Head of youth policy and engagement jobs

Housing Compliance Officer (Manchester)

Join us to play a leading role in ensuring safe, high‑quality housing for vulnerable people—where your expertise shapes standards, strengthens communities, and drives meaningful impact every day.

Location: Manchester

Salary: £36,840 per annum

Closing Date: 12 April, 2026

Employment Type: Temporary - 12 month fixed term contract with the possibility of becoming permanent

Hours per week: 37.5

About the Role

Working with the DHS Executive Team and Operations Team, you will be responsible for ensuring compliance with the Regulator of Social Housing’s consumer standards across our managing agents’ properties.

This will include working closely with supported accommodation service managers, regularly visiting and assessing services in Greater Manchester, London and the North East, developing and maintaining systems for recording compliance, helping draft policies and procedures, keeping up to date with regulatory requirements and best practice, reporting and working with colleagues to develop action plans. Developing productive relationships with the several organisations who manage our properties will be crucial.

You will have a key role in ensuring the accommodation provided by DHS properties is of a high standard. Additionally, you will assist with internal and external communications and support the development of resident engagement

This is a 12‑month fixed‑term contract with the possibility of becoming permanent. The role includes regular national travel, particularly across Greater Manchester, and we welcome applicants from various UK locations. Please note that your office location will be in Manchester.

KEY DELIVERABLES

Working closely with teams across DHS and Depaul UK, you will lead work to:

• Develop and maintain accurate systems that record compliance against the Regulator of Social Housing’s consumer standards.

• Undertake desktop and in person inspection of our managing agents’ services across the areas we work in to monitor compliance performance, identify areas of concern and work with colleagues to improve compliance, creating and implementing action plans as required.

• Complete regulatory reporting and compliance returns, including Tenant Satisfaction Measures and Statistical Data Returns.

• Maintain an up-to-date knowledge of regulatory requirements, providing updates to colleagues around proposed changes and timescales for confirmed changes.

• Working with colleagues, including the Quality and Compliance Manager, to develop and review policies and procedures to ensure compliance with the consumer standards.

• Producing clear, auditable reports to demonstrate compliance and inform decision-making, including preparing reports and presentations on regulatory matters for the board, committees and teams as required.

• Ensure that residents are involved at various levels of DHS decision making

• Assist in maintaining and improving systems to ensure that the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) data and other management information is collected, recorded and reported in line with business requirements.

• Ensure sound financial management and value for money in all your activities

• Maintain accurate information and resources for DHS, including on the DHS website, SharePoint site and Teams channels

About You (What we are looking for from you – Person Specification)

When completing your application form please address all the points set out below.

Knowledge

• A thorough knowledge of the Regulator of Social Housing’s consumer standards

Skills and experience

• Taking a proactive approach to ensuring regulatory compliance in a social housing setting

• Updating and working with colleagues to develop information management systems

• Contributing to the development of policies and procedures that ensure compliance

• Strong organisational and project management skills, with the ability to plan, organise and prioritise as well as co-ordinate with colleagues and partners– with attention to detail and management of multiple priorities and deadlines.

• Good verbal and written communication skills, in particular the skills to use data in accurate, concise and well-presented reports.

• Ability to influence, build and maintain positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including managing agents, leadership colleagues and residents

• Staying informed about emerging trends, best practice, and evolving requirements and sharing relevant information with colleagues

• Excellent ICT skills including Microsoft Office 365.

What You’ll Receive

• Tailored training and development

• Flexible working options where suitable

• 26 days annual leave, rising with service

• Family‑friendly leave policies

• Pension scheme with employer contributions up to 7%

• Employee Assistance Programme with 24/7 GP access

• Discounts across retail, travel, food, fitness and more

• Cash health plan for you and your family

• Death‑in‑service benefit

• Access to legal and practical support

Safer Recruitment

Depaul UK is committed to fair and inclusive recruitment, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds. If a role requires it under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975, we will carry out the appropriate Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check. We only look at information that is relevant to the role, and a criminal record will never be treated as an automatic barrier to employment. All DBS information is handled sensitively, confidentially and in line with the DBS Code of Practice, and we encourage applicants to discuss any concerns with us openly.

