For our service users, financial investors and the local community, Rainbow Services works for change to improve the quality of life for local people and organisations.  We will aim to provide activities and services to include:

• Enabling activities – to give people options and choices within their own lives.
• Supporting services – which can assist during times of difficulty or temporary incapacity.
• Development and capacity building projects, which will strengthen the community and voluntary sector as a whole.
• Help to minimise the effects of social exclusion via direct service provision which also offer an access point into our organisation.
• Working in collaboration or in partnership with local, county wide and national, statutory and non-statutory organisations where it will benefit the local community.
• The offer of an adaptable flexible approach to service provision to enable the best possible options for our beneficiaries.
• Influential input to the way services are planned, designed, developed and delivered.

In whichever way we engage with our beneficiaries, donors, clients, or financial investors our aim is to provide a service which is responsive, of high quality, effective, efficiently delivered and value for money.

Diversity and Equality of Opportunity

Within all aspects of our work, we will ensure that we uphold and apply the principles of fairness, equity, and equality, and that the organisation is open to all sections of the community.

To enable this to happen we will:

• Identify and assess the needs to be met
• Allocate appropriate resources to the development and provision of services
• Ensure that staff recruitment, selection, training, conditions of service, and ongoing support reflects our commitment to equality and diversity.
• Monitor communication with stakeholders and the wider public.

Strategic Aims

Our strategic aims to 2020 are to:

• Diversify our income streams
• Operate as a Centre of Excellence
• Work in partnership to develop new services to meet unmet needs
• Improve the health and wellbeing of communities in Harlow and surrounding areas.

We will do this through:

• Effectively promoting, representing and supporting the third sector in Harlow
• Increasing volunteering and social action
• Increasing skills levels of both individuals and organisations
• Reducing the social isolation of Harlow citizens
• Developing trading subsidiaries to enable unrestricted and diverse income generation.

Partnerships

Rainbow Services is keen to work productively and for mutual benefit with other local organisations and agencies. Examples of our partnership working are listed here. Clicking on each of the organisation names will redirect to their website.

• Essex Compact
  Rainbow Services is committed to working in a Compact compliant manner, meaning that we strive for all partnerships between the voluntary and statutory sector to be mutually beneficial.

• Harlow District Council
  We have worked with Harlow District Council for a number of years. As our core funder, we have developed a great working relationship.

• Voluntary Action Epping Forest/CVSU
  Rainbow Services is working with VAEF in Epping Forest and CVSU in Uttlesford to create a shared company and delivery platform – WECAN.

• Essex CRC
  Rainbow services have a contractual arrangement with Essex CRC to provide those sentenced by the courts to carry out useful community payback in our workshop, whilst learning new skills.

• Voluntary Sector Training
  Rainbow Services is working in partnership with Voluntary Sector Training (VST), an independent charity, to provide high quality, affordable and local training to the voluntary and community sector across Essex.  VST runs an open programme of training covering key topics relevant to the sector and tailored training specifically arranged to meet particular needs of organisations.

• Harlow and District Chamber of Commerce
  Rainbow Services are members of the Harlow and District Chamber of Commerce and are working jointly with the chamber to deliver the Business Engagement Project.

• Tempo
  Rainbow Services is working in partnership with Tempo (formerly Spice Innovations Ltd) to pilot Time Credits in Harlow.  This programme will eventually be rolled out to other Essex districts, but Harlow is the trailblazer!