Cheryle Burgoyne, Director - Leaning In Consultancy
In August, Cheryl Burgoyne, Founder of Leaning In Consultancy Pty Ltd, highlighted the multifaceted challenges encountered by organisations
supporting vulnerable members of our community. The demand for community services remains high, showing no signs of diminishing.
Organisations operating in the community services sector frequently find themselves under-resourced and subject to intense scrutiny, all
while striving to deliver quality support to individuals dealing with complex circumstances.
Key Sector Challenges include:
• Legislative and Compliance Changes: Organisations must continuously adapt to evolving laws and regulations, which adds another layer of complexity to service delivery.
• Staff Recruitment: Sourcing suitably qualified and experienced personnel is an ongoing challenge, affecting the ability to maintain high-quality support.
• Resourcing Support Roles: Functions such as professional development and quality assurance are often stretched thin, impacting both staff and service users.
The cumulative effect of these challenges can increase risks for service users, staff, and the organisation itself. In response to mounting pressures, existing staff and managers often take on additional responsibilities, which may lead to delays in key initiatives, overlooked tasks, and reduced capacity to focus on strategic objectives.
Despite the potential benefits, there can be reluctance to engage external support, largely due to perceptions around cost. However, a well-matched external partner can be transformative. It enables teams to concentrate on core operations, brings fresh perspectives, and advances strategic projects—ultimately driving efficiencies, contributing to continuous improvement and opening up new opportunities.
Key Considerations for organisations considering external support:
• Ensure that the consultant possesses the necessary skills and expertise.
• Seek alignment of values between the consultant and the organisation.
• Confirm that the consultant understands the organisation’s core purpose, or the “why”. Preliminary conversations to ascertain the above are a critical part of the process. Cheryl shared that Leaning In Consultancy pulls form a unique skill set to support organisations from multiple perspectives - Practice Wisdom, Senior Leadership and Management Experience in the sector and compliance Expertise.
