Insight Conference & Awards 2016 Delegate Pack by VOICES

WHEN

7th December 09:30am - 14:45pm

INSIGHT CONFERENCE 2016

WHERE

Kings Hall Town Hall, Kings Way Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 1JH

FEATURING MARKET PLACE

DELEGATE PACK

Visit the stalls Send us a postcard at the ‘Wish you were here’ tables Learn about services Share experience Networking Look for opportunities

VIDEO BOOTH Do a piece to camera Tell us what you think Share your story Pitch an idea Answer a question

WORKSHOP Twitter: #INSIGHT2016 WiFi:

Guest-Stoke WELCOME

Give your ideas some legs in the ‘Best foot forward’ activity Share experience Discuss ideas Drive improvement Help change systems

AWARDS Recognising success Rewarding commitment Challenging stigma

INSIGHT CONFERENCE WHEN

7th December 09:30am - 14:45pm

AGENDA 9:30

ARRIVAL & REGISTRATION

WHERE

Tell us that you’re here, grab a drink, make a video, network in the market place and share your ideas on our ‘Wish you were here’ tables—send us a postcard from the future

Town Hall, Kings Way Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 1JH

Kings Hall

10:00 WELCOME & SPEAKERS Darren Murinas, Chair, Expert Citizens The Lord Mayor of the City of Stoke-on-Trent, Cllr Anthony Munday Laura Furness, Head of Funding, Big Lottery Fund Jenny Edwards, Chief Executive, Mental Health Foundation Ruth Walbank-Hughes, System Broker, VOICES

10:45 WORKSHOP Share your insight around multiple needs in our workshop. Overcome the barriers faced by people experiencing multiple needs and develop some sustainable solutions

11:45

LUNCH & NETWORKING Eat lunch, grab a drink, make a video, and network in the market place

12:45 FILM COMPETITION WINNER Screening the winner of our recent Film Festival Competition

13:00 INSIGHT AWARDS Hosted by Jude Habib of Sounddelivery, we recognise the achievements and positive practice of professionals working with people experiencing multiple needs in five categories: • Welcoming People • Listening to People • Learning from People • • Leading Change • Outstanding Recognition Award •

14:30 CONCLUDING REMARKS Glynn Luznyj , Director of Prevent and Protect, Staffordshire Fire and

FEATURING MARKET PLACE Visit the stalls Send us a postcard at the ‘Wish you were here’ tables Learn about services Share experience Networking Look for opportunities

VIDEO BOOTH Do a piece to camera Tell us what you think Share your story Pitch an idea Answer a question

WORKSHOP Give your ideas some legs in the ‘Best foot forward’ activity Share experience Discuss ideas Drive improvement Help change systems

AWARDS Recognising success Rewarding commitment Challenging stigma

INSIGHT CONFERENCE

“The homeless man must always remember one thing, that though he may sit on wooden seats and stone parapets, eat in public and go in rags, he must not on any account, sleep.”

CONTENTS

William Henry Davies

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

PAGE

Darren Murinas, Chair of Expert Citizens

The Lord Mayor of the City of Stoke-on-Trent, Cllr Anthony Munday

Jenny Edwards CBE, Chief Executive, Mental Health Foundation

Laura Furness, Head of Funding, Big Lottery Fund

Glynn Luznyj, Director, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue

Jude Habib, Founder and Director, Sounddelivery

Ruth Wallbank-Hughes , Systems Broker, VOICES

WORKSHOP Case study

Instructions

“Best foot forward” activity

INSIGHT AWARD NOMINATIONS Welcoming people

Listening to people

Learning from people

Leading others

Outstanding recognition award

William Henry Davies William Henry Davies or W. H. Davies (3 July 1871 – 26 September 1940) was a Welsh poet and writer. Davies spent a significant part of his life as a rough sleeper and beggar, in the United Kingdom and United States, but became one of the most popular poets of his time. His book, “autobiography of a super-tramp” exposed Georgian society to the realities of homelessness, poverty, and begging. His poetic verse “leisure” is still widely recognised to this day. “What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare.”

