Ruth Francis, Service Manager, Inspiring Change Manchester   On the 18th June VOICES delivered Care Act Advocacy Training to the Inspiring Change Manchester Service Delivery Team. Below Ruth Francis, ICM Service Manager, kindly gives us some feedback and shares with us how the learning has been useful in practice:   Feedback – Frontline staff and Managers found this training very useful and informative.  Bruno (VOICES) is a very knowledgeable facilitator who knows about the subject matter and was able to talk through the toolkit and different options available to staff when working with vulnerable adults and people at risk.  Staff advised that they now feel much more confident in challenging the decisions of the local authority, and have a better understanding of the options available to them in order to advocate better for clients and can identify the appropriate way forward, whether that be raising a safeguarding concern or requesting an assessment or both.   Examples of where this has already changed staff action  – since the training an Engagement Worker has made a referral for an assessment for a homeless man (previously we had only raised safeguarding concerns for this person) –  the local authority have agreed to carry out an assessment involving a capacity… Continue Reading

*Name has been changed to protect the identity of customer   Mark* has a long history of substance misuse, homelessness, mental health and offending. He suffered a cardiac arrest and was in a coma for several months through misusing Mamba. Sadly, the long-term damage from the cardiac arrest was Hypoxic Brain Trauma due to lack of oxygen to the brain. Mark remained in hospital in the Mental Health Unit for rehabilitation due to struggles with his speech and mobility. From here he was discharged to a local hostel as social care deemed him to not have acute housing needs. At this point, Mark still had limited mobility as well as poor mental health in relation to the brain injury.   A local hostel referred Mark to VOICES due to struggling with his care needs and difficulties in managing his behaviour. They had referred him to Social Care but again had not succeeded. When VOICES assessed Mark, it became clear that he had care and support needs and therefore qualified for Social Care input. His Service Coordinator again referred the case to Social Care and with much hesitation, they agreed to come to the hostel to assess.   During the assessment, the Social Worker focused mainly on… Continue Reading

VOICES is a partnership of voluntary, statutory, and private sector organisations that works to create cultural and systems change in the way that services are delivered for people experiencing a combination of homelessness, addiction, mental ill health and offending. People with multiple needs often encounter difficulties in accessing support and often experience exclusion from services. VOICES supports its partners and relevant agencies in their efforts to engage people with multiple needs and to articulate an authentic and legitimate ‘community voice’ for people with a lived experience of those needs.   Working as part of a vibrant and supportive team we are now recruiting for the following key positions:   1 x Service Coordinator, Salary: £20,971.60 plus benefits.   Working as part of a vibrant and supportive team of System Brokers, Service Coordinators, Community Development Coordinators, Expert Citizens, Students and Volunteers you will be creative and understanding of the needs of customers who are experiencing multiple needs. You will be proactive in developing effective service coordination plans and advocate the case for customer access through the available service systems by encouraging a focus on their strengths and assets as appropriate.   Closing date for the post is Monday 30th April 2018, at 5pm.   Interview date (if shortlisted) for the… Continue Reading