Understanding MEAM: Norwich City Council's Approach to Supporting Adults with Complex Needs
The Making Every Adult Matter (MEAM) approach led by Norwich City Council aims to support individuals with complex needs through a multi-agency consortium called Pathways Norwich. By bringing together local agencies and implementing strategic groups, MEAM focuses on delivering coordinated services to those experiencing rough sleeping and multiple disadvantages. The initiative also includes two additional projects to address domestic abuse and tackle rough sleeping, emphasizing the importance of understanding and coordinating support for vulnerable individuals.
Download Presentation
![](/assets/img/so-down.gif)
Please find below an Image/Link to download the presentation.
The content on the website is provided AS IS for your information and personal use only. It may not be sold, licensed, or shared on other websites without obtaining consent from the author. Download presentation by click this link. If you encounter any issues during the download, it is possible that the publisher has removed the file from their server.
E N D
Presentation Transcript
Making Every Adult Matter :Year one evaluation By Chris Hancock, Norwich City Council
Background What is MEAM? Its an approach to help people with complex needs. The MEAM Coalition drives this approach across the country, currently in 27 local areas across England.
Background In every local area people with multiple needs and exclusions are living chaotic lives and facing premature death because as a society we fail to understand and coordinate the support they need. (MEAM Coalition).
Background: The seven elements to MEAM
Background: The local MEAM project Norwich made a successful application to become one of the areas in this network and therefore joined the network in the second half of 2017-18. The application was led by Norwich City Council, alongside partners. The most significant component of local work using the MEAM Approach in Norwich is the commissioning of a multi-agency consortium Pathways Norwich to deliver support to clients who are rough sleeping and/or experiencing multiple disadvantage, by enabling them to navigate services and achieve positive outcomes.
Background: The local MEAM project In addition, the Pathways Norwich Operational Group brings together local agencies involved in delivering support to promote closer joint working and improved information sharing for the benefit of clients who are rough sleeping and/or experiencing multiple disadvantage. Connecting Pathways Strategic Group has supported the commissioning, planning and development of Pathways Norwich, as well as focussing on system-level change to address barriers to support for people experiencing multiple disadvantage, exploring and implementing good practice in support, and promoting buy-in to the MEAM Approach amongst strategic partners.
Background: Two complex needs projects Connect: a model for improving the response to people affected by domestic abuse who have complex needs. Tackling rough sleeping partnership: to deliver better coordinated services to people with complex needs.
Background: Funding Funding for Pathways Norwich comes from a variety of sources: Norfolk County Council adult social care/public health Norwich NHS CCG Norwich City Council Broadland District Council Rough sleeping initiative funding (RSI) central government funding
What does the money fund? Outreach and advice service Health services specifically for rough sleepers (mental health/prescribing nurse) One to one support for people with complex needs Every rough sleeper has a named worker Dry house for people who want to be substance free In-reach to services where rough sleepers go Operational task and targeting groups to find solutions Resettlement workers Young person advice worker Crash beds for young people Welfare and benefits advice
Key findings of year one evaluation Strong progress has been made in . using the MEAM Approach during this first year of operation. Work to set up structures and processes and enable direct work with clients to commence means that nine of the 11 intended outputs of the MEAM Approach are currently being achieved. Progress has also been made towards the achievement of the remaining two intended outputs. These relate to building relationships with external agencies and establishing and maintaining appropriate strategies, plans, models for service user involvement and support work tools.
Key findings of year one evaluation Key milestones which have been achieved in this first year include setting up and commissioning the Pathways Norwich Consortium, establishing an operational and strategic board and starting work with clients. In Q2 and Q3 of 2018-19 (the first two quarters in which clients were supported under the MEAM Approach), Pathways Norwich supported 51 clients. Stakeholders reported that relatively rapid progress in setting up and implementing local work using the MEAM Approach has been facilitated by good levels of strategic buy-in to the Approach and to reducing rough sleeping in Norwich. They also highlighted the benefit of having the MEAM Approach to provide a framework to use to increase the focus on multiple disadvantage.
Key findings of year one evaluation The main strengths and factors which have supported implementation thus far are effective operational and strategic management; multi-agency working within the Pathways Norwich Consortium, which has created a new mechanism for agencies to bring their collective expertise to the fore to support clients experiencing multiple disadvantage; early successes in partnership working, such as the Pathways Norwich operational group; support workers ability to work creatively and flexibly; and effective public engagement work.
Key findings of year one evaluation Still lots to work on . There are still barriers to some services for people facing multiple disadvantage. Some misunderstanding amongst stakeholders about what Pathways Norwich does. System pressures; challenges in workforce development and support; a focus on reactive work to improve support for individual clients.
Recommendations The remit of Pathways Norwich needs to be clearly and regularly articulated to the external agencies it works with. The primary aim of this promotion work would be to reduce instances of inappropriate referrals or other services not recognising their own role in supporting clients experiencing multiple disadvantage. Norwich City Council and partners and Pathways Norwich need to designate time and resources to providing information and or training to other local partners on the principles of the MEAM Approach and related ways of supporting improved services and outcomes for people experiencing multiple disadvantage. People with lived experience of multiple disadvantage should be more closely involved in designing and developing services under the MEAM Approach in Norwich. In cases where relationships with external organisations have been challenging, successful mechanisms have been put in place to mitigate some of these challenges. Therefore, in future years of the project it would be useful to build upon these mechanisms.
Overall numbers Number of people assessed by Pathways Norwich team Nos of people assessed 169 188 180 Q1 Q2 Q3
The end Chris Hancock E-mail: Chrishancock@norwich.gov.uk