About Depaul UK

In the 1980s, high unemployment and steep inflation was contributing to a shocking rise in youth homelessness across London. Thousands of young people were sleeping rough every night, with many areas notoriously dubbed “cardboard cities” due to the visible rise in street homelessness. Appalled by the scenes playing out across the capital, a group of people came together to tackle the challenge head on. Led by Cardinal Basil Hume and Mark McGreevy OBE, in 1989 Depaul UK was born.

What began as a single housing project in North London soon expanded across London, Greater Manchester and the North East of England. Today, Depaul UK provides accommodation, prevention and support services to thousands of marginalised young people across the UK each year.

As our name suggests, the work of Depaul UK has been inspired by St. Vincent de Paul – a man who devoted his life to helping vast numbers of people throughout the 17th century. St. Vincent de Paul’s belief in the intrinsic worth of all people and his commitment to taking bold action remain central to our values today. Depaul UK now forms part of a family of Depaul charities around the world. We each focus on the specific challenges in our own countries, but we’re united by our shared values and mission to end homelessness.

Please note this role is advertised by the recruitment agency acting for the client – Not For Profit People. 

Trust and Foundations Fundraising Lead

£36,000 - £40,000 pa + benefits (including 25 days annual leave and pension)

Leatherhead, Surrey / Hybrid

Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity is going through an exciting time where we are growing, with the aim of reaching more families in need.

About the role

We are looking to appoint a full-time Trust and Foundations Fundraising Lead (35 hours per week) to lead and develop Rainbow Trust’s trusts and foundations fundraising programme. You will manage relationships with charitable trusts and foundations, raising the funds we need to deliver and grow our support services.

Our Philanthropy team is an ambitious team with a well-established fundraising programme, playing a significant role in raising £5.7m a year to fund our support services and with plans to grow income over the next 3-5 years. We have an established portfolio of funders, giving low level gifts to six figure donations and you will have the opportunity to work on large applications.

You will cultivate strong working relationships with a portfolio of trust and foundations, including five- and six-figure grants, increasing their engagement and support of the charity, through reports, meetings and phone calls. Through the identification and research of new prospective trust funders, you will find creative ways to engage with them to secure funding. You will also collaborate with internal teams to develop strong cases for support and impact measurement.

What we’re looking for:

· Excellent research and writing skills, preferably with experience of successfully securing four- or five-figure gifts from charitable trusts and foundations

· The ability to work effectively with a range of internal and external people – including trust managers and trustees to build great relationships and influence

· Knowledge of the requirements of trust funders, the principles of application-writing and effective project reporting and of managing a funding portfolio or similar

· A persuasive and open communicator - the ability to develop and submit high-quality and compelling funding proposals and reports to trusts, working closely with colleagues across the charity

· Committed to providing the highest level of donor care, including creative stewardship for funders, meeting all grant terms and conditions and responding effectively and promptly to enquiries received from donors, funders and prospects.

What we offer:

We are a Best Companies Two-Star rated organisation, an outstanding place to work! We have a range of fantastic benefits that we offer our employees, this includes:

· Flexible working hours to balance home and working life

· Employee Assistance Programme with access to remote GP, counselling, physiotherapy, resources to support your mental health and financial wellbeing, as well as a 24/7 helpline via Help@Hand

· Company car for front line care posts

· 25 days of annual leave plus public holidays – rising to 26 days after 1 year, 27 days after 5 years and 30 days after 11 years, with an additional 5 days to use in your 10th or 20th year of service (pro rata for part time)

· Time off in Lieu

· Access to the Blue Light Card Scheme, and other rewards and discounts

· Bike to work, season ticket loan and payroll giving schemes

· A recommend a friend recruitment bonus scheme

· Family friendly policies, focused on employee wellbeing, and an active cross-organisational wellbeing group running a number of initiatives throughout the year

· Pension scheme where we contribute 5% of your salary and you contribute at least 3%

· The option to buy/sell annual leave, as well as additional leave for your birthday, wedding/civil ceremony and an extra half day off for Christmas shopping

· Robust training and development programmes to support your learning and growth

If you’d like to find out more about these benefits and working with us please visit our website.

