Debbie works as an Advanced Practitioner in Adult Social Work for the Health and Social Care Partnership, but her connection with a family support charity goes back almost as far as her career itself.

She started there as a session worker, came back as a family support worker, returned again as a student social worker, and now volunteers as a trustee on its board. The charity has been part of her professional journey for years, and giving something back to it has always felt important to her.

So, when the organisation's long-serving chief executive announced they were retiring, it mattered. A good chief executive holds a small charity together. Finding the right successor - someone who understood the values, the families, the work - was not a decision to be rushed or taken lightly.

Debbie was an obvious choice for the recruitment panel. She knew the organisation inside out, having been involved across almost every level of it. Her day job gave her a strong grasp of the legislative and policy landscape that shapes the charity's work every day.

It was her manager who raised the Employee Volunteering Policy. Debbie hadn't used it before, but once she understood what it covered, the request was simple. Her manager confirmed taking a paid days leave through the policy was possible and supported it without hesitation.

The recruitment went well. The right person was appointed. A charity that had given so much to Debbie's career had, in a small but meaningful way, been supported in return.