Home-Start Blaby Oadby and Wigston
Guidelines on handling the Media
Background
In an age when a Scheme’s fundraising, public support, and reputation can all be affected by
media coverage, having a clear media policy in place can help identify areas of opportunity
and vulnerability, and prepare for both.
It’s really important that everyone in our Scheme – staff, trustees and volunteers alike appear
to speak with one voice when dealing with the media. It is just as important to ensure that
everyone in the Scheme knows how media approaches and enquiries should be handled.
Who should speak to the media
All media enquiries are to be channelled through one person and on a day to day basis the
Scheme Manager is the most appropriate person. It is important that staff, volunteers and
trustees alike all understand the potential implications of speaking to the media and know
how to respond when approached by the press, and channel enquiries to the Scheme
Manager (or Chair if they are unavailable).
In some situations it may be that another staff member is better qualified to handle a
particular media enquiry (eg a teenage mum’s group leader, when you are trying to get
media interest in the work of that group). At other times - such as when the Scheme is facing
some negative publicity – it might be more appropriate for this person to be the board Chair
or another board member. However it will be the role of the Scheme Manager to identify and
agree this with the most appropriate person and let staff and trustees have this information
How general media enquiries should be handled.
All media enquiries are to be sent to the Scheme Manager, recognising that it may be helpful
to take details of the enquiry ,contact information and the recipient make a personal promise
that a reply to the enquiry will be received within an agreed timeframe
How newsworthy events will be promoted.
The scheme should actively promote good new items via their intranet and local media
channels. It will be the responsibility of the Scheme Manager /Chair to oversee this but staff
and volunteers and Trustees should bring items to their attention
How negative media enquiries should be handled.
Negative media enquiries should be dealt with in the same way but immediately reported not
only to the Scheme Manager but also the Chair. It will be the Scheme Managers responsibility
to do this as well as inform Home-start UK about the issue.
Press releases
All press releases should be signed of the Scheme’s Chair
Key contact information
See Appendix for contact information
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Media Plans
These should be discussed as part of the scheme strategic plan and cover the areas to
promote in the next 12 months and how we will do this.
Support from the Home-Start UK Communications team
This is available eg if there is a major hostile enquiry which other media may get hold off, or
if there are court, fraud or child protection proceedings that you don’t want to become
public. See Appendix for contact information
Other sources of information:
 Home-Start ‘Scheme Communications’ tips sheets and examples in this section of the
intranet
 Previous issues of homeNEWS also in this section of the intranet
Agreed at February 2015 Board Meeting
Signed
Chair
Date 11th February 2015
To be reviewed within Quality Assurance cycle in relevant standard.
A company limited by guarantee, registered in England & Wales, number 5373629
Charity No 1108617
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APPENDIX
Scheme Manager
Fiona Bedford
Work: 0116 263 0270
Mobile: 07784 768 038
Joint Chairs
Jack Hammond
Home: 0116 2793800
Mobile: 07595123150
Sheila Major
Home: 0116 2592929
Mobile: 07976931202
Home-Start UK Communications Contacts:
When necessary, any member of this team can take a call about a media crisis. In most cases
it will be Annie O’Brian responding to the situation.
Vivien Waterfield
Director of Fundraising and Communications
Tel: 0870 220 6708
Mobile: 07973 270 421
Responsible for Home-Start UK’s communications strategy and direction. Member of HomeStart UK’s Senior Management Team.
Annie O’Brian
Head of Communications
Tel: 8070 220 6712
Mobile: 0791 739 2130
Responsible for: External communications: liaison with national and regional media.
Assisting Schemes with major negative media stories, whether local or national; Home-Start
website content; some intranet management.
Internal communications. Editor of homeNEWS, responsible for production of Home-Start’s
internal and external leaflets, magazines, annual review and other publications. Some
intranet management.
Jo McLeish
Press and PR Officer
Tel: 0870 220 6713
Dealing with national and regional journalists who are looking for features and case studies.
Raising awareness of Home-Start UK and Home-Start generally with national and regional
media- newspapers, magazines, tv and radio. Media relations and PR for nationwide
campaigns. Contributing and publishing the news section of the Home-Start Intranet and the
'Get to know your colleagues' section. Writing the news page and uploading press releases,
family and volunteer stories and the events pages on Home-Start's website. Monitoring
where Home-Start (schemes and UK) gets mentioned on tv, radio, newspapers and websites
across the whole of the UK. Developing a national database of media ready case studies.
Providing template press releases for schemes on nationwide publicity and creating media
contact lists to distribute the press releases to.
LOCAL MEDIA CONTACTS To be added as developed
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