At the Depaul Group, our staff are working to end homelessness across the globe. To encourage collaboration and shared learning Depaul International launched a staff exchange programme. The programme gives staff the opportunity to visit and share skills with colleagues across the Group.
We spoke to Aysnley Rastofsky, Head of Data and Insights at Depaul UK, and Zainab Walji, Data, Evaluation and Research Officer at Depaul UK, about what they learnt on their recent exchange visit to Depaul Ireland.
What were you hoping to learn from the exchange?
Zainab: The main thing we were hoping to get out of the exchange was the sharing of ideas and knowledge. We wanted to learn more about how data is stored in Ireland, and to see if we could share any tips with them.
Aynsley: We both worked in services before we worked in data and insights. We wanted to learn if Depaul Ireland used insights in the same way that we do at Depaul UK. We also wanted to learn about the different ways they’re collecting data and share ideas about how to improve the quality of data collected from services.
What was your experience of visiting another Depaul country and what did you learn?
Aynsley: We visited a lot of Depaul Ireland’s services and met the staff working there. Most importantly, we met people who were living in the services. We met with the service managers and we were blown away by the amazing work they’re doing. Some of the services are quite big, and the managers were all on first-name terms with everybody living there, which was great to see – they were really involved in the service.
We met with staff working in data and insights in Ireland, which was incredibly valuable. One of the key things we learnt was about how they use automation in their services. They work with developers to create automated ways to update records, which saves a lot of time for staff in services. That was really useful, so we’re going to go away now and explore if there’s ways to integrate that into our systems.
Zainab: It was brilliant to learn about the partnerships they have in their services. Depaul Ireland has partnerships with hospitals, and they also have in-house medical staff in services, which was amazing to see.
What similarities were there between Depaul UK and Depaul Ireland?
Aynsley: It’s clear that Depaul’s values are held in high regard both in the UK and Ireland, and that’s important. Staff working at both Depaul Ireland and Depaul UK are driven by the need to improve people’s lives and help them out of their situation.
What was your key takeaway from visiting Depaul Ireland?
Aynsley: The staff have a real sense of unconditional positive regard for everybody living in Depaul Ireland’s services. There’s also a real wealth of knowledge and experience in the team, and this cascades down – all of the service staff have a great knowledge of local services, and they know what works and what doesn’t work to end homelessness.
Zainab: Everyone was so friendly, which was lovely. All of the staff are so positive, friendly and warm. A lot of the people we met had worked at Depaul for a long time, so everyone knew each other and it was a really welcoming environment.
Aynsley: The exchange programme is an opportunity that I don’t think I’d be given in any other organisation. We really enjoyed it and appreciated the experience.
What would you say to staff members considering applying for the programme?
Zainab: Definitely go for it! It’s an experience not to be missed, and it’s a great insight into how Depaul operates in other countries.
Find out more about the work of Depaul UK and Depaul Ireland.
