Executive Summary Background This report presents a summative evaluation of VOICES, the Stoke-on-Trent implementation of the national Fulfilling Lives: supporting people experiencing multiple disadvantage programme. VOICES was an eight-year partnership project (20142022) that sought to empower people experiencing multiple disadvantage to improve their lives and to influence the services on which they depend. The VOICES programme included a wide range of discrete projects, evaluations, and development work to influence various parts of the system, aligned with three priority areas: Ensuring fair access to services; Housing First; Making service users leaders in service design and commissioning.
Approach This 12-month evaluation (JanDec 2021) drew on learning from the discrete projects/activities and evaluation reports, and used Situational Analysis for a qualitative exploration (with a systems lens) of the wider systems change resulting from VOICES work in each priority area. Expert Citizens were involved as evaluation partners, and also contributed through participation in accredited training (‘Get Talking’) and as a panel of experts with lived experience and knowledge of VOICES.
Main findings Learning from the discrete projects highlighted successes of, and challenges encountered
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through VOICES work. The Situational Analysis drew on this learning and summarised the systemic challenges facing VOICES customers and progress made by VOICES in each priority area, with an overarching theme of addressing failure demand (demand caused by a failure to act effectively for the customer) in the system of support for people experiencing multiple disadvantage, through working to promote equity rather than equality.
Fair access to local support services for people experiencing multiple disadvantage Stigma and marginalisation among some personnel in support services were identified as fundamental barriers to people experiencing multiple disadvantage accessing services. This was exemplified through dysfunctional processes for hospital discharge and primary care registration in people experiencing homelessness. VOICES made important moves to challenge this problem through producing legally informed materials and recommendations to raise awareness; co-producing solution-focused products that challenge stigma and marginalisation (e.g., INSIGHT, Care Act, the Mutlple Needs Toolkit, Multiple Exclusion Homelessness Safeguarding); and empowering and training public sector professionals to acknowledge the importance of lived experience through the VOICES Citywide Learning Programme.
