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HR support helpline welcomed by small charities

A new HR support helpline for small charities has been well received during a pilot phase.

Beyond a Helpline was tested over two years at 13 charities including Broadway, Homeless Link and the London Housing Foundation and 77% of the agencies reported positive outcomes in HR as a result.

The helpline provides support on areas such as coaching, policy and information on training and audits.

This comes as UK Workforce Hub reported people management was one of the areas that needed the most focus in the third sector.

Helen Giles, HR director at Broadway's Real People, said: "Charities must get better support in order to build a more professional sector. Agencies involved in the pilot now have the tools and structures to address difficulties with staff and to recruit, train and develop the right people."

Alex Botha, deputy chief executive of Homeless Link, added: "We now have an HR budget for the first time, our ways of working are more professional and our line managers feel confident and supported in managing our most important resource, our staff."