Case Studies | Resources
Women’s Development Programme Case Study | Peabody & Springboard
Discover How the Springboard Women’s Development Programme helped Sandra Baitrum recognise her value, strengthen her self-belief and progress into management.
Peabody is one of the UK’s oldest not-for-profit housing associations, with a long history of providing safe, secure and affordable homes. Today, the organisation is responsible for 109,000 homes across London and the home counties, alongside community spaces, specialist housing, care and support services that help people build independence, stability and wellbeing.
For Sandra Baitrum, Drug and Alcohol Outreach Manager at Peabody, the work is practical, people-focused and often complex. Based in Essex, Sandra and her team support people experiencing active substance misuse, often alongside mental health challenges, housing insecurity, debt, safeguarding concerns and wider barriers to stability.
The role is not just about addiction. It is about helping people access the right support, understand what may be contributing to the cycle they are in, and begin to rebuild the foundations they need to move forward. Sandra’s team works closely with local support services, including Open Road Visions, while also helping customers attend job centre appointments, resolve practical issues, access healthcare, liaise with services and manage the wider pressures affecting their lives.
It is demanding work, and like many people in busy, people-centred roles, Sandra had spent much of her time focused on supporting others. The Springboard Women’s Development Programme gave her time to reflect on herself, what she brought to her role and what she wanted next.
“The course is simply fantastic and should be more widely available to any employer or organisation who takes investing in their people seriously, especially with dedicated programmes like this which adds a focus on the unique positions that women face.
For me I think I just gained more belief in myself to put myself forward for the manager role and share what I have to offer. I would never have even thought about it before, and it would have just been a missed opportunity.”
“I never thought of myself as a manager”
Sandra joined Peabody in April 2025 as a Drug and Alcohol Outreach Officer. At the time, her team was relatively new, created through a separate pot of funding to support vulnerable people affected by addiction and related challenges. When her manager later moved on, the opportunity arose for someone to step into the manager role.
Initially, Sandra did not see herself as someone who would apply.
“I’d never have even thought of it,” she explained. “Me as a manager, that’s not something I would have thought of. It never even crossed my mind.” Even when others encouraged her, Sandra’s first reaction was uncertainty. She questioned whether she was ready and whether she was good enough. “I just never thought of myself as a manager. It was never a consideration for me because I didn’t think I was good enough.”
That sense of self-doubt was not new. Before Springboard, Sandra described herself as self-critical. In her personal life, she had often felt like an afterthought, particularly when she was not the main earner in her household.
“I used to do two jobs and look after my four children, but I wasn’t the main breadwinner,” she said. “I felt at the time I was quite happy to be in that box, as if what I did didn’t really matter, but I started to realise I was more than that.” Springboard helped Sandra begin to look at that view of herself differently.
Creating space to reflect
Sandra first became aware of the Springboard Women’s Development Programme through an internal opportunity at Peabody, orchaestrated by Keji Imafidon, who serves as as Co-Chair for the Peabody Gender Equality Network. Although she was unsure at first what to expect, something about the programme resonated.
Once she joined the programme, delivered in person by Springboard facilitator Jenny Lal, Sandra found it much more meaningful than she had expected. When asked what she enjoyed most, her answer was simple: “All of it!”
She described herself as someone who had often taken things at face value, without necessarily exploring the deeper influences behind them. Through the programme, she began to look more closely at her experiences, assumptions, confidence and sense of self-worth.
“When you’re presented with all the facts, I realised there is a lot more information behind things than just a statement I was prepared to accept as being true. I began to question things more, learn more about myself and relate to other people’s experiences too.”
The group setting also mattered. Sandra valued hearing from other women, building connections and recognising that some of the things she had carried privately were shared by others too.
“It was nice to build a network and realise there are people that think like you as well. You’re not the only person. You’re not on your own. I’ve connected with my home working group on LinkedIn, and hope to catch up with the wider cohort in the near future”.
That sense of shared experience is central to Springboard. The programme gives participants time to reflect individually, while also building connection, perspective and confidence through facilitated discussion, peer support and practical tools.
For Sandra, the most valuable outcome was a stronger awareness of what she had to offer.
“I have much more self-worth and awareness. My opinions and my thoughts do matter. I have a lot of knowledge that perhaps before I hadn’t valued or even realised, that people are interested in, and I can share my experience.”
From self-doubt to promotion
During the same period, Sandra was encouraged to apply for the Drug and Alcohol Outreach Manager role. Although she had not previously seen herself in that position, the encouragement from others, combined with her growing self-belief, helped her step forward. She took the leap – applied, interviewed and was successful.
Sandra is now managing a growing team while still reducing her own caseload and taking on more responsibility. The transition has brought new learning, including the more technical aspects of the role, which Sandra is continuing to build confidence with. What has changed is her willingness to take on the challenge, ask to learn more and contribute at a wider level.