“WISH YOU WERE HERE” Send a postcard from the perfect future

MARKET PLACE Key to exhibitors

YOUR NOTES A blank page for your working and ideas

William Henry Davies Poet, / Author

CHAIR BIOGRAPHY Chair of Expert Citizens

Darren Murinas Darren is a trustee of the Lankelly Chase Foundation. He recently sat on an expert panel alongside MP’s and leading professionals to discuss public policy in reducing homelessness and rough sleeping on a national scale. Darren’s lived experience of multiple needs adds obvious authenticity to workshops and when speaking at national events around the issue of multiple needs. Darren lived in the mixed up world of multiple needs for almost 30 years. At six, he was sent to a special needs school for a ‘short time’ because of his visual impairment. That ‘short time’ lasted 11 years which he describes as a lonely experience. After leaving school, Darren found himself caught in the world of alcohol and drug use which, over time, turned into addiction. From there, things got more out of hand. He spent 20 years involved in organised crime to fund his addiction. Finally, Darren went to prison for conspiracy to supply class A drugs in 2010. There he recognised that his activities had affected the lives of many others and he determined to make a change. Released from prison in 2013, Darren initially found himself homeless and penniless. Avoiding a return to a life of crime, Darren accepted help from local charities. Along with others, he took the opportunity to volunteer with helping to put together a bid to the Big Lottery Fund for what was to become the VOICES project. Their work helped to attract an investment of nearly £10m from the Big Lottery Fund for Stoke-on-Trent to help people with multiple needs. That group of volunteers grew to be the Expert Citizens and are becoming a key reference group in Stokeon-Trent for homelessness, mental ill-health, addiction, and offending. Since then Darren has made an enormous contribution to VOICES and, with others, the development of Expert Citizens. He featured on BBC Radio 4 talking about his story and has also spoken about multiple needs on local radio. In 2015, he was on a shortlist of just five people for the Guardian’s prestigious volunteer of the year award as well as being a runner up in the Stoke Sentinel’s Our Heroes awards. Darren’s blogs have featured on the Guardian Social Care network and the Big Lottery Fund website. Last year he gave evidence to a Parliamentary Select Committee in support of a prominent report.

“The last 12 months have been amazing for myself and all the expert citizens. We have been supporting organisations in Stoke on Trent and nationally, delivering workshops, public speaking, training and research. We continue to go from strength and look forward to the coming year.”

Feedback “What a pleasure it was to meet your team (Expert Citizens) today as part of the City Centre stakeholder event. It is evident that your team have been instrumental to the success of this and deserve to be congratulated” Jennifer Lawson, Commissioning Officer, Safer City Partnership

“Thank you so much for coming to our event in Gateshead, it was good to meet you and hear you speak, and the feedback we received demonstrates this, so thank you for helping us effect some positive changes.” Jill Harland, Speciality Registrar, Public Health, Gateshead

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY

The Lord Mayor of the City of Stoke-on-Trent

"This is such a proud moment for me. This is about my friends and family and all those people who have supported me over the years. As a born and bred Stokie, I cannot think of any honour that would beat this."

Cllr Anthony Munday Anthony first became a City Councillor following a by-election in November 2013 and he retained his seat in the Baddeley, Milton and Norton Ward in May 2015. It was almost a natural progression for the freelance journalist who has been a community activist in his home village of Baddeley Green for the vast majority of his 56 years. Anthony became secretary of the first senior football team he signed for at the age of 16 because no-one else wanted to do the job and he has been organising all sorts of activities ever since. He became Chairman of the Baddeley Green & Stockton Brook Community Association 20 years ago, a position he has held ever since apart from a brief interlude because of work commitments. He has been an active member of the committee at Baddeley Green Workingmen’s Club, including a term as vice-president, for over seven years. During that time, the committee has managed to turn around the club which now hosts a wide range of community activities. Anthony ran his son’s Ladsandads football team from under 8s right through to under-18s and was secretary of Baddeley Green club’s team for three very successful seasons before becoming a councillor. He has been married to his loving and very supportive wife, Paula, for almost 18 years and she is very much looking forward to continuing that support during her term as Lady Mayoress. Anthony is a sports fanatic, particularly football and golf. He also ran several Potteries Marathons after the end of his footballing days and is now a keen cyclist.

