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King's College London

HealthSociety

A national Peer Network for social workers specialising in homelessness and rough sleeping

Next meeting: 2 October 2024, 10.00-11.30am

Duncan Ross - NHS Scotland - will present.

Open dialogue is a practice modality which uses dialogue as the service model and technique for change. Traditionally it has been used in mental health settings to intervene in episodes of psychosis and schizophrenic crises.

Let's explore together if there are opportunities to apply this modality to multi-exclusion homelessness work.

Please find attached a paper by the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland: Open Dialogue: Transforming Mental Health Care In Scotland.

  • Celebrating good news stories.
  • Celebrating the peer network being established for 1 year with an in-person event for 2025.

Past meetings (online)

  • 5 June 2024
  • 7 Feb 2024
  • 4 October 2023 (launch)

To receive updates, or suggest topics to discuss, email: ellie.atkins@manchester.gov.uk

Welcome from Ellie Atkins, Manager, Rough Sleepers Social Work Team

Ellie Atkins

Hello and a very warm welcome! The spirit of this Network is a ‘place of belonging’ for us, as social workers across England specialising in the field of homelessness and rough sleeping. We have an exciting opportunity to pool our knowledge and resources and support a national movement for change. We advocate for the right care and support for many misunderstood people in our society, based on our intrinsic motivation to promote human rights, social justice and the self determination of the people we serve. Over the last few years, key documents have had impact on our practice. Last year, ADASS and the Local Government Association (LGA) published ‘Care and support and homelessness: Top tips on the role of adult social care’. There is extensive learning from the harrowing narratives of lives lost, captured in national analysis of homeless thematic reviews and/or SARS. The evidence base is fundamental to our journey as emerging experts in this field. I can’t wait to hear how you want to take this Network forward.

Welcome from Jess Harris, Researcher, HSCWRU, King’s College London

HSCWRU is delighted to support this Network. A central finding of our recent national research (2019-23) on Strengthening Adult Safeguarding responses to homelessness and self-neglect is the importance of the specialist homelessness social work role. But this important role remains rare nationally, and often isolated within localities, with no peer support. A small follow up study has been exploring the impact and support needs of the role - findings are here.

Please do explore more of HSCWRU’s Homelessness Research Programme and sign up for our free webinars on homelessness research and innovative practice.

Resources

Homelessness and rough sleeping

Government (and arm's length bodies) publications

NICE guidelines

Self-neglect and safeguarding

Resistance to change

Mental capacity and executive functioning

Neurodiversity

Strength-based reflective practice

Project status: Ongoing