Chair
My name is Stef Kay, I am currently employed as CEO by Bethphage, a local charitable support provider, working with people with learning disabilities, mental health and other associated needs. I have worked for Bethphage, a local charity for the past eleven years; my previous role, up until March 2019, was Operations Director. The organisation employs 350 people and supports over 170 people across a range of different service types, including Day Opportunities, Care homes, supported living, shared lives and support in people’s own homes.
I have worked in the care sector for 35 years, I have spent 33 in the learning disability sector. I have seen huge changes in the time I have worked in the sector and the opportunities for people have changed significantly, however there is no room for complacency and there is still so much more to strive for. Better health is still on the agenda and the horrific abuse bestowed onto some of the most vulnerable people in society, which has been aired across various forms of media, continues to raise it's head. I want to continue to raise the profile of positive behaviour support across the organisation and the wider, local sector, to ensure that people who have different means of communicating, are valued and supported humanely and don’t receive negative experiences from the people meant to care for them.
My employment began as a support worker, working on hospital resettlement, since then I have occupied a number of different managerial roles, working for a large national charity as Head of Operations.
At Bethphage, I work with the executive management team and the board of trustees, to ensure the organisation delivers the best possible outcomes for the people we support, and achieves the organisational objectives and is aligned to our values and mission.
My current role of CEO involves the strategic overview of the organisation, identifying new business opportunities and organic growth as well as ensuring the people we support receive the best possible support from their staff and achieve their goals. I have learned a lot from the board of trustees, their experiences are diverse and different to mine. As volunteers they are very responsive, helpful and knowledgeable about business, which helps the executive team make informed decisions, using their support and insight. My focus for the organisation is the continued delivery of high-quality support services, through robust recruitment to attract the right people into the sector, continuous improvement through quality auditing and development and the delivery of person-centred support to the people who use our services.