Stoke-on-Trent City of Culture We love Stoke-on-Trent and we know you do too. Becoming UK City of Culture is a once in a generation opportunity. If we’re successful, the benefits to the city would be enormous. We’ll see new jobs, millions of visitors from all over the world and the UK who will spend money in the city; international cultural events that will make you stop in your tracks, enormous benefits for our communities as well as improved educational opportunities for our children.

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY

“The best way out is always through.” Robert Frost American Poet

Chief Executive Mental Health Foundation

Jenny Edwards CBE Jenny has been Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation since 2013. She has focused the Foundation’s work on the prevention of and early intervention in mental health problems. The Mental Health Foundation is a leading UK wide mental health research and development charity that was founded 67 years ago. Its programmes cover mental health and wellbeing throughout life, including innovative work with children and young people, people in later life, and adults at work and in vulnerable communities. It is focusing on prevention and the evidence base for different approaches. Jenny chairs the NICE Expert Reference Group on Acute Mental Health Care for Adults. She is a member of the Common Mental Health Disorders Expert Reference Group for the Mental Health Intelligence Network; the Mental Health Policy Group; the Dementia Truth Inquiry Panel and the Steering Group of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition. Previously, Jenny chaired the Ministerial Advisory Group on Homelessness and the Mayor’s Roundtable on Homelessness. Jenny was instrumental in founding the Making Every Adult Matter Alliance, focusing on the multiple needs of mental health, addiction, homelessness and offending. She co-authored the Hard Edges Report, mapping severe and multiple disadvantage across England. She was awarded a CBE in 2011 for her work. Jenny spent 11 years working in the arts at the National Campaign for the Arts and working as Director of Development at the Arts Council, London Office. Jenny was an expert advisor to Heriot Watt University's study of severe and multiple disadvantage in the UK, published as Hard Edges. She has also been a consultant to Government on approaches to multiple disadvantage and support for vulnerable people.

Mental Health Research In our first two decades, we became a key funder for research work and began to influence government policy on mental health. This model remains at the heart of our work today - we use our ground breaking research and development work to influence policy and improve services delivery.

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY

“In order to carry a positive action we must develop here a positive vision.” Dalai Lama

Head of Funding Supporting People with Multiple Needs

Big Lottery Fund

Laura Furness I have been at the Big Lottery Fund since 2014, working as Head of Funding for the Multiple Needs Programme since the end of 2015, and within the European Funding (Building Better Opportunities) team before that. Prior to joining the Big Lottery Fund, I had a short (ish) stint within the Office for Civil Society at the Cabinet Office but the bulk of my career so far has been spent in both operational and strategic delivery of substance misuse services within the voluntary sector, predominantly in Criminal Justice. I have been very lucky to hold roles which have allowed a real focus on the individual and looking at what works best for people who have specific needs, having had the opportunity to work with some very hard to reach individuals, and the organisations supporting them. This has given me a good understanding of how individuals with complex needs require a different approach which meets their individual requirements and I’m keen that we establish learning under the Multiple Needs programme to understand more of what this approach could be to support the creation of more effective and joined up services which are designed with the individual beneficiary in mind.

Funded by The National Lottery VOICES is funded by the National Lottery through the Big Lottery Fund as part of Fulfilling Lives: Supporting people with multiple needs. Stoke-on-Trent is one of 12 areas to share £112m over eight years. The programme is aimed at testing alternative approaches to tackling multiple needs. It will identify more effective ways of working and embed positive practice.

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY

“It always seems impossible, until it’s done.” Nelson Mandela

Director of Prevent and Protect Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service

Glynn Luznyj I have worked for Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service for 20 years in many roles including leading a delivery group area across North Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, managing transformation projects and working within the realms of fire protection and community safety. My previous experiences include a number of years working as an operational Firefighter, progressing through junior management roles into my current position and much of my work has involved managing operational fire stations and staff members. My priorities for the Service include expanding the role of the of the Fire and Rescue Service as an asset for health, meeting the financial challenges placed upon the Service and most importantly, improving the safety and wellbeing of the communities in my area. I am currently CFOA’s lead for Smoke Alarms and outside of work I enjoy spending time with my family and being involved with sports.

