investing in people that make
communities stronger
about taproot
taproot is a consultancy providing support to the community sector. We are here to help organisations and systems to build resilience in communities and so bring about social change.
Our aims are to:
- support people to be agents of change
- help organisations to listen to the people that matter to them
- enable groups and teams to make better decisions
Based in Cambridge, taproot was established by Juliet Snell in 2016. Juliet is a trained facilitator and trainer and has spent over 25 years working in the charitable sector, the NHS and for local authorities. She has first-hand experience of leading organisations through change, mentoring and coaching senior staff, supporting trustees, and evaluating and developing services. She is passionate about building the ability of teams to creatively and meaningfully listen to their communities.
Juliet Snell
facilitation for groups
When a group of people with a shared purpose are working towards a decision or a project, the best answer is usually in the room already- groups usually have the energy and the commitment, but can get side-tracked by areas of uncertainty or just not agreeing on where to start.
Group facilitation will help you harness the consensus, wisdom and energy that brought you together, help you turn that consensus into tangible action plans and help you celebrate your shared vision.
consultancy
Strategic thinking, especially at times of change, is vital to keep projects and organisations relevant and rooted. Whether it’s developing a new strategic plan, consulting with your community, registering as a charity or evaluating what you do, an external consultant can bring clarity of thinking, independence and structure.
taproot offers a wide range of support, from one or two sessions to help your team plan your work to complete consultation, evaluation or strategic planning projects. With transparent pricing and flexible approaches you can feel confident that the product will fit your needs and have a long legacy in your organisation.
mentoring
Working in the community sector requires empathy, energy and resilience.
Taproot mentoring provides organisations with a long term relationship between mentor and mentee that meets the development needs of the leader or manager. The mentor will empower the mentee to grow and develop their full potential, while supporting them to remain grounded within their community and organisation, ensure best practice, and work for the resilience of themselves and their project.
Mentor sessions usually take place monthly, in a safe and comfortable space away from the daily pressures of work. The work can be on-going, or time limited. Time with a mentor can help leaders manage time and priorities, think strategically, maintain quality and build the skills to get the best from your teams.
clients
Thank you for such a good afternoon, helping us to use our hindsight without being preoccupied by it. To help us gain clear sight about what we need to do to improve our governance, strategic and business planning and thirdly steering us so skilfully to enable a very talented set of trustees and staff tap into their unique individual skills sets... to make the whole more than the sum of the parts
Professor Dame Sue Bailey OBE DBE
Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists
Juliet is an extraordinary consultant, she is able to disentangle complex situations and make sense of them on behalf of services and organisations in a way that motivates change. Juliet undertakes all her work with integrity, always using a values led approach and my team very much enjoy working with her.
Sarah Hughes, CEO
Centre for Mental Health
brilliant - dynamic, sensitive, fun, open and honest and really brought us together as a group..... enabled learning, cohesion and humour to be embraced as a whole
Pat Alexander
K1 Housing
I can't actually put into words properly what a difference this period of time, your work, report and recommendations, will make to the project. Your help came at just the right time in just the right way! I'd like to thank you for being so sensitive and reflective (and helping us to be) throughout the process.
Jo Hunt, Project Manager
Kings Hedges Family Support Project
Juliet manages to be super-efficient, knowledgeable and professional, and at the same time warm, engaging and fun to work with. It's a winning combination!
Jonathan Wells, Director
The SUN network
Our directors felt very comfortable with Juliet's approach to facilitation of meetings, and her work with us was a major factor in such a rapid development of the new Board
Val Moore, Chair
Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Juliet has been great at holding space for our organisation to work on ourselves. Working with Juliet has helped us move forward in our shared understanding of how we work together, and how we can improve things in future.
Tom Lord
Aptivate
It was such a breath of fresh air to work with Juliet, she had a fantastic ability to guide the group through the activities, helping people to understand the process through a straightforward and no nonsense approach. Juliet helped to turn something super complex into a clear beginning of a theory of change model for our charity and ensured all the people in the room had their chance to input.
Lara Jaffey, Executive Director
The Kite Trust
Juliet has been an outstanding mentor for me as a Chief Executive of a local charity. Juliet's knowledge on both strategic and operational levels has been a great source of support for me.
Lenja Bell, Chief Executive Officer
pinpoint
Invaluable assistance to our organisation- very well structured, clear, goal-focused. We can move forward!
Lara Brettell,
Chair of the Management Committee
Cambridge Calais Refugee Action Group
I can’t over-emphasise how big a difference your report has made: we actually have agreement over the direction of some very major changes which we needed to make! Your input as an objective, experienced, outsider made all the difference. Your consensus building approach meant that the major internal stakeholders were an integral part of developing the final recommendations.
