Sam Thomas, policy manager, Making Every Adult Matter (MEAM) Cormac Bakewell, partner and Rachel Bray, head of studio, Soapbox Visit the CharityComms website to view slides from past events, see what events we have coming up and to check out what else we do: www.charitycomms.org.uk

1. Please, not (just) another
policy report
Designing and producing
the ‘Walking the Frontline’
exhibition

2. Making Every Adult Matter
We work together to improve
support for people experiencing
multiple needs.
Problems include:
homelessness
substance misuse
contact with the
criminal justice
system
mental
ill
health

3. National
Probation Service
Assessment & services
for high risk offenders
Statutory & voluntary
homelessness services
Most services including
community psychiatry
Social care & supported
living services
Services for low &
medium risk offenders
Most services –
community based
Young people –
discretionary
Court based
orders (MoJ)
Prison based
services
Most
services
Court based
orders (MoJ)
Community
Rehabilitation Company Council
Clinical
Commissioning
Group
Police and
Crime
Commissioner Council
Police and Crime
Commissioner
Re-offending
and Rehabilitation
Housing and Homelessness
Substance Misuse
Mental Health
Police & Crime
Commissioner
MoJ (NOMS) DH
Commissioning Team
Commissioning
Team
Commissioning
Team
Commissioning
Team
Commissioning Team
Home Office DH Home Office
Crime & Drugs
Partnership
Voluntary &
Community Sector Needs
assessment
Service user
consultation
Drug and
alcohol strategies
Needs
assessment
Local drug
strategy
Service user
consultation
DHDCLG DCLG
Council
Clinical
Commissioning Group
Strategic
Commissioning Reviews
Homelessness
Strategic Implementation Group
Joint Strategic
Needs Assessment
Mental Health Joint
Commissioning Group
Health &
Wellbeing Board
Specific service &
performance managers
Sets outcomes in contract
& payment by results
Drugs Alcohol
Housing duties &
guidelines
Duty to
have regard
for plans
Duty to
contribute
to IOM
Included in
some supply
chains
Distinct funds & objectives commissioned separately, but against a shared pathway
Public Health Outcomes Framework
sets & rewards performance
Powers and aligned
D&A targets
Public Health Outcomes
Framework sets &
rewards performance
Powers and aligned
D&A targets
Duties & NHS Health
Outcomes Framework
Social care duties & Local Authority
Mental Health Challenge
NHS
England
Joint considerations
Council
A system of support?

4. The Voices from the Frontline project

5. A distinctive look for a distinctive approach

6. Getting it off the page
Venue:

7. Unpacking the brief
Why
Who
What

8. Involving the experts

9. Understanding the constraints
Budget
MEAM input: £5,000
(all spent on print)
+ Sam’s time
Soapbox input:
pro bono /10 days
This included:
• Message development
and copywriting
• Concept development
and design
• Print management
and installation
Space

10. Developing the final content

11. Introduction
Peoplewithmultipleneeds
experienceseveralproblemsatthe
sametime,includingmentalillhealth,
homelessness,drugandalcoholmisuse,
offendingandfamilybreakdown.
They live in every community in Britain, but have
ineffective contact with local services that are often
designed to deal with one problem at a time, and support
people with single, severe conditions. This can lead to
them living chaotic lives.
Over the last two years, the Making Every Adult Matter
coalition formed of Clinks, Homeless Link and Mind
has worked with over 100 people who have multiple
needs – and with the frontline practitioners who support
them – to understand these challenges and find out
what needs to change.
In this exhibition, they tell their own stories and
together we show what needs to change.
Multiple needs in numbers
An estimated 58,000 people in England face
problems of homelessness, substance misuse
and offending in any one year. Within this group,
a majority will have experienced mental health
problems. Women are under-represented in
these figures, but despite this face significant
and distinct challenges which need to be met.
Homelessness
63,047 people
Substance misuse
188,802 people
99,289
33,758
31,276
Offending
112,246 people
57,931
people are estimated to be
experiencing homelessness,
substance misuse and offending
at the same time
4,840
In the West Midlands
people are estimated to be
experiencing homelessness,
substance misuse and
offending at the same time
2,450
In the city of Birmingham
Adapted from
Hard Edges: Mapping severe
and multiple disadvantage,
(Lankelly Chase, 2015)
Verbal and visual