Co-operative Working Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service have been working with a range of partners in redesigning the method for public sector services within Stoke on Trent. They have been part of Stoke’s Communities Strategic Board for 2 years, which was successful in gaining £5m of funding from the Local Authority Transformation Grant in 2014. This funding is supporting the change from silo based organisational service delivery to a holistic multi-agency delivery approach based in understanding the needs of the citizen to drive the support they receive.

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY

“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.”

Phillip Pullman Author

Founder and Director Sounddelivery

Jude Habib Jude is a BBC trained reporter and producer with over 20 years’ experience of unearthing stories that need to be told. At the BBC Jude focused on human interest storytelling, developing and delivering high-impact social action campaigns across radio, television and digital. These included Ring Around Carers, Africa Lives, Hitting Home, Children in Need and Comic Relief. She founded sounddelivery in 2006 to give charities and the people they support the skills and confidence to tell their stories. Since then Jude has trained thousands of individuals in storytelling, helping to raise awareness and inspire action on issues including mental health, domestic violence, homelessness, the care system, poverty and life in prison. Sounddelivery is an award-winning digital storytelling agency and digital media consultancy. We champion stories that need to be told, stories that challenge prejudice and disadvantage, and have the power to change the world around us. We help organisations to navigate the changing media climate and harness the opportunities that social media offers. sounddelivery offers a wide range of digital storytelling services, from bespoke digital training for expert citizens and in-house teams, to project partnerships, consultancy, story gathering and content creation. We also work to connect charities and the media together to build long-term relationships.

Storytelling Sounddelivery’s storytelling priorities give a voice to: people with experience of violence and abuse; young people with experience of the care system; the role of legal advisors and the people who seek their help; people with first-hand experience of poverty, particularly those misrepresented in the media. At Sounddelivery we want to support organisations that do great work but need further expertise to use the power of storytelling to increase their impact.

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY

“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.” Leonardo da Vinci

Systems Broker VOICES

Ruth Wallbank-Hughes I left university in 2010 with an English Degree and no idea of what to do next. I enrolled on a post graduate education course and set out to become a Secondary School English Teacher. I quickly realised that although teaching English was a worthy pursuit, it wasn’t for me. I was more interested in the lives of the children who struggled to attend, whose lives were becoming more chaotic, who were difficult to engage and needed more support; I left teaching, knowing that I wanted to support people to but not knowing where to start. I started volunteering with the probation service teaching adults who had just been released from prison to read. It was here that I first encountered support workers from the third sector. Their passion, creativity and dedication to the complex customers they supported blew me away; I knew I wanted to be one of them and I finally had an idea of where to start. I joined Young People’s Services at a local charity; supporting young homeless people to access accommodation and navigate the complicated world of setting up their first tenancy. I saw the systems we work in catch people who were falling, but I also saw people with multiple needs fall through the net. When conversations started about Fulfilling Lives in Stoke, I knew I wanted to be part of creating a system that supports the most complex individuals in our city. I joined the team at VOICES at the beginning of the project in 2014 as a service coordinator, and became a Systems Broker six months later. I’m a blogger and I write about my experiences, although not as often as I’d like, at http://ruthfranciszka.blogspot.co.uk/

I am inspired by our customers every day; their resilience, strength and sense of humour is the reason I can’t wait to get to work every morning.

Expert Citizens & VOICES We are working together to help local organisations coordinate their work to help people experiencing multiple needs through their journey of recovery even more effectively. A key method of achieving this is by listening to people with direct experience of multiple needs and coordinating services around the issues they describe. Working through the VOICES partnership we aim to fundamentally change services for people with multiple needs via mutual support, cooperation, and shared learning. To do so it will be necessary to illustrate the often avoidable frustrations and setbacks that people experience as well as their stories of success.