About us:

Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity enables families who have a child with a life-threatening or terminal illness to make the most of time together, providing expert, practical and emotional support, where they need it for as long as it is needed. For families living with childhood illness, time is everything. Right now, there are too many families coping alone with no support, no time to think, no time to make memories and no time for each other. We believe that no family should go through this alone, so we are here to change that.

How to apply:

To apply please send your CV and covering letter to us via the link.

Interview dates: Interview dates to be confirmed

Your covering letter should highlight why your application should be considered above others and clearly state how your experience matches the essential criteria outlined in the Person Specification.

Please disclose in your covering letter if you have used AI for any part of your job application.

Interviews will take place at our Head Office in Leatherhead. We will only contact those applicants who have been successful. If you require any adjustments during the interview process, please let us know.

Early application is encouraged as we will review applications throughout the advertising period and reserve the right to close the advert early.

An enhanced DBS disclosure will be required for this post.

Rainbow Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all employees to share this commitment.

Rainbow Trust is an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from all backgrounds.

• Location: Oxfam House - Oxford, Oxford / UK (Flexible)
• Workplace Type: Hybrid
• Hours: 36 (part-time considered)
• Salary: £49,601 with a discretionary range up to £55,744 subject to relevant experience
• Job Family: Finance
• Division: Finance, Legal, Advisory, and Governance
• Grade: B
• Job Type: Open ended
• Closing Date: 16 April 2026
• Country: United Kingdom

Oxfam is a global movement of people working together to end the injustice of poverty.

The Role:

Reporting to the Head of Divisional Finance Engagement, this is a pivotal finance role for the Retail division as it supports and oversees the finance business partnering activities to the Retail Director and the Retail Leadership Team (RLT). You will lead a team of finance business partners including providing insights, financial oversight and financial guidance on strategic short- and long-term planning to support decision making and the achievement of the division’s operational objectives.

This role also provides oversight and financial advice for large transformation projects and investment decision-making, working closely with other teams across Oxfam, such as the Transformation and project teams, on business cases and providing oversight for the financial results of these projects after going live.  

What we are looking for:

We’re looking for a candidate who cares about Oxfam's mission to end poverty and is personally aligned to our feminist principles and values of empowerment, accountability and inclusion in all you do.

An ideal candidate for the role will also be / have:

• Fully Qualified Accountant (ACA/CIMA/ACCA or equivalent).
• Proven senior stakeholder management skills, including effective influencing and managing differences of opinion.
• Experience in team building, actively managing the performance of others and helping people to develop, grow and achieve their potential, including increasing diversity and inclusion in teams and/or workplaces.
• Experience in leading through change and improvement programmes.
• Able to demonstrate the ability to successfully generate trust and value the knowledge and expertise of others across all levels of the organisation.
• Strong knowledge of accounting principles, financial regulations, and reporting standards.
• Very strong financial analysis and presentational skills and experience in designing and implementing forecasting models and tools. 

We offer:

We offer a competitive salary and a range of additional benefits to staff including flexible working options, generous pension scheme, annual leave, additional leave allowances, company sick pay, life assurance and a range of other benefits. 

From the day you join Oxfam we invite you to stretch and learn in your role. Our wide range of Learning & Development opportunities includes in-house courses, e-learning modules, on-the job learning opportunities, coaching and mentoring, and much more. 

You can read more about all Oxfam has to offer 

Flexfam:

We believe flexible working is key to building the Oxfam of the future, so we’re open to talking through the type of flexible arrangements which might work for you. We think this role would work particularly well as a full-time, part-time or job share working arrangements.

