Bruno Ornelas (Head of Services at VOICES) and Andy Meakin (Project Director of VOICES) were among authors who contributed to the article “Increasing access to Care Act 2014 assessment and personal budgets among people with experiences of homelessness and multiple exclusion: a theoretically informed case study.” The article, published in Housing, Care and Support has just been selected by the editorial team as an Outstanding Paper in the 2019 Emerald Literati Awards. It was noted by the editorial team as an exceptional piece of work. The full article can be found as open access here.

The paper discusses the progress that is being made in Stoke-on-Trent to increase access to Care Act 2014 assessments and personal budgets amongst those experiencing multiple disadvantage. […]

Today we publish the fourth paper in our series of briefings on multiple needs. This draws on data and insight from the 12 Fulfilling Lives partnerships, specifically focusing on what the programme has achieved over the first four years. Engaging with over 3,000 beneficiaries experiencing multiple disadvantage and otherwise excluded from services, the paper highlights a number of other successes of the programme. For those beneficiaries who remain with the programme and continue to make progress, there is an uptake in pro-social activities that characterise a full and fulfilled life.

To learn more, view the briefing online.

To understand more about the methods and data used, view the accompanying method notes.

CFE Research, working in partnership with the University of Sheffield, have published their latest report on the evaluation of the Big Lottery Fund’s ‘Fulfilling Lives: Supporting people with multiple needs’ programme.

Supporting those who are chronically excluded and disadvantaged – experiencing homelessness, mental ill health, substance misuse and reoffending – is a challenge that needs a different approach. The £112 million initiative is funding 12 projects across England to provide more person-centred and co-ordinated support.

Latest findings from the evaluation show that projects have made a good start in reaching those with greatest need. But continued effort is needed to reach ‘hidden’ and harder to reach groups such as women with multiple needs and people from Black and minority ethnic communities.

The initiative still has six years to […]

The All Party Parliamentary Group on Complex Needs and Dual Diagnosis, is looking for examples of good practice in working with people with co-existing substance misuse and mental health issues, to inform an online ‘library’ for policy makers, commissioners, providers, academics, experts by experience and others to reference.

For anyone who is interested in either providing a case study of good practice or contributing to this work in general, please do get in touch with us at appg@turning-point.co.uk<mailto:appg@turning-point.co.uk> with the attached form.

They are also planning on conducting a short survey to ascertain the current strengths, risks and opportunities facing services supporting people with multiple complex needs so please do look out for this in the next few weeks.

Sent […]

On the 29th January, in Stoke on Trent, the National Expert Citizen’s Group of Fulfilling Lives were invited to review the National Drugs Strategy. The strategy focuses on three key themes: Reducing Demand, Restricting Supply and Building Recovery. The day focused on the third strand – Building Recovery. A member from the Home Office’s Drug Strategy Team provided an initial presentation to set the scene. The rest of the day focused on obtaining expert’s views and opinions, from their lived experience, on key aspects that are needed to inform the new strategy. The review was particularly interested in:

— Barriers to recovery
— How to reduce the stigma of substance misuse
— What works well in recovery – particularly around housing and employment

The day was recorded graphically and […]

Following the success of the Experts by Experience launch film in 2015, Birmingham Changing Futures Together decided it would be fitting to create a new film for 2016. This film features some new year’s resolutions, a variety of stories and successful journeys and recommendations for services for 2016.

Watch it here

Birmingham Changing Futures Together will continue to work with Experts by Experience to help improve services across Birmingham, and make the lives of their users more fulfilled.

They really hope you find it as rewarding to watch as they found it to make.

PIElink is a rapidly growing community of practice with the aim of connecting people involved with addressing the psychological and emotional issues that go with homelessness, particularly through the development of ‘psychologically informed environments’ – PIEs.

They have just released their first newsletter, follow this link to find it.

If you want to find out more about PIElink then got to their website to get involved. http://pielink.net/

The event marked the first year of the WY-FI project. The audience saw videos made by beneficiaries of the Wakefield Navigator Team, presentations about the team’s achievements and testimonies from partners in Wakefield. Out Of Character Theatre showcased some of the work they had been doing across West Yorkshire to help WY-FI users tell their own stories of recovery and resilience

Read more about it here

[…]

The Department for Work and Pensions has launched an independent review led by Dame Carol Black into the support available for benefit claimants with drug and alcohol problems. MEAM has responded to the call for evidence.

This review provides an opportunity to explore the range of challenges that people with substance issues face in moving towards employment, and explore how the current system could be improved to better respond to their needs.

While a great deal of the media coverage has focused on proposals to make benefits conditional on accepting an offer of treatment, this is one debate within a much wider set of issues and must not be addressed in isolation.

In responding to the review, the MEAM coalition charities – Clinks, Homeless Link and Mind – […]

Over 120 guests attended the official launch of the Birmingham Changing Futures Together project Friday 19th June. They were able to find out more about the achievements so far, aspirations for the future and how they could get more involved.

Birmingham also took the opportunity to capture views on how people think Services, Outcomes and Systems (SOS) for people with multiple needs can be improved across the city. For details of the event and an inspiring video by their Experts by Experience, click here.

A new report, launched by Making Every Adult Matter (a coalition of Clinks, Homeless Link, and Mind) shows that people experiencing a combination of homelessness, substance misuse, offending, and mental health problems, are not getting the support they need because policymakers are not consistently listening to them or the practitioners that support them.

Solutions from the Frontline is based on the ideas and experiences of people with multiple needs. It sets out how the new Government, as well as national and local policymakers and commissioners, can act to reduce stigma, improve services, and support people to achieve their ambitions.

Read it here