WORKSHOP CASESTUDY Presented by

Ruth Wallbank-Hughes I’d like to talk to you about a woman with complex and multiple needs. She is intelligent, witty, and relentlessly generous. She has faced personal adversity, abuse, relationship breakdowns, and difficulties with her mental health and a ten year struggle with addiction; but despite all of this she has never lost her sense of humour or her compassion for other people.

“If I were damned of body and soul, I know whose prayers would make me whole, Mother o’ mine, O mother o’ mine .” Rudyard Kipling Author

If most journeys go from A to B, Tracy’s journey has gone from A to C to Q to L and back to A at least ten times. There have been times when Tracy has felt like giving up. There were times when services felt they were running out of options. There have been times when making the smallest change has felt like climbing Everest carrying a double decker bus on your back. Not long after Tracy became known to services, following a series of breaches of her licence agreement, she lost her bed at a local hostel. She began sofa surfing when there was somewhere to stay and walked the street all night if there wasn’t. She disengaged with services, was at risk of breaching her probation order and returning to prison. At the time she was chaotically using substances and was having no contact with substance misuse services. Services were left wondering, how do we reengage her with the services she needs? How do we ensure that she has safe, stable accommodation that she can maintain next time? A few months later Tracy returned to prison, she was given a 6 week sentence. Having had three square meals a day and several weeks without substances, she was extremely motivated to maintain. She was released from prison back to a tenancy where she had previously lived; her chaotic lifestyle soon resumed, the property was damaged and unsecure; Tracy’s substance misuse increased and she became depressed, anxious and isolated. Professionals were once again faced with the challenge of identifying what support Tracy needed and how to make sure she got it. Ten months ago Tracy found out that she was pregnant. She was determined to make a change for her and her baby; but found it difficult to distance herself from old associates and lifestyle. She identified a residential rehab that would take her and the baby and asked services to give her a chance to leave the area she lived in and make a fresh start.

Case Studies Case Studies are vital to the work of Expert Citizens and our partners VOICES. These ‘stories’ record the difficulties faced on a day to day basis by the people we work with. They enable service commissioners and systems designers to understand the barriers and challenges that need to be overcome. Traditionally a case study would be in written form, however, as technology becomes more affordable and readily available to frontline staff, other mediums such as video and sound recordings become viable alternatives. A sound recording for example is both less time demanding for staff to produce, and has the potential to be a whole lot more powerful. After all a persons life story is best coming directly from them, in their own words.

WORKSHOP GUIDANCE

“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” Alice Walker

Tracy’s story is just one example of how people experiencing multiple needs face challenging situations and barriers such as:

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Evictions Entrenched rough sleeping Services effectively engaging with people The ability of services to sustain support until it is no longer required Release from prison Discharge from hospital Co-occurring mental ill health and substance misuse Barring and exclusions from services

This activity is designed as a starting point for us to collectively look at what we can do locally to support people like Tracy to work through these challenges and to overcome the barriers to their recovery. On the following page are instructions for the workshop along with a diagram. There will also be staff on hand to help out if needed. You will have 45 minutes to complete the ‘Best foot forward’ activity, after which Ruth will return to the stage to inform you of Tracy’s current situation.

Author of The Colour Purple

WORKSHOP ‘BEST FOOT FORWARD’ On your tables there is a silhouette that represents a person experiencing multiple needs. 

Identify ideas and solutions that may help people experiencing multiple needs to overcome challenges and barriers – list these in the head.

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In your groups consider current assets and resources within individuals and within the local system needed to implement your ideas – list these in the arms.

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Consider what personal and system assets may be needed to sustain your ideas and solutions – list these in the legs.

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Consider the values and principles that need to be applied to ensure the success of your ideas – list these in the core area of your silhouette, the heart.

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” Oscar Wilde Author

IDEAS SOLUTIONS

PERSONAL

SYSTEM

ASSETS

What do we mean by Assets? Personal Assets By personal assets we mean the qualities or attributes internal to a person, such as practical skills, creativity, personality, motivation, ambition, persistence, and so on.

System Assets

By system assets we mean useful or valuable things that exist in the community, or ‘system’. This could be people, resources, services, family, friends, housing, transport, tools and so on.