How to apply:

As part of your online application, please upload your up to date CV and Cover Letter explaining your suitability against the essential criteria in the job profile.  

Our values and commitment to safeguarding

Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults and beneficiaries with whom Oxfam GB engages. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our  are recruited to work for us.

The post holder will undertake the appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the organisation.

 All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. Oxfam GB also participates in the .In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organisation and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.

About us

Oxfam is a global community who believe poverty isn’t inevitable. It’s an injustice that can be overcome. We are shop volunteers, women’s right activists, marathon runners, aid workers, coffee farmers, street fundraisers, goat herders, policy experts, campaigners, water engineers and more. And we won’t stop until everyone can live life without poverty for good.

 is a member ofof 21 organisations working together with partners and local communities in the areas of humanitarian, development and campaigning, in more than 90 countries. 

A thriving diverse Oxfam:

It’s people power that brings about change. To play our part as a global organisation working to overcome poverty and inequality, we need equality, diversity and inclusion across our community of staff, partners and volunteers. Together, we’re committed to becoming a more diverse workforce, better able to tackle the global challenges that face our world today. 

To do that:

• We need to dismantle the unequal power structures that exist everywhere, this including Oxfam and the wider development and charity sectors.
• We need an inclusive Oxfam where everyone can bring who they are to our work and feels celebrated for the differences they bring.
• We want and need everyone, and that means we need you.

Organisational Vision & Context:

At TLG, we’re on a bold, pioneering journey toward 2030 - reshaping how we think, plan and operate so we can deliver our vision with agility and impact. Rooted in our conviction of “Fulness of life for every child, no matter what struggles they face,” and our mission to pioneer unique and relevant approaches for churches everywhere, we see technology as the accelerator that will turn vision into reality. ​​

This is an exciting time to join the team. In response to the growing mental and emotional health needs of children and young people, TLG is exploring two major initiatives: Therapeutic Hubs in churches and schools, and a UK‑wide Coaching Network that equips ministry leaders to work therapeutically with children. Together, these initiatives strengthen the local church’s ability to connect with children and families and extend the reach of compassionate, evidence‑informed support. ​

To make this possible, efficiencies and innovation must be at the forefront of how we work - streamlining processes, embedding digital solutions, and leveraging technology to unlock capacity and accelerate change. ​

This Role’s Impact:

As CRM and Systems Lead, you’ll be responsible for the design, development and ownership of TLG’s Power Platform solutions, with a focus on Dynamics 365 configuration, Power BI reporting, and Power Automate workflows. This role bridges user needs with technical delivery, ensuring digital tools are intuitive, scalable, and aligned with organisational goals. You will lead the development of user-centred digital solutions and play a key role in shaping TLG’s data strategy and digital transformation, enabling TLG to scale innovation across programmes and giving our teams the tools to move fast with confidence.

If you’re a pioneer who loves collaborating across functions and turning complex needs into elegant, scalable tools, this is your invitation to accelerate TLG’s next chapter!

TLG is a Christian charity and, as a team, we want to bring our faith to the work we do; as such, we are recruiting an individual with a strong and vibrant Christian faith. We would welcome applications from candidates from diverse backgrounds to enable us to better reflect the needs of the communities we serve.

Hours: Part-time, 22.5 – 37.5 hours per week (0.6 – 1.0 FTE)

Closing Date: Sunday 19th April

Initial Interviews: Wednesday 22nd April – Online

Final Interviews: Tuesday 28th April – at our National Support Centre in West Yorkshire

Donor Relations Manager

Department: Proposition Dev & Supporter Engagement
Grade and Salary: £45,031 - £48,607 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance
Job ID: 142025

About Us

Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement (P&A) provides a fundraising and alumni engagement function in support of King’s College London. We are proud to work with colleagues across the university and its health partners to help them serve society through world-leading education, research and healthcare.  Our work also includes a partnership with the Maudsley Charity in support of children’s mental health initiatives between the university’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience and the South London & Maudsley NHS Trust.

