“Motivating Healthy Transformations”

When Sian Morgan, CEO, Hafan Cymru joined the business in 2016, she found that limited changes had occurred in the business model, and the business had hardly moved with the changing landscape. Somewhere along the way, something broke, and there was a disconnect between the leadership's concept and what staff did with that concept. Complacency had set in, processes and procedures were not followed, a blame culture had evolved, and bullying was evident! It was clear to her that between the reality of the marketplace and the business’s ability to act within that reality, something fractured until it was nearly too late to fix. Using her leadership abilities to listen and inspire, they managed to turn the business around, initially experiencing many barriers and blockages from the then leadership team, which Sian overcame with resilience, clear communication, and being transparent.

Armed with such ideology, Sian has been an inspiration to numerous women. She always advises them to believe in themselves and not be afraid to fail as it is a learning experience and part of establishing success. “Ask questions as you won’t always know all the answers, be clear of your goals and keep them in sight always be focused, finally network the more people you know and establish credibility with the better!” Sian has been taking the company to new heights with her unique attitude and fearless skills.

Hafan Cymru was formed in 1989 as a Registered Social landlord. The business grew out of an initiative of the Women’s Aid movement in Wales when the refuge was the only accommodation or support for women living with domestic abuse. The business was and is one of the key leading providers of housing and support services across Wales for women, men, and children experiencing violence against women and domestic abuse, and their mission was to work to prevent abuse and homelessness and to promote the independence of those they supported through a range of individually tailored support interventions. Over the past 30+ years, the business has developed and expanded from its original intent to respond to legislation and service needs changes. This has seen the business grow in terms of employees and contracts across the whole of Wales, delivering 60+ contracts across Wales, providing support services to men and women and children, providing refuge, safe houses, temporary supporting houses, and floating and outreach support. “We have also diversified the skill set and are able to deliver employability support to help people prepare themselves for the world of work, this also helps our clients who are ready to move on in life and live independently and we have been building a range of skills in other areas such as mental health, and specialist domestic abuse support,” says Sian.

The company has successfully delivered a ‘Whole School Approach to tackling Domestic Abuse by educating schools in Wales about Healthy Relationships via the Spectrum Project. The project is an all-Wales program funded by the Welsh Government and delivered by experienced teachers in primary and secondary schools. The project provides free, bilingual workshops closely linked to the curriculum in Wales and promotes the importance of healthy relationships while raising the awareness of children, young people, and adults about domestic abuse, sexual violence, and violence against women. The engaging activities are designed to be thought-provoking and promote peer discussion but are not intended to be so passionate as to cause distress. The conclusion of every session provides information for young people on where they can access help and support both inside and outside of school. Spectrum also delivers school staff and governors training about understanding the impact of domestic abuse on a child and raises awareness by looking at a whole-school approach to tackling domestic abuse.

“We are currently engaging colleagues in North Wales on the creation of a strategy to build our influence and presence in the North,” says Sian. “This is the first time we have implemented this approach to strategy, which colleagues are embracing, successfully.” IEWL