It’s been one heck of a year since we established ourselves as an independent SaaS company, and as we celebrated our first birthday we also took time to reflect on our journey so far…
We set out ambitious plans for 2024 at the beginning of the calendar year, focused on scaling up and working with new partners, improving the product, and building our relationships.
We hit the ground running, and have continued apace, and so far this year we have:
✅ started working with fantastic new partners across the country including:
North Tyneside
Durham
Darlington
Redcar & Cleveland
Blackpool
Lancashire
Hammersmith & Fulham
Hackney
Norfolk
✅ developed positive and constructive ways of working with partners including:
setting up a working group with all partners meeting regularly to discuss issues, feedback and ideas;
engaging Becky Hatch, who has worked in social care for nearly 20 years across Essex County Council, Hertfordshire County Council and Bedford Borough Council, to support this work;
carrying on our ethos of co-production to ensure product development and improvements.
✅ launched Virtual Memory Box 2.0, with improvements and features based on user experience and feedback including:
New user interface design;
Updated permissions feature;
Ability to comment on individual memories;
Enhanced notification system;
Built in training centre.
✅ and finally – we now have a talented team of seven dedicated to VMB, and recently moved into our very own office.
We’re absolutely stoked to have had such a busy and productive first year – and this is just the start. It has made us more determined than ever to fulfil our mission to give every child in care in the UK access to a Virtual Memory Box.
We are absolutely not resting on our laurels – our target by the end of this year is to have 20% of local authorities in England working with us, offering thousands more young people access to their own Virtual Memory Box… so, watch this space!