AWARD NOMINATIONS WELCOMING PEOPLE AWARD Nominees in this category have demonstrated that they welcome people with multiple needs warmly. Encouraging participation with positive engagement that focuses on the assets and aspirations of people in need.

“Kindness is always fashionable, and always welcome.” Amelia Barr Novelist

Angela Culley Specialist Midwife, University Hospitals of North Midlands Trust Supporting women with multiple needs through pregnancy as a Specialist Midwife, Angela uses a welcoming, flexible and non-judgemental approach to maintain engagement. The mothers’ Angela works with comment that they appreciate her friendly and openhearted manner. Keeping relevant services in each case fully up to date, Angela works tirelessly to minimise risk, reduce harm, and maximise the likelihood of a successful pregnancy and positive start in a new life.

Amanda Middleton Specialist Tuberculosis Nurse, University Hospitals of North Midlands Trust Homelessness, poor housing, poverty and substance misuse increase the likelihood of catching Tuberculosis. Successful treatment relies on regular medication. This can be difficult for people with multiple needs. Amanda uses her flexibility, creativity, and persistence to keep people with multiple needs engaged by utilising assets such as friends, family, and other services. Helping people with their wider needs is key. This approach promotes inclusion in the community and reduces the likelihood of hospitalisation.

Emma Wheat Senior Careworker, Comfort Call People with multiple needs sometimes present with social care needs earlier in their lives than others. Emma’s welcoming and non-judgemental approach has been central to adapting services intended for older people to meet the needs of a new and younger customer group. Emma’s asset-based approach has recognised, adapted, and enhanced the skills of her service to meet a new challenge. In doing so, Emma has started to make real difference to the accessibility of services for people with multiple needs.

EXPERT CITIZEN INSIGHT EVALUATIONS Expert Citizens are working with services to perform evaluations against a set of service standards we have developed using our own lived experience, or INSIGHT.. There are four levels of achievement in the standards which are welcoming, listening, learning, and leading. Services receive an evaluation report and, depending on their level of achievement, a logo that can be displayed in the service.

WELCOMING Welcoming services treat people with dignity and respect as well as valuing the contribution of Expert Citizens. They make people with

LISTENING TO PEOPLE AWARD Nominees in this category have demonstrated that they listen to people with multiple needs actively with a view to changing services to make them even more effective.

“The art of conversation lies in listening.” Amelia Barr Novelist

Debra Farr Support Worker, Salvation Army Debra used her active listening skills to understand the situation faced by a couple experiencing homelessness. The couple had been unable to access accommodation together and had found their condition deteriorating due to rough sleeping. Working via a multi-agency meeting, Debra demonstrated flexibility in agreeing to work with the couple despite what had been at times their volatile relationship. This helped to get the couple off the streets. The risk and harm associated with rough sleeping was reduced. As a result, their health and wellbeing improved.

Paul Harrison PC Integrated Offender Management, Staffordshire Police When Paul identified that an ex-prisoner had no means of getting to their accommodation from the prison gate, he immediately took responsibility and intervened. Ensuring that the person had travel arrangements in place, Paul helped to maximise the chances of a successful return to the community and reduced the risk of homelessness or reoffending. Examples like this have made Paul’s flexibility and commitment to coordinating services for ex-offenders stand out to Expert Citizens as an example for others.

Simon Dodd Project Worker, Lyme Trust Simon uses active listening to understand the ambitions, skills, and strengths of people to tap in to their assets and motivation for change. Taking a non-judgemental approach, Simon works through difficult periods using meaningful activities to enhance people’s life skills and develop interests such as cooking. When one person disclosed a lifelong and unfulfilled ambition to ride a roller coaster, Simon could easily have said ‘maybe one day’. Instead, he helped to organise a day trip to Alton Towers. This approach has changed the person’s view of hostel accommodation and helped them to maintain positive engagement with the service.

LISTENING In addition to all the characteristics of welcoming services, listening services actively seek the views of people with multiple needs and Expert Citizens. This is with a view to making their services even better and more accessible to people experiencing multiple needs.