“As I’m managing my customers through, and my caseload reduces, I’m taking on more and more responsibility. I’m keen to learn and support my line manager more as well, taking the pressure off and supporting the wider team.”
When asked whether Springboard helped change her mindset during the promotion process, Sandra’s answer was clear.
“I think I just had more belief in myself to put myself forward and share what I have to offer. I would never have even thought about it before, and it would have just been a missed opportunity.”
That belief did not come from becoming a different person. It came from recognising what was already there: knowledge, experience, capability and a contribution worth valuing.
Recognising what people bring to the table
Sandra believes Peabody benefits directly when it invests in programmes like Springboard because it helps women recognise their strengths, understand what they bring to the table and share their experience in the right way.
“They’re getting a better version of me, one that is more engaged, driven, aware, committed” she said. “And I think they’ll get the best out of other women that work within the wider teams. The programme is so empowering and gives you that confidence and self-belief to make things happen.”
For an organisation like Peabody, where many roles involve supporting residents through complex and sensitive circumstances, this type of development has clear relevance. When people understand their own strengths, feel able to express their perspective and have the tools to manage themselves well, they are better placed to contribute, lead and support others.
Sandra has already recommended the programme to colleagues and would like to see it made more widely available across Peabody, particularly in local offices.
“I’ve been telling my colleagues about the course and they are all very interested, as they can see how positive I am about the programme and the things I have taken away from it and have been able to implement in my day to day life.”
Protecting time and setting boundaries
Springboard also had an impact beyond Sandra’s professional development. One of the areas she has continued to work on is setting healthier boundaries, both in and outside work.
“When you try to set more boundaries, it can be hard,” she said. “You just have to keep referring back to what you explored on the programme, and the tools to have those conversations. I have to look after myself first to enable me to be the best version of myself for other people.”
For Sandra, this learning is especially relevant in a role built around supporting others. The work can be emotionally demanding, and the desire to help can make it difficult to protect time, energy and perspective.
Springboard gave Sandra practical strategies she could keep returning to. It helped reinforce that looking after herself is not separate from supporting others well. It is part of being able to show up with clarity, resilience and consistency.
That belief did not come from becoming a different person. It came from recognising what was already there: knowledge, experience, capability and a contribution worth valuing.
The value of relatable role models
As part of Sandra’s programme, guest speakers from within Peabody shared their own experiences. Sandra found it powerful to hear from women in senior roles who had progressed through their own unique routes, and dealt with various relatable personal and professional challenges along the way.
“It was great to see these women having top job roles that have come from normal education and just worked their way up – overcoming challenges that resonated with a lot of us in the group. It was inspiring and interesting to see how they dealt with them.”
She also valued Jenny Lal’s facilitation style, describing her as approachable, open, honest and relatable.
“Jenny is very approachable and comes across as open and honest,” Sandra said. “She’s got life experience, and that’s so important, to be able to be credible and share examples with substance.”
For Sandra, that was key to having the confidence to share and explore the themes fully. The programme felt grounded in real experience, not abstract advice from a textbook. Jenny’s facilitation helped create an environment where participants could reflect honestly, learn from each other and engage with the content in a way that felt relevant to their own lives.
An “enlightening and empowering” programme
When asked how she would describe the Springboard programme, Sandra chose two words: enlightening and empowering.
She described the programme as full of useful information, tips, strategies and connections that help people become a better version of themselves. Her advice to anyone considering the programme is direct.
“Just go for it, go 100% all in. Just do it. I couldn’t imagine anyone doing it and being able to honestly say they didn’t get anything out of it. There’s just so much to learn and experience.”
For Sandra, Springboard provided the space, support and tools to recognise her own value at an important point in her career. It helped her see opportunities that were open to her, believe she could step up and carry that belief into a new management role.
A participant story with wider organisational value
Sandra’s story shows the value of development that gives people time to reflect, understand themselves more fully and take that insight back into their work. For the individual, that can mean greater confidence, stronger self-awareness and a clearer sense of direction. For the employer, it can support progression, leadership confidence, retention and stronger connection across teams.
At Peabody, Sandra’s experience is a clear example of what can happen when women are given the time, space and encouragement to recognise who they are, what they bring and what they may be ready to do next.
As Sandra put it: “The course is simply fantastic and should be more widely available to any employer or organisation who takes investing in their people seriously, especially with dedicated programmes like this which adds a focus on the unique positions that women face.”
A special thank you to Sandra Baitrum for taking the time to share her unique experience of the Springboard programme delivered to Peabody, and a huge congratulations on her recent promotion which is thoroughly deserved.
If you would like to find out more about how we could help your organisation invest in its people, contact us today.