Page 13 - Strategic Plan 24-29

S.W.O.T. Analysis: Strengths and Weaknesses

Internal strengths to be built on Internal challenges that we will need to address
• Skilled staff with extensive knowledge • Success is underpinned by team work and
consistency to give a trusted relationship. Staff
• Staff are ‘professional friends’ turnover, particularly at Simply Play, is putting this

• Passion and drive; dedication; caring at risk.
• Success is underpinned by team work and • Staff recruitment and retention – linked to rates of
consistency to give a trusted relationship. pay; part-time hours. Solution is to highlight the

• Ethos and culture – so positive and caring, honor- great work culture and non-cash benefits (already
ing staff as individuals and doing the right thing by doing)
them Because you want to, not because you have • Quality of staffing depends on the available pool –
to. some areas are really rich; some really poor
• Good caring employer, identifying opportunities to • Staff turnover has a negative impact on relation-
help, e.g. loans ships – within the team and with families

• Developing staff, helping people to get qualifica- • Demographic of the staff team is a worry – older
tions or very young, with not many in-between

• Opportunities for internal Q.A. • Loss of/inability to replace experienced staff who
are role models

• Great leadership team and some long-serving • Coping with demand and filling the gap from loss
staff, which gives depth of experience to build on of other services (e.g. Social Work); this gap is only
and use as a base to develop the younger team going to get bigger and bigger
members

• Leading voice in the sector in West Lothian and
beyond – well-respected ‘go to’ organisation – a • Communication internally and between teams; the
position that PW can continue to build on to new thematic leadership is helping to address this
protect services for the most vulnerable families
and move it in a positive direction
• Reputation – with families, statutory services,
within the sector and with funders
• Amazing ability to keep up to date in a complex
and ever-changing sector
• Community acceptance

• Dependable, responsive, flexible and quick to • As a parent, I don’t always know who is looking
adapt to the situation after my child at Simply Play because of staff
churn; this makes it harder to build relationships.
• Agility to respond to external context and growth A “who's who” would be good, but ever changing
and difficult to keep up to date

• Dual ability to progress family and child services • Building standards and upkeep/maintenance of
buildings, facilities and vehicles - long term
• Focus on play + learning new skills improvements and replacements, as well as

ongoing maintenance

• Clear mission and area of focus, which helps to • Maintaining motivation and morale, driving for-
avoid mission drift ward
• Having kept the focus on ‘play and families’ means • Succession planning – staff and Board
no mission drift, even for funding

• Unique offering of outdoor learning • Board recruitment, especially for the Family Centre

• Quality of service for kids and parents • Continuing to get funding and grants