All Together five-year plan
“What excites me most is that this strategy brings opportunity.
It is about helping people be heard, build independence, strengthen relationships, access education and employment, participate in their communities, and achieve their own ambitions.
It is also about creating the conditions for our colleagues to thrive, so they can continue delivering the exceptional support for which Together Trust is known.”
– Read Mel’s full introduction here
Introducing our new five-year strategy
Imagine a world where everyone belongs, achieves their ambitions and thrives in their communities.
At the Together Trust, this is what we are working towards as we continue our charity’s journey with our new five year impact roadmap.
Since 1870, we’ve been helping people to find their way to a brighter future – whether that’s a home to call their own, support to do the activities they love, or inclusive education that equips them with the tools they need for adulthood.
As the needs and ambitions of the people we support have evolved over the years, so have we.
With Mel Dunn joining the charity as our Chief Executive in January 2025 and leading our newly established leadership team, we are using this exciting period to reflect on our priorities and drive meaningful, tangible change.
Through listening directly and engaging with our colleagues, the people we support past and present, Trustees, and our partners, we’ve heard what’s important. This has helped shape and produce this impact plan for the next stage in our future.
This new plan will help create better services that match the needs of the people we support.
Download our strategy
“It was a privilege to work with Together Trust to develop their new strategy. This strategy is stronger because Together Trust dedicated time to shape it through co-creation and collaboration.
By considering diverse perspectives and experiences, they built a plan that everyone was bought into, and that forms the foundation for a thriving and resilient future for the trust. This will help to ensure improved outcomes for the children, young people, adults and families they support.”
– Sam Carey, Strategy Consultant at NCVO
How will we achieve this
Who we are
We are Together Trust. We are a specialist education, care, therapy and support charity, working with neurodivergent people, disabled people, people with a learning disability and children and young people in care, and their families. We champion change, create opportunities and improve lives.
Our vision
Together we strive to ensure everyone belongs, achieves their ambitions and thrives in their communities.
Our mission
Together we champion change and create opportunities for people to live with choice and dignity through person-centred specialised education, care, therapy and support.
We can only achieve this by always staying true to our values. While our ethos stays the same, we are updating our values to match the next stage in our development.
Together we are
working together, building strong relationships, and trusting everyone to achieve.
caring for others, championing inclusion, and putting people at the heart of decisions about their lives.
having a growth mindset, acting with integrity, and turning challenges into opportunities.
Our four key aims
Enabling the people we support to live the life they
want to live
Our core work is delivering life-changing care, support and education to people across the North West. This hasn’t changed since 1870.
We will continue to deliver excellent services and fill the gaps we know exist so the people we support can achieve their ambitions.
What that looks like:
- More opportunities for people to enter the world of work.
- Smoother transitions for young people as they become adults.
- Improved wellbeing of the people we support.
- More people accessing services in their local area, right at the time they need them.
- More family and carer involvement in our work and more peer support networks.
- Meaningful change on the issues that impact the people we support.
Growing our partnerships and influence
We know that we can’t achieve our vision alone. We need to grow partnerships across our services internally and externally with local and national decision makers, industry, other charities, and service providers.
What that looks like:
- More opportunities for colleagues across our services to work together and share knowledge and resources.
- Strong meaningful relationships built with external partners – whether that’s collaborating on campaigns or service co- delivery providing services.
Developing our people and culture
Our colleagues are at the core of everything we do. We want to be the place where people want to work and feel happy and fulfilled in what they do.
What that looks like:
- A compassionate, inclusive culture where colleagues are recognised and rewarded for their hard work.
- Opportunities for colleagues to build skills and life-long, accessible learning.
- Consistent and accessible colleague communication across the organisation.
- Recruitment that focuses on finding people who share our values.
- And all of this at an organisation led by intentional, compassionate leadership.
Strengthening our foundations
The external environment is challenging for charities. We’ll create the strong foundations needed to weather challenging times and ensure we can perform at our best whilst providing the highest value for money for the people who fund us.
What that looks like:
- Alternate funding streams that will help ensure our financial resilience.
- Improved information and processes that will give us live understanding about the difference our services make.
- Innovative ways to provide services, making sure what we offer is competitive and delivers value for money.
- Continued improvements on our buildings to make them modern, efficient and accessible.
- A clear, meaningful volunteer program which strengthens and complements the services we provide.
Read more about who we are
Who we are
For over 150 years, we’ve been championing and caring for people with disabilities, autism and complex health needs, as well as providing life-changing support for care-experienced people.
What we do
Every year we support thousands of children, young people and adults to lead happy, fulfilled lives.
View our archive
The Together Trust Archive blog aims to give an insight into the history of the charity through its collection of books, photographs and documents dating from 1870 to the present day.