By Elena Casilli, Service Coordinator, VOICES

As a Service Coordinator I want to make sure that I represent myself and all my colleagues in the best possible light… hard working, dedicated, supportive and it goes without saying…service coordinating!

Which day do I pick to represent a day in the life of a service coordinator? Is it the day I collect a  customer from prison, or is the day when a customer leaves a voicemail stating they are planning on self-harming  while I’m on the way to another customer for a long awaited mental health assessment? Or the   day a customer hasn’t collected their methadone prescription for 3 days and is on the brink of being asked to leave the hostel in the middle of winter for service charges arrears?  Or is it the perfectly planned day that has me meeting with 2 customers with ample time for case notes, completing new  actions on the same day and having lunch with no crisis phone calls?  Or the administration day that consists of making referrals and following up with referrals, emails and phone calls, updating risk assessments and service coordination plans, or organising the much needed multi agency meetings?

To be fair there is no typical day that represents what we do, we’re always juggling all the balls in the air, hoping none fall to the ground. Flexibility along with Prioritisation are two things we become very good at as Service Coordinators…

Supporting a customer to be released from Prison

7.30am: Pick up Student Social Worker (who will be shadowing me throughout the day)

10.00am: arrived an hour late to the prison as there were issues on the M6. Customer collected and we return to Stoke.   While on the M6 we were able to make GP appointment for prescription medication and sick note and start a new UC Claim.  This was achievable because there were two of us…one was driving and the other a whiz on a smart phone.

11.30am: Set of new clothes purchased including a warm coat

12.00pm: First appointment with Probation – licence reviewed, forms signed and follow up appointment made

1.20pm: went to the bank to obtain sort code & account number and order a new bank card and PIN (thankfully the teller was helpful and was about finding solutions and not making barriers)

2.00pm:  attended appointment at the Drug Service to organise methadone script – forms signed, chemist nominated and follow up medical review made.

3.00pm: Went to the Job Centre as we hit a hurdle when trying to organise an UC advanced payment. Told wrong Job Centre…off we went to the next one.

3.30pm:  Arrived at the other Job Centre – discussed the hurdle with a representative, 30 minutes later customer advised advanced payment will be in the account within 1 to 12 hours and a face to face interview made for 2 days’ time.

4.40pm: Taken to the hostel where the customer was accessing Emergency Provision bed. Introductions made to staff and the customer was pulled aside to go through forms, complete a risk assessment etc. Organised to meet up the following day.

Thankfully my customer on this occasion wasn’t being released with nowhere to live, otherwise somewhere in the day we would have needed to present at the Council for a homeless need’s assessment, and I’m unsure when this could have happened.