Meet our Head of Communications, Claire Stanley

Today we would like to introduce you Claire Stanley, the Head of Communications. Claire manages a team of four Communication Leads, one Communications Officer and one Digital Communications Officer across the three national policing programmes that she oversees. These programmes support several National Police Chiefs' Council portfolios in the world of Child Abuse, Protection and Investigations and the National Child Sexual Exploitation Taskforce. These include the Hydrant Programme, the Tackling Organised Exploitation Programme (TOEX) , and the VKPP - Vulnerability Knowledge & Practice Programme .

Here’s the inside track on what the Head of Communications day-to-day role is.

Claire became the Head of Communications 18 months ago and was appointed to change the face of communications in the sphere of Child Protection and Abuse and deliver new and innovative communications products to support our very talented teams.

Prior to starting this role, Claire had acquired over 22 years’ experience in the media and public sector communications working in both policing as well as local and national NHS organisations. As a former Broadcast Journalist, she has a wide breadth of experience across media channels as well as vast experience of media training and consultancy. She trained in Journalism at Sunderland University and went on to work at numerous brands including Kiss and the BBC before dipping her toe into the world of communications offering media training to police officers.

Outside of work, Claire is a mum to a six-year-old boy and two-year-old miniature dachshund called Digby. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, training in the gym and reading a good book with a glass of wine. Claire often emphasises to her teams the importance of a good work life balance, particularly in the difficult world which we work.

?

When asked about a typical day in her department Claire said:

"I think it is fair to say, there is no typical day in my department due the number of programmes I am Head of.? The scope and diversity of the work we deliver can be huge.

One day I can be offering strategic advice and direction on national publications such as Totality of CSE or the Complex and Organised Child Abuse database, liaising with the Home Office to showcase taskforce deliverables to the Home Secretary and Safeguarding Minister. The next I can be working to further develop relationships with partners and stakeholders, managing HR issues or working with Chief Officers to ensure the products the team and I deliver meet the priorities and ambitions we have committed to. It is incredibly diverse, and I adapt almost hourly to meet demand and need. I could not do it without the support and confidence our leaders have in my approach and my wonderful team’s delivery.”

?

Claire said that the biggest challenge she faces day-to-day is demand (a common theme in these articles!). She said:

“Once organisations understand the worth of good communication the demand increases significantly and, having this across four programmes means that demand is always going to be significantly high. Being spread across these programmes means daily I wear different hats and change my approach depending on who I am talking to, it varies so much from Directors, Senior Police Officers, stakeholders as well as those with lived experience so, being adaptable is crucial.”

?

Claire said that the most rewarding part of her role is:

“Creating communications strategy and solutions based on the experience of victims and survivors is undoubtedly one of the most rewarding parts of my role. We are extremely lucky to have many established and valuable relationships with third sector partners who support us in so much of the work we do. Engaging, listening, and understanding their needs has been the foundation of our communications approach and the campaigns we are due to launch later this year. It is incredible to have access to such insight to deliver quality, evidence-based products that have impact and worth.”

?

If Claire could skip back in time to her first day in her role, she would say to herself to not be overwhelmed or to doubt yourself. She reflected on hearing the words ‘imposter syndrome’ from many friends and colleagues in senior roles particularly from her female colleagues who doubt their delivery whilst often maintaining family/home life. Claire believes having confidence in your own ability to deliver is crucial and that the message to us all is: you got the job for a reason!

If you would like to learn more about the communications team at the Hydrant Programme you can visit: ?https://www.hydrantprogramme.co.uk/our-work/communications/

We hope you enjoyed reading about the role of head of communications. Who would you like to hear more about next? Comment below!