Chailey Heritage CEO steps down after nine years

THE Chief Executive of a leading Sussex charity is retiring after nine successful years at the helm.

Helen Hewitt joined as Chailey Heritage Foundation’s first Chief Executive in 2013.

She only planned to stay three years, but now she has decided the time is right to relocate to Bristol with her family.

Helen said; "Chailey Heritage Foundation is a most amazing charity full of brilliant staff and wonderful young people we care for.

"I came only intending to stay for three years but the charity gets under your skin and it is really hard to leave.

"I shall be sad to step away but it feels like the right time for me and for the charity. The pandemic was hard for everyone but our staff were magnificent and kept all the school and our residential services open throughout. This year, all our services are in demand and our teams are well placed to move forward."

Since Helen took over the leadership of the charity, much has been achieved. Helen explained that in 2014, Trustees, Governors and the senior team set the goals for the next ten years.

She said: “These ambitious goals have been a strong ‘golden thread’ through each of our strategic plans.

"The charity has grown significantly since 2013 and today it is thriving and is nationally recognised for its Outstanding school, its innovative curriculum and the very specialist care that it provides to some of the most vulnerable children and young adults with highly complex health needs.

"There are very few services that have the skills, expertise and facilities to meet the needs of this very complex group of young people and so we are the first choice for many families and Commissioners."

Since Helen joined in 2013, many new facilities have been opened for the young people.

Helen said, “Thanks to our very generous donors, we have been able to create some magical places for the young people.

"We now have Patchwork Farm, a wonderful therapeutic care farm, and the Dream Centre is amazing with its cutting-edge immersive facility and is a great space for drama, social events and sport; it has made such a difference to the young people.

"One of my proudest moments was to welcome HRH The Duchess of Cornwall and to show her the facilities before she officially opened the Dream Centre."

There have been many challenges too, and Helen identifies staff recruitment as one of them.

She said: "Recruitment, particularly in social care, is a national problem and it has been difficult.

"Our ability to deliver our services depends on being fully staffed and we are disappointed if we have to turn anyone away, because we never want to do that. I am proud of the staff and their dedication, but we are a complex provision, so staff are naturally key to what we can deliver and indeed how.

"We now employ over 450 staff and still need more. Our countryside location is wonderful but it makes it harder to attract staff.

"However, working here is very rewarding and I hope more new recruits will join our team so we can help as many young people and families as possible.

“It is exciting that there is a new face coming in to lead the charity. Nationally, we are at the beginning of a period of considerable change with significant reforms planned for special educational needs and disability (SEND) and in social care.

"It’s the right time for a new person to come to lead Chailey Heritage Foundation. I am pleased to say that, as I hand over the baton to a new leader, the charity is in a good place to meet these challenges and move forward."

Mark Creamer, Chair of Trustees, is pleased to announce that Gareth Germer will be joining Chailey Heritage Foundation as the new Chief Executive Officer.

He said “We have so much to thank Helen for. She has been an amazing Chief Executive, introducing new services and facilities and always having the interests of the young people we care for at the forefront of everything she has achieved over the last nine years.”

Gareth will be stepping down from his current role as Samaritans’ Chief Operating Officer to join Chailey Heritage in the autumn.

He brings extensive experience in the charity sector having previously worked for NSPCC and Rethink.

Gareth began his career in West Sussex working in adult social services and over the last 26 years has worked with organisations across the public and charity sectors in roles focused on innovation, change and service improvement.