Ten years earlier I had starting working at the Family Planning Association, as a complete novice when it came to young people, sexual health and sex education. Right from the start of my time in the sector I had been impressed by Brook's approach, Brook's values and Brook's people. I particularly valued the way Brook used its experience of their work with young people in clinics to inform publications, education and their policy and advocacy work.
Brook's direct experience of working with young people in clinical and education settings means the organisation is naturally forthright and outspoken because Brook speaks of young realities and the truth for the thousands of young people we see each week. During my time as CEO it is that innate trust of young people and the commitment of everybody at Brook – from young volunteers, to clinic support workers, to the Board of Trustees – to say what needs to be said, however palatable or not it be for some, that continues to inspire me.
When I started seven years ago I knew there were 17 Brook organisations licensed by 'Brook Central' and that I was the guardian of the brand. What that actually meant in practice, if I hadn't realised it already, I soon knew I had a lot to learn. Some key points along our journey as an organisation at a national level over the last seven years are set out below. At local level our services have developed, changed and evolved in response to young people's needs in that local context.
2006
Securing funding to undertake the ‘2020 – building a robust Brook Network for the next decade’ research and insights programme. This research with staff, clients, commissioners and customers was designed to inform Brook's strategy.
2007
Submitted a strategic capacity building application to Private Equity Foundation. Although ultimately unsuccessful in securing the funding, the process of development involved input from New Philanthropy Capital, one of the PEF sponsors, and Bain and Company. The Department of Health provided almost half the required funding to invest in strategic development and capacity building of the Brook Network.
The first ever Leaders' Conference in November was the beginning of a major dialogue between Chairs and CEOs/Directors of the 17 Brook charities about shared strategy, clarity of purpose, effective collaboration and quantifying mutual value as a Network.
2008
After much heated discussion and debate we launched a new visual identity (the one we currently have), and used this as the basis for redeveloping our publications range including our popular Ask Brook… booklet range.
We launched the first ever Brook Awards which ultimately preceded the UK Sexual Health Awards.
2009
Following extensive debate, the Brook Network launched our shared strategic framework for the next ten years (2009 – 2019). This framework marked a shared commitment to:
- unify our charitable goals and delivery models
- double the number of young people we have direct contact with from 200,000 per year to 400,000 per year
- involve young people in everything we do
- focus on quality, evidence and improvement – operationalised through a license agreement which was reviewed by a working group of Trustees and CEOs/Directors.
Hot off the heels of the Strategic Framework publication the national Board instructed me to lead a review of Brook's organisational design and governance structure to ensure we were 'fit to deliver'.
Eve Martin was appointed as Chair mid-way through the review process.
2010
Following extensive research, consultation and engagement with staff, Trustees and young people, almost 150 Trustees of 16 Brook organisations agree to become a unified Brook organisation with a single accountability and governance structure.
The review was funded by FutureBuilders, Department of Health and the Network of Brook Charities. Bain and Company provided pro bono advice through the process.
A shadow Brook Board was elected from Trustees across the Network.
Following a change in law and regulation all Brook services in England were registered with the Care Quality Commission.
2011
'One Brook' was formally launched on 1 April with an interim senior management team. I was appointed as CEO of the new organisation to lead the transformation project to unify systems, processes and to build a governance and staffing structure for the unified organisation.
We merged with Education For Choice – the specialist young people and pregnancy choices charity.
We entered into a formal collaboration with FPA, and launched Sex:Positive, our young people led campaign to change our culture towards young people and sex. A major part of the campaign was the launch of research that called for 21st Century Sex and Relationships Education.
2012
Brook's new executive, management and middle management structure was established and implemented. We launched a major three-way collaboration with FPA and Reckitt Benckiser (Durex).
Durex was a headline sponsor for the first ever UK Sexual Health Awards launched in partnership with FPA, which included the Lifetime Achievement Award. The collaboration also launched the XES – We Can't Go Backwards campaign, documenting people's experience of services in the face of major changes in public spending and health service commissioning.
2013
The final stages of the new structure for Brook are now almost completely implemented and we are set to develop and respond to new opportunities and challenges with a keen eye on what children and young people want and need.
Based on feedback from young people, evidence from our service delivery, and dialogue with stakeholders, Brook’s Board has agreed a strategic goal of ensuring young people receive more integrated health services.
Research and work with partners and commissioners has begun to task the CEO with developing innovative models of practice.
The three-way collaboration between Brook, FPA and Durex issued Unprotected Nation, a report which models the economic case for improving investment in sexual health, and the potential negative impact of reducing investment.
Whilst inside Brook the constitutional and structural changes have been going on, outside the change of government with all its legal and policy changes has been going on, and against that backdrop it is testament to every single member of staff and volunteer that between 2008 and 2012 Brook increased the number of young people we see from around 200,000 to 284,000 individual young people per year (many of them multiple times).
During that same period our income increased by 47% from approximately £10m to approximately £15m per annum.
2014
Brook will be 50 years old, and we will be celebrating 50 years of learning, 50 years of innovation and 50 years of excellence.
As Brook heads towards our 50th birthday, now more than ever we need to work with young people to be vocal and speak truth to power. We must continue our tirelessly determined efforts to ensure children and young people get all the information, support and education they need to move confidently through puberty, into adolescence and adulthood.
We will continue to involve young people in all we do to create platforms for young people themselves to influence Sex and Relationships Education, the pornography debate and the development of health services for young people.
I am grateful to colleagues within and outside Brook for hard work, fun, challenge, ideas and thinking over the past seven years and I look forward to working with staff teams, collaborators, partners and funders in the years ahead.
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