For the last two years, we’ve been leading the research and learning partnership for Fulfilling Lives Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham (FLLSL), one strand of the national Fulfilling Lives programme funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, alongside Groundswell and the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research at Sheffield Hallam University (CRESR), to understand the current system of support in Lambeth, Southwark, and Lewisham, explore how it could change, and share what we learnt across the system.

People experiencing multiple disadvantage have been at the heart of our research, with Groundswell leading on peer research to understand their experiences and ideas. Our research has also connected to the wider evidence base, with CRESR leading on a literature review of models of support for people experiencing multiple disadvantage.

Here are five key issues we found, along with five changes that services, funders, and commissioners can make to help more people live more fulfilling lives.

  • Issue 1: Services can be difficult to access and navigate.
    • Change: Improve access and transitions by working across service boundaries and recognising interconnected needs.
  • Issue 2: Services can retraumatize people and fail to meet their specific needs.
    • Change: Meet people’s specific needs by taking a trauma-, gender- and culture-informed approach.
  • Issue 3: Services and commissioning are not always informed by people’s lived experience.
    • Change: Commission and deliver person-centred and person-led services.
  • Issue 4: Practitioners are not always well equipped to support people accessing support.
    • Change: Invest in practitioners and organisational capacity.
  • Issue 5: Short-term funding flows and siloed policy decisions can lead to ineffective services.
    • Change: Take a longer-term view with funding and policy.

Read the full article about supporting disadvantaged individuals by Abigail Rose at NPC.