After nearly a decade supporting Step One Charity as a trustee, Robert Williams is stepping down from the board as he reaches the end of his term. During his time on the board, he helped guide the organisation through a period of significant change, challenge, and growth.
In this reflection, Robert looks back on what drew him to Step One, the moments that have stayed with him, and his hopes for the charity’s future.
There were really three things that brought me to Step One, and they all came together at the same time.
I hadn’t long moved to Devon from the South East, and I was looking for a way to get involved in something meaningful again. I’d spent eleven years as a trustee, and later chair, for a special needs school near Windsor, and that experience had given me a real taste of what good governance could achieve. We rebuilt the school during my chairmanship, which was a significant undertaking, and I came away knowing I wanted to do something like that again.
The second thing was where my passion lies. I have a son with special needs, and that has always shaped what I care about. When I heard about Step One’s work, and its long history of supporting people, going back to Georgiana Buller’s founding vision, it genuinely resonated with me. I’ve always believed in what I call the three-legged stool: somewhere safe and secure to live, good health and wellbeing, and purposeful activity. Pull any one of those legs away, and everything falls over. That philosophy made complete sense to me from the very beginning.
As for how I ended up here specifically – my wife’s friend’s husband was on the board at the time and suggested I come along for a chat. There’s always an element of opportunity in these things, and I’m very glad I said yes.
I don’t really think in terms of personal achievements. But there are moments I look back on and think: that was good, that mattered.
When I joined, the charity was still finding its feet after the merger that had created Step One as we know it. Trustees were coming from all over the country, one from North Wales, one from Kent, the chair from Buckinghamshire, with no real shared sense of identity or direction. Working alongside Sue Sutherland and fellow trustee Mark, we set about rebuilding that cohesion. Creating a new sense of purpose for the board felt genuinely important at the time, and I still think it was.
There were other highlights too. We did some really strong strategic work that set a clear new direction for the charity. Building the Devon Mental Health Alliance created an extraordinary sense of energy and it was exciting to be part of establishing it. The decision to sell Beaufort House was significant, and getting the X Centre as a proper home for the charity was a real achievement.
But I also want to say something that doesn’t always get said: as trustees, we focus on the big strategic decisions because that’s our role. Yet I’m very conscious of the extraordinary work that goes on every single day on the ground. Visiting the supported living houses, spending time at Cypress, going to an Alliance meeting – those things ground you in what Step One is really about. I remember visiting a house in Exeter where all the residents had tidied up because they’d been told I was coming. It was still a wonderfully chaotic student house, but they were all trying their best. That made me smile. Those moments stay with you.
The post-merger period was a positive challenge, we had to reset the strategy and think clearly about what Step One was really for. We brought in some external support to work through that, and it was probably the most significant step change in the charity’s strategic thinking during my nine years.
COVID was a jolt for everyone. We’d always done everything in person, and suddenly everything moved online. The organisation adapted well, but it required a real shift across the board.
The most personally challenging period was last year, when we found ourselves with simultaneous changes at chair and chief executive level. I remember getting the calls in quick succession and thinking: right, what do we do now? I rang Sue, asked if she’d come back to help steady things, and she said she’d think about it, and she did. That conversation said a lot about what Sue thought of Step One, and I’d like to think it also reflected how we’d worked together over the years.
When I joined Step One, I knew very little about mental health in any real sense. I came from a commercial background and had a lot to learn. What I can say is that I’ve become more sensitised over the years, not desensitised. I understand more about how mental health challenges can manifest in so many different ways, and I’ve become much more aware of how serious and complex they can be.
I think we’re moving in the right direction as a society. There’s more openness, more willingness to talk. Step One has been a big part of my own educational journey on this, and I’m grateful for it.
There are challenges, and there are opportunities and I think both are real.
On the challenge side, the charity sector is always subject to the ebbs and flows of the economy. The current climate is genuinely difficult, and rising costs – wages, National Insurance, everything else – continue to put pressure on organisations like ours.
But on the opportunity side, I’m genuinely excited about the shift towards neighbourhood and community-based support. There’s a real chance for the voluntary sector to come together more effectively, not competing against each other for contracts, but collaborating and sharing strengths. The Devon Mental Health Alliance is a good example of what’s possible when that spirit takes hold, and I’d love to see it go further.
My personal hope is that Step One also finds a way to do more around purposeful activity – the third leg of the stool. Helping people find meaningful occupation, whether or not that means paid employment, has an enormous impact on everything else. It’s an aspiration I’ll be championing long after stepping down.
Don’t wait for things to come to you. That’s the main thing.
You get out of it what you put in, so get involved, make yourself visible, ask questions, and push the boundaries a little. Your executive colleagues will soon tell you if you’ve gone too far, and if your intentions are good, you won’t go far wrong.
I’d also say: get out and see the work. Visit the houses, go to the services, spend time with staff. That’s where you understand what Step One is actually doing, and why it matters. One of the things I’m proud of is that we established trustee visits during my time on the board – they’d never really happened before – and I’m glad they’ve become part of how things work now.
My overall hope is that Step One continues to prosper, not necessarily to grow in scale, but to grow in influence, in reputation, and in the depth of what it offers.
I’d love to see the charity become a genuine first choice for Devon Partnership Trust when thinking about mental health rehab and community support. I’d love to see stronger partnerships with similar organisations across the South West, collaborating rather than competing. And I’d love to see the purposeful activity strand of the work develop into something Step One can truly be proud of.
The charity doesn’t have to do everything itself. But being at the centre of a network that together helps people live well – somewhere safe to live, good mental and physical health, and meaningful occupation – that feels like exactly the right ambition.
As Robert steps down after nine years as a trustee, we want to extend our deepest thanks for the dedication, wisdom, and energy he has brought to Step One.
Robert is one of the longest-serving trustees in the charity’s history, and his contribution has been immense. He helped rebuild the board’s sense of identity and purpose after a period of significant change, championed strategic clarity and financial rigour, and was always willing to ask the difficult question when it needed asking. He was also one of the trustees who truly invested in getting to know the charity’s work on the ground – visiting services, meeting staff, and understanding what Step One means to the people it supports.
We are incredibly grateful for everything Robert has given to Step One, and we look forward to seeing him at the 90th anniversary celebrations next year.
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