Aims, Objectives and Values

Aims & Objectives:

BCT is a community-led organisation, which aims to:

5.1         Provide safe, accessible and affordable transport for community groups and individuals in Barnet and surrounding areas;

a)        Providing directly or facilitating provision of the following:

• Vehicles for individual or group travel at affordable rates
• Door to door transport for those who cannot use public transport
• Accredited training to National Standards for volunteer drivers
• A programme of vehicle maintenance and safety checks to national standards

b)        Encouraging the best use of existing community vehicles by co-ordinating and/or facilitating vehicle pooling and sharing.

c)         Ensuring that local people and organisations that could benefit, know about BCT’s work.

d)        Developing schemes to meet group and individual transport need not currently met by mainstream services.

e)        Liaising with, and developing partnerships with, other transport providers, both within the London Borough of Barnet and in neighbouring boroughs, and counties.

f)          Taking an active part in the development of a strategic and co-ordinated approach to transport provision.

g)        Involving users of services in strategic management and policy development.

h)        Publishing an Equal Opportunities Policy and regularly measuring each aspect of management, service operation and delivery against this, as part of an ongoing system of service monitoring.

i)          Ensuring up-to-date knowledge of best practice by membership of, and active participation in, the Community Transport Association UK. 

j)          In every aspect of its management and operation, the organisation will work to adopt and apply principles of Equality of Opportunity.

5.2         To act as a resource for young people providing advice and assistance and organising programmes of physical, educational and other activities as a means of:

a)       Advancing in life and helping young people by developing their skills, capacities and capabilities to enable them to participate in society as independent, mature and responsible individuals;

b)       Advancing education;

c)        Relieving unemployment; and

d)       Providing recreational and leisure-time activity in the interest of social welfare for people living in the area of benefit who have need by reason of their youth, age, infirmity or disability, poverty or social and economic circumstances with a view to improving their conditions of life.

Vision, Mission & Values:

6.1         Vision:                    A society where people achieve their potential and feel part of a mutually caring community.

6.2         Mission Statement:                     To be an integral part of the hub that supports and enables people to increase and realise their full potential through the provision of, and access to, a range of educational, information, health, leisure and transport services.

BCT will do this by:

•  Providing affordable, safe, accessible transport to the voluntary & community, and statutory sectors; and disadvantaged individuals who are unable to use, or have difficulty in using public transport.
• Providing mobile facilities to support positive creative, play, sport, and other health enhancing activities, encouraging personal development and providing access to information on health, education, employment and recreational activities, to assist young people to raise their expectations and go on to achieve their full potential.

6.3         Values:

•    Respect – for the individual service user, volunteer or staff member
•    Fairness – fairness in all aspects of BCT from employment practices, service allocation and volunteering
•    Value – value the contributions of staff, volunteers, and users
•    Equality – aspects of the local community, addressing inequality
•    Integrity – reputation and standing in the local community
•    Innovation – positive and ongoing interaction with service users about ideas and aspirations, actively delivering changes.
•    Clarity – clear and appropriate dissemination of information
•    Stability – retains strong commitment to core aims

6.4         The following services are currently offered:

a)                    Group Transport. Minibuses: Two 12 seat, one 10 seat, and one 11 seat fully accessible and a 13 seat standard vehicle are available for community use at affordable sessional and mileage rates for members of BCT.

b)                    Provision of MPV for individual outings – A fully accessible small vehicle is available to individuals with mobility needs for outings, family trips, medical needs at an affordable rate.

c)                     Driver training for volunteers and paid drivers – BCT offers driver training to the national accredited MiDAS (Minibus Driver Awareness Scheme) standard. This safety and skills benefits of this scheme are further reinforced by it being a requirement to have a valid MiDAS certificate to drive BCT vehicles.

d)                    Mobile facility called Rolling Base – a mobile community youth centre designed to a high specification.  Rolling Base is currently subject to sporadic funding from a variety of sources.  It has been used in housing estates, parks, schools and identified crime hotspots in order to engage young people in positive activity. It is equipped with facilities for creative arts projects such as video production and music making. The vehicle can also be booked as a mobile studio for location filming and outside shows.

e)            Rolling Base MAX joined the BCT RB themed family of vehicles in winter 2008, bringing play and sports activity to areas where such resources are patchy or stretched. This vehicle is funded by the Big Lottery as part of the LB Barnet Play Strategy “Play On The Move In Barnet” and dependent on receipt of matched funding by the Community Investment Fund will also be utilised as part of the Sport England “Urban Active Project”