Every annual report for 2020, whether from the private, public, or voluntary sectors will inevitably start by recognising that this was a year like no other in recent memory, certainly none that I can recall in my lifetime.
People, communities, and organisations from across the country have stepped up and done extraordinary things to support others, providing kindness, love, and compassion to the many who have struggled over the past year or so. These are the characteristics of a good society.
My colleagues at Catch22 have demonstrated these behaviours day in and day out over the last 15 months. They have gone to extraordinary lengths to continue reaching the people we are here to support. This report is full of stories and impact from our frontline, but it also reflects the work of those who behind the scenes do so much to ensure that we can deliver. That effort was reflected last March when, like everyone else, we suddenly were no longer in the office. Within short-order we managed to connect over 1000 people to our Microsoft Teams solution.
This report reflects a collective effort not only of Catch22 colleagues but of our partners, our funders, and commissioners. There has been a lot of commentary about building back better but we must also take into the future the lessons we have learnt from the pandemic. That people matter, that there are ways to demonstrate accountability and performance which might look different to the orthodox approach to contract management. Organisations like Catch22 are agile, we can move at pace and make things happen providing there is a degree of trust between those asking and those doing.
We’ve also seen the willingness of colleagues to think and act differently, these are the lessons we need to build into our future plans. And finally, the pandemic has demonstrated more than ever the need to do more to level up society, to address the digital divide, to ensure people have the skills and capability to secure decent jobs, and to root out the systemic inequalities and discrimination that continue to blight our systems and people’s lives. I’ve always advocated that Catch22 is an optimistic organisation. We attract passionate people to work with us and to support us, as this report demonstrates we are privileged to gain insight into the lives of those we support and we are committed to applying these insights to contribute to a better way.
– Chris Wright Catch22 CEO