charity in various capacities.
- Staff final pay checks were late, by nearly a week.
- No finances had been tracked for an undisclosed amount of time.
- The finance trustee left, and the charity couldn’t get the training in place to replace them.
- The leader of RP tried to take charge of the Rescue group.
- No thought to the shear impact this has had on it’s staff and community.
- The legal panel were not even approached about anything going wrong, they were as surprised as staff were.
The whole thing was shocking. However, through a handful of these meetings, it looks as though ideas have been taken on board and a successor group is forming. I can only hope it sticks to it’s tenants of being a grass roots movement and avoids the perils of RoadPeace. It is, however, being influenced by the founder of RoadPeace. This is a major reason as to why I stepped away. In the name of transparency, this was my final email.
Hi all,
I am going to be rather negative here, the intention is constructive (not personal) even if potentially rather harsh.
1, Any email that goes out, needs to let people know that this is NOT the sole successor to RoadPeace and should at least attempt to include alternative groups which exist and provide a better immediate solution for them. Any worries of “splitting the membership” need to be thrown away. It is not this groups membership to control, whether or not it is the ordained successor.
Off the top of my head:
- East Midlands, last I heard was working with Brake
- Siblings group, is going its own way.
- West Mids and West Mercia likewise going their own way.
- Northern groups, apologies to whom it was, but I’m sure someone said that some of the Northern groups are either joining Brake or going their own way.
EDIT: thinking about this again, this should just be a list of the support groups and who/how to contact them.
This email needs to be members first, not a push to send people towards 1 group which may not be able to support their needs.
We need to be aware that some people receiving this email will be very vulnerable, some of which only just accepting what has happened to RoadPeace, and willing to throw as much money as possible towards any solution that may bring back their support network. No call for donations should be in this, it should solely be sign posting towards the different groups that have sprung up. It is a safeguarding nightmare.
In essence, this email should be one of the following:
- Explainer of what has happened and Signpost ONLY
- A sincere apology from all Trustees
- Not happen
2, Why haven’t liquidation details been sent to staff? They are quite literally getting their updates through me. The longer that goes on, the longer people will have to wait to get any statutory support. The only benefit this push back has, is retaining use of the email DB for the use of this group. My knowledge of the system is that support only counts from date of liquidation and not the date of “end of business” so staff could effectively get less than they are owed. The longer this goes on, the chances of tribunal increase exponentially, and ACAS are already aware of the situation.
3, Again, I understand Brigitte’s importance to RoadPeace, however, running everything past her effectively makes this RoadPeace 2. Surely, the intention of this group is to not make a sequel but to make a successive group that improves upon the model of the previous group. She was still part of trustee board that was the downfall of RoadPeace, no matter the amount of involvement she actually had, she was part of it. If her involvement was so low, she should have stepped down or stepped up. My stance is still that NO trustee’s should be involved beyond ensuring RoadPeace liquidates in a timely manner.
4, ` There have also been views that the name RoadPeace is precious and that there has been no negative publicity about the charity's work` Not in the public eye no. However, MP’s have been made aware about what has happened, multiple institutes are aware and are blacklisting the RoadPeace name, like I mentioned in the previous meeting. Carrying on the name, doesn’t signal change. To members, perhaps they will not know anything, but to those controlling the funding, they know enough not to touch the name again.
5, The Hotline, as my self and someone else pointed out (David I think, apologies if not), should not be a central point right now. The infrastructure and funding required for this, will not be doable in a short timeframe. As a 24 hour hotline, you will need multiple people volunteering their time to pick up the phone around the clock. They must have lived experience, safeguarding training, be trauma aware, follow GDPR and so many other policies must be in place even if completely voluntary. Advertising it now, I feel, is very premature.
6, The wider picture is that this group is not equipped to do more than act as organising core (apologies to group leaders in the group), group leader skills will have to be relied on. To say that this is the replacement join us and it will be ok feels disingenuous. Expectations must be clear that this group is an organising body of local support groups NOT the 1-2-1 replacement that could be inferred from the naming that Brigitte has chosen.
7, Speaking with some staff:
- Staff at least, have finally, received their final paycheck (as of Tuesday/Wednesday). I’m snowed under with several projects that need my attention at the minute so apologies for not bringing this up sooner.
- Staff will not willingly work with this successor group.
- Partially due to being left out of the initial talks
- Partially due to lack of transparency with anything, they aren’t being told anything, haven’t been kept in any kind of loop.
- Staff do not want any fundraising; they want the charity to liquidate so they can get the proper support. Any donation money they receive can affect government support, so I advise not doing this unless you know for certain that staff are ok with it AND it will not affect any government support. Making these kinds of decisions without their knowledge is not the right way to start anything. I know for a fact, that some of the staff would be mortified that the community are being asked to donate to them.
8, There is no harm in sending out a form for people to fill in to be made aware of updates (or be explicitly forwarded to various groups), for this group in particular that would be case of legitimately collecting emails for use, however as the plans are organisational in nature GDPR must be complied with. Other points above also withstanding. Letting RoadPeace fall and then properly organise with local leaders would be the more grass-roots friendly option.
Ultimately, there is nothing wrong with taking time with this. It is a hugely delicate operation with many moving parts and policies to be aware of, as long as people are kept in the loop (transparency being key) and the local support groups continue on as they have been during and post RoadPeace. What is the rush other than being able to use the members database?
With all of the above and a simple lack of time on my behalf, I cannot be a member of the rescue group/council going forwards. I wish you all the best with this and hope that the staff a kept more in the loop in future.
Thanks,
Damon