LEARNING FROM PEOPLE AWARD Nominees in this category have demonstrated that they use active listening to learn from people with multiple needs and change their services as a result. Alternatively, nominees have demonstrated their ability to teach others the skills they need to learn to work even more effectively with people experiencing multiple needs.

“The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding.” Leonardo da Vinci

Bridget Bennett Team manager, Integration, Community Wellbeing service, Stoke on Trent City Council. Bridget has been proactive in recognising multiple needs in the context of the recent Care Act. Leading a team of social work professionals, Bridget has helped social care services to be more accessible. Bridget is supporting colleagues to take part in specific training focused on multiple needs as part of their continuing professional development. This is beginning to strengthen the relationship between social care, health, and third sector partners.

Dr Chuks Asagwara General Practitioner, Middleport Medical Centre General practice is vital entry point for people requiring access to health care. Dr Asagwara uses active listening, solution focus, and psychologically informed practice to maintain the inclusion of patients with personality disorders and poly substance misuse. Expert Citizens noted the empathy and understanding demonstrated in the nomination. Expert Citizens felt that the practice went the extra mile to include people experiencing co-occurring conditions such as mental ill-health and addiction, people that may face difficulty elsewhere.

Jayne Simner Care Coordinator, North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare Trust. Expert Citizens were impressed by Jayne’s use of active listening to understand people’s experiences, objectives, and needs. Jayne works in a cooperative way with other professionals, pulling in support when needed through multi-disciplinary meetings. Rather than focus on diagnosis, Jayne works with people’s co-occurring conditions which is important for those experiencing mental ill-health and addiction at the same time. By playing an active role in multidisciplinary teams, Jayne leads others by example and focuses on solutions through a personalised service.

LEARNING In addition to the characteristics of welcoming and listening, learning services are applying their understanding to make services even more effective for people with multiple needs. They involve people with multiple needs in evaluating the improvements and are striving to become leaders.

LEADING OTHERS AWARD Nominees in this category are leading others in good practice for people with multiple needs. They are setting a benchmark for colleagues to follow and generously passing on the skills and experience that they have developed.

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -- I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference.” Robert Frost American Poet

Jackie Shaw Housing Options Team Manager, Stoke on Trent City Council Securing suitable housing is often a priority for people with multiple needs. Jackie has shown leadership and flexibility in providing quick housing interventions. Playing an active role in advocacy for people with multiple needs, Jackie has supported people to access the services they need. Jackie consistently brings the resources at her disposal to the table in a solution-focused way to play an active role in multi-disciplinary meetings that has made a huge difference.

Vanessa Renshaw Director, Open Door Sadly, we know that homelessness, poverty, and destitution are growing across the country. Vanessa and the team at Open Door have stepped up to provide a community-based response to work alongside other services. The people at Open Door give their resources, skills and time to offer a vital human response in a time of need. A very practical solution focus to people’s immediate problems. As well as welcoming people needing food, clothes, and friendship, Vanessa also invites and welcomes a wide range of services to Open Door to act as a platform for engagement and movement towards onward recovery.

Vicky Lomas Service Manager, Stoke Recovery Service, Addaction. Under Vicky’s leadership, Stoke Recovery Service has rapidly established itself as a powerful advocate for people experiencing co-occurring mental ill-health and addiction. Vicky is trumpeting the voice of people with lived experience through case studies to commissioners and others to influence change. Meaningful activities for people at Stoke Recovery Service include a diverse range from fishing to theatre productions. Offering flexibility for people, the service offers both abstinence and non-abstinence based approaches and does not require a professional referral.

LEADING In addition to all the characteristics of welcoming, listening, and learning, leading services are actively sharing their good practice with others to widen inclusion for people with multiple needs.

GET YOUR OWN INSIGHT EVALUATION If you would like your service or organisation to benefit from an INSIGHT evaluation by Expert Citizens, please contact us via: insight@expertcitizens.org.uk

OUTSTANDING RECOGNITION AWARD Nominees in this category are drawn from the wider community having shown interest in and commitment to people experiencing multiple needs.