​We are a committed team that brings together fundraisers working across different channels, alongside colleagues who promote King’s College London’s engagement with its worldwide alumni community. Our work is underpinned and enhanced by a range of dedicated professionals in supporting areas covering proposition development, supporter engagement, supporter operations and business operations.

​We have an impressive, well-established track record of success in securing support that allows the university and partners to deliver on their missions. This includes our global, award-winning World Questions: King’s Answers campaign, which set the standard in the sector and enabled us to raise substantial funds to help tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges. Ambitious and innovative, the team has won awards such as a CASE Platinum Award for Fundraising and a CASE Gold Award for Donor Relations and Stewardship. We are strongly values-driven with a focus on sustaining an excellent and supportive culture, which we see as key to creating a successful team that can support the university and its partners in making a real and positive difference to the world we live in. 

More on King’s College London

​King’s College London is an internationally renowned university delivering exceptional education and world-leading research. The university is dedicated to driving positive and sustainable change in society and realising our vision of making the world a better place.  Through its commitment to exceptional education, impactful research and genuine service to society, King’s College London is creating positive change in its communities, both in London and on the world stage. The Strategic Vision 2029 looks forward to King’s College London’s 200th anniversary in 2029 and sets out ambitious plans in five key areas:  

• ​Educating the next generation of change-makers; 

• ​Challenging ideas and driving change through research; 

• ​Giving back to society through meaningful service; 

• ​Working with our local communities in London; 

• ​Fostering global citizens with an international perspective.  ​

About the role

This role will shape how King’s builds trust, celebrates generosity, and strengthens long term donor relationships. The Donor Relations Manager (maternity cover) will lead the creation and delivery of high quality stewardship for some of the university’s most impactful supporters.

Reporting into the Head of Donor Relations, the role oversees the project management of more than 120 bespoke donor reports each year - compelling, insight rich updates that show donors the real difference their gift has made across King’s, from pioneering research into personalised cancer treatments and young people’s mental health to innovative programmes in AI and Law and sustainability. Working closely with fundraisers and our Advancement Writing team, the post-holder will ensure every report is delivered on time, to an exceptional standard, and with opportunities to introduce more personalised, creative stewardship along the way.

The post holder will partner with fundraisers to design tailored stewardship plans for major and principal gift donors, including those giving £5m+. This includes impact reporting, naming and recognition, and bespoke engagement projects that help donors feel valued, connected, and confident in their support of King’s.

Strong project management skills, excellent writing and organisational abilities, a sharp eye for detail, and the ability to juggle deadlines with confidence and initiative are key to this role, as are creativity, curiosity, and a passion for crafting meaningful donor experiences.

This is a full-time post (35 Hours per week) and is a fixed term contract for the year of maternity cover. P&A has a hybrid working approach, with a minimum of 40% of time in the office. Typically, this equates to two days per week, but we’re very happy for colleagues to be in more frequently if they so wish.

About You

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates with the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

· Understanding of one or more of: UK Charity sector/Higher Education and donor relations/stewardship

· Project management skills and strong editorial, copy writing and proof-reading skills

· Insight driven – ability to think about what is and isn’t working, see new innovations in the sector and take on feedback from fundraising colleagues and our donor community

· Ability to meet deadlines, work well under pressure and deliver projects to budget

· Strong relationship management and people focused skills with proven experience in collaboration across teams to achieve shared goals

Desirable criteria

· Adobe InDesign software experience

· Experience of using Microsoft Dynamics or similar customer/donor data base and associated processes and systems

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further Information

At King’s, we believe that the diversity of our community and a culture that is welcoming, open, inclusive and collaborative, are great strengths of the university.

The Equality Act of 2010 protects the rights of our students and staff and provides a framework to fulfil our duties to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and in addition, to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. At times, this will include balancing rights and beliefs that can feel in tension.

We are committed to free speech and to academic freedom, believing that our foundational purpose as a university, is to create spaces where a wide range of ideas, including ideas that are controversial, can be discussed and debated, and where members of our community can express lawful views without fear of intimidation, harassment or discrimination.