12. Additional visual content
National
Probation Service
Assessment & services
for high risk offenders
Statutory & voluntary
homelessness services
Most services including
community psychiatry
Social care & supported
living services
Services for low &
medium risk offenders
Most services –
community based
Young people –
discretionary
Court based
orders (MoJ)
Prison based
services
Most
services
Court based
orders (MoJ)
Community
Rehabilitation Company Council
Clinical
Commissioning
Group
Police and
Crime
Commissioner Council
Police and Crime
Commissioner
Re-offending
and Rehabilitation
Housing and Homelessness
Substance Misuse
Mental Health
Police & Crime
Commissioner
MoJ (NOMS) DH
Commissioning Team
Commissioning
Team
Commissioning
Team
Commissioning
Team
Commissioning Team
Home Office DH Home Office
Crime & Drugs
Partnership
Voluntary &
Community Sector Needs
assessment
Service user
consultation
Drug and
alcohol strategies
Needs
assessment
Local drug
strategy
Service user
consultation
DHDCLG DCLG
Council
Clinical
Commissioning Group
Strategic
Commissioning Reviews
Homelessness
Strategic Implementation Group
Joint Strategic
Needs Assessment
Mental Health Joint
Commissioning Group
Health &
Wellbeing Board
Specific service &
performance managers
Sets outcomes in contract
& payment by results
Drugs Alcohol
Housing duties &
guidelines
Duty to
have regard
for plans
Duty to
contribute
to IOM
Included in
some supply
chains
Distinct funds & objectives commissioned separately, but against a shared pathway
Public Health Outcomes Framework
sets & rewards performance
Powers and aligned
D&A targets
Public Health Outcomes
Framework sets &
rewards performance
Powers and aligned
D&A targets
Duties & NHS Health
Outcomes Framework
Social care duties & Local Authority
Mental Health Challenge
NHS
England
Joint considerations
Council
Occupational
hazards
Most people want to
return to work.
There are many barriers in the way, and
the path to finding and keeping a job is rarely
straightforward. Some people may take years
to reach the point where they are ready.
People’s real lives are complex. Back-to-work
support, such as that provided through the
government’s Work Programme, often ignores
the reasons they may have struggled with
employment. People might be managing
mental health problems or have difficulty
building their confidence and skills.
Going back to square one Recommendation
The Department for Work and Pensions should
ensure Jobcentre Plus and Work Programme
providers offer appropriate, flexible and
personalised support to help people with
multiple needs move towards independence.
You’re homeless and
dealing with a substance
misuse problem
Your housing benefit
is withdrawn and you
start to pay rent
The right support
helps you to move into
stable housing
You have a sudden
relapse, and as
a result lose your job
You begin your
recovery and eventually
find a full-time job
Unable to meet
the rent, you become
homeless again

13. Responding to the space

14. A personal voice

15. Experts by
experience
People with multiple needs
feel their experiences are not
well understood, especially
by decision‑makers.
This contributes to – and is heightened by –
the stigma they often face.
For this to change, policymakers must become
more open to the perspectives of people with lived
experience of multiple needs, and the frontline
workers who support them. It’s particularly
important that they hear the voices of people who
have distinct needs and may be excluded from these
discussions, particularly women and people from
black and minority ethnic backgrounds.
Recommendation
Ministers should identify a structured
way to listen to the voices of people with
multiple needs – and the frontline staff
who support them – to ensure that policies
properly reflect their experiences and meet
their needs.

16. Installation and launch

21. The film https://vimeo.com/191972253

22. Measuring success
“I enjoyed going along to the
Exhibition and thought it
was a very inspirational and
thought-provoking event.”
Someone working in public health
“The current exhibition has
been a great success and
we have had lots of positive
comments from conference
delegates and visitors to
the building.”
Rob at BVSC

23. Don’t judge a book by its cover, by Richard Harris

24. Five top tips
1. Be prepared to challenge people on how they use language
and explain ideas.
2. Work directly with the people affected by the issues that
you’re addressing.
3. Be very clear about the key messages you want to convey and
make sure there’s a guiding narrative to keep people engaged.
4. Be opportunistic. There are plenty of underused public spaces that
would welcome the opportunity to host a high quality exhibition.
5. Be ambitious, and find ways to bring colleagues along with you…

25. Questions
#multipleneeds