“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” Henry Ford American Industrialist

Adrian Moss Private Sector Landlord It is often difficult for people without a solid reference to find accommodation. Adrian has shown flexibility, empathy, understanding and patience towards people and worked with their support networks to maintain tenancies. This has resulted in people that might otherwise be homeless having a place to call home and generating a benefit for the whole community.

Stoke on Trent Churches Community Night Shelter Kate Halliday (Representing) Our communities in Stoke-on-Trent are a tremendous asset that often responds quickly to people in need. Churches across Stoke-on-Trent have come together to offer food, friendship, emergency accommodation, and access to wider services. As well as a direct service to people in need, the Community Night Shelter is also raising awareness of homelessness through social media, offering volunteering opportunities, and mobilising community resources to benefit homeless people through donations.

Julie Walsh Training Advisor, Performance through People. Julie has been working with Expert Citizens for more than two years offering accredited training courses. Julie adapts the courses and training style to the needs of individual learners. Not everyone remembers their formal education with affection, so a class room environment can be a stressful place. Julie is sensitive to people’s needs and adapts courses with creativity, flexibility, and empathy to go the extra mile to keep learners engaged. Ten Expert Citizens have achieved twenty-seven qualifications under Julie’s guidance.

OUTSTANDING RECOGNITION AWARD Expert Citizens decided to add this category to the awards in order to recognise the contributions of people that are not necessarily working directly in the voluntary or public sector.

‘WISH YOU WERE HERE’ Imagine you are in a perfect future, a future where people with multiple needs have all their needs met. Pick one or more of the scenarios listed below and write a postcard to us telling us all about what that future looks like. 

What is different?

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How is it different?

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How was it achieved?

TABLE

“As ambassadors of lived experience, we encourage decision-makers to listen, learn, and then lead systems change in local services to make them even better.” Expert Citizens

PERFECT FUTURE

Everyone has a home

Peoples mental health needs are met

People have easy and multiple means of recovering from addiction

People with lived experience design their own services

People are made to feel welcome by the services they use

People benefit from well planned hospital discharge

People benefit from well planned prison release

People benefit from easy access to primary healthcare, eg. GP’s.

The postcards correspond to each ‘future’, so make sure you have the right postcard for the future you want to tell us about. There are post boxes on the eight tables at the back of the hall for your postcards to go in, and there are staff on hand for guidance if needed.

Expert Citizens are an independent group of people who have all experienced multiple needs – combinations of mental ill health, homelessness, addiction and offending behaviour. We all have powerful stories to tell, and we use our unique skills and experiences to be a voice for others. We give our ideas to services to help guide and shape them, to improve the care of multiple needs citizens, and we use our voice to raise awareness of multiple needs, reduce stigma, and challenge stereotypes.

MARKET PLACE I volunteer because…

EXHIBITORS

“It has helped me with my anxiety and feeling more comfortable around people”

The market place brings together many of the services in Stoke-on-Trent that are working with Expert Citizens, VOICES, and others to help and empower people with multiple needs. This is a valuable opportunity to network and understand what opportunities there are for mutual advantage in this important area of work.

EXHIBITOR

Expert Citizen TABLE

Arch Supported Lodgings and Shout Out Stoke

YMCA North Staffordshire

Brighter Futures

Changes

Street Chaplains

Lifeline Project

Healthwatch (Stoke)

North Staffs User Group

North Staffs Mind

Saltbox - Restart

Stoke Recovery Service

North Staffs Carers Association

VOICES

Accommodation, support, and advice Developing young people

Housing and support for independent and fulfilled lives User led mental health recovery Providing help, support and intervention to those in need Alcohol and Drug use support service Helping people to speak up about health services Working for better mental health services for the people of North Staffordshire Promoting and protecting mental health for all Providing housing & support for ex offenders Abstinent based recovery centre Providing high quality support for young and adult carers Coordinating services, promoting change for multiple needs

YOUR NOTES “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” Chinese Proverb

FLOOR PLANS “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world”

“Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.”

DELEGATE SEATING PLAN Here

Anne Frank

www.expertcitizens.org.uk @ExpertCitizens info@expertcitizens.org.uk 24

Mark Twain American Author