When engaging in the robust exchange of ideas, we ask that our community is mindful of our Dignity at King’s guidance.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the person specification section of the job description. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

We reserve the right to close adverts early due to the volume of applications we receive. While the closing date may change, all adverts will close at 23:59 to allow sufficient time for applications to be submitted on that day.

We encourage you to apply at the earliest opportunity to avoid disappointment as once we have closed a vacancy you will be unable to submit your application.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages.

We are open to discussing flexible working arrangements, including part-time, compressed hours and/or job shares, as appropriate and in the context of the business needs associated with the role. 

We offer the opportunity of an “Ask Us Anything” Teams call on Thursday 9th April 2026, 12 – 12:45. During this call you will be able to ask any questions you might have about the role, the selection process, our department, our core values and work culture, our current hybrid work policy, or simply listen to others’ questions. 

​This roles with have two interview stages, a standard skills-based interview followed (for up to two appointable candidates) by a Core Values interview. 

 Close Date: 12-Apr-2026

​First stage interviews are likely to be held on w/c 20th April 2026.

Core Values interviews are due to be held on w/c 27th April 2026.

Social Finance is an ambitious non-profit that designs, funds and scales solutions to complex social problems. Our vision is a fairer world where together we unleash the potential of people and communities. We work with governments, funders, communities and the social sector to tackle some of the most persistent challenges facing society in the UK.

Our multidisciplinary team brings together experience from the public, private and charity sectors. We are known for our collaborative and intellectually curious culture and for delivering systems change, improving how entire systems operate so they produce better, lasting outcomes.

One of our most significant initiatives is IPS Grow, which supports the national expansion of Individual Placement and Support (IPS) employment services across England. IPS is an evidence-based approach that helps people experiencing severe mental illness, addiction and other health challenges find and sustain competitive employment with tailored support.

IPS Grow works with commissioners, healthcare providers and delivery partners to expand high-quality IPS services, improve quality and learning across the system, and ensure the data and evidence behind IPS continue to demonstrate its impact. Scaling IPS has been a priority for Social Finance since 2015 and continues to be an integral part of our work today.

With IPS Grow transitioning from a fast‑growing initiative to a mature organisation with expanding reach and influence, we are now looking for an experienced Chief Operating Officer to join the IPS Grow and Social Finance Senior Leadership Team.

The COO will provide strategic leadership across IPS Grow’s operational infrastructure, ensuring the organisation has the systems, processes and capabilities required to deliver impact at scale. You will strengthen financial oversight, resource planning and risk management while helping develop IPS Grow’s data and digital capability. The role will also help shape the organisational structures and culture needed to support sustainable growth.

We are looking for a senior operational leader with experience in finance and the non-profit or publicly funded sectors, ideally with a track record of helping organisations scale. You will bring strong financial literacy, sound strategic judgement and the ability to build effective operational frameworks in complex environments.

You will be a collaborative partner across IPS Grow and the wider Social Finance organisation, building trusted relationships, bringing clarity to operational challenges and fostering a strong “one team” culture across a distributed team.

This is an exciting opportunity to help shape the next phase of IPS Grow’s development. If this resonates with you, we would be delighted to hear from you.

To download a full copy of the candidate brief and learn more about the role, please click the ‘Apply’ button, where you will be redirected to the website of our recruitment partner, Tall Roots.

Applications should include a CV and covering letter responding to the following questions:

1. What is motivating you to become our new Chief Operating Officer for IPS Grow? (200 words)
2. Given what you have read about us so far, what do you believe would make an effective Chief Operating Officer for IPS Grow? (200 words)
3. Please describe your experience ensuring an organisation had the right systems, processes or capabilities in place to use data effectively. What was your role and what difference did this make? (250 words)
4. Please tell us about a time when you built strong partnerships across teams or organisations to deliver a shared goal. What approach did you take and what was the outcome? (250 words)