National News

Riverside ECHG introduce a traffic light system to St George’s Hostel

St Georges Hostel provides accommodation and tailored drug alcohol support to over 50 entrenched rough sleepers in Westminister. In May it launched a traffic light system to help to prepare clients for independant living.

The traffic light pathway is designed to ensure all clients supported by Riverside ECHG are engaging in meaningful activities and opportunities so as to help improve their self-esteem and confidence but also provide the opportunity to learn or help improve inter-personal and independant living skills. 

The pathway is a compulsory programme and has been embedded into the referral and initial sign up & induction process. All clients accessing the service spend their first six months in a specialist assessment wing before being allocated an accommodation cluster related to their particular drug/alcohol need. During the first six months clients take part in a structured day programme where they are introduced to the purpose of the pathway and how the traffic light system works at the sign up stage. 

The pathway is made up of 3 periodic stages - each reflecting the ''traffic lights'';

·         Red:  Stage 1: Initial 6 week period. New clients are allocated a key worker to complete an assessment of skills in 5 core areas; Health, Opportunities, Lifeskills, Resettlement & Budgeting and debt management.

·         Yellow: Stage 2: Secondary 6 month residency period. A series of 8 units are delivered by staff to clients based on the skills assessment. The topics are similar to those provided by It's Your Move. The resources themselves are based on the Amber Foundation Practical Housing Units. 

·         Green: Stage 3: Post 6 months. The aim is that the client will receive a post-engagement assessment as part of a referral to other providers, part of this process involves observational assessments by support works of clients completing tasks and how they interact and behave in the supported housing environment. 

Clients are provided with a folder containing a weekly planner to store every completed workbook.  The information collated by the client is the evidence of learning. This evidence is used to satisfy the AQA Unit Award Scheme and the clients are rewarded with an accredited award.

For an outline of how the pathway structure works, Riverside ECHG have supplied a short guide which can be downloaded here or would be happy for you to contact them. For more information, please contact Karen Ebanks Blake on 020 7222 3288.

Birmingham providers pilot parachute learning

Parachute learning is a way to engage clients in the move-on journey which minimises pressure and increases interest.

 Getting clients to engage willingly and productively in move-on learning can be a challenge. Parachute learning is based on the principle that people generally tend to be more interested in things which appear to be none of their business. The process:

1.     Pick a time/place whence the highest numbers of clients tend to pass through a communal space;

2.     Do a single activity in part of that space at that time as if it were your own work;

3.     Don’t try to actively engage anyone. Make eye contact and look a little stressed/puzzled;

4.     If asked, say that the activity is part of your work and you’re sorry you’ve had to take up the space but you didn’t have room in the office;

5.     Have paper stashed away to make notes in between bouts of engagement. If it arouses suspicion, say you are making notes because people are coming up with some good stuff you can use – (which they are!)

6.     If you find that some of those who engage don’t normally in other activities, control your overt excitement as those people tend to read boring commitment into it. Appreciate their help but curb your enthusiasm;

7.     Head back to the office to transfer your notes into files/systems.

In June IYM pilotted this approach with St Mungos in London and a range of providers in Birmingham. Staff in Birmingham are planning to run conversations designed to be overheard by clients to engage them in discussions about subjects they consider important. 

Whilst IYM acknowledges that this approach may be seen as duping clients into learning, it is also time efficient and pressure-relieving. We recommend that workers can declare the process to clients as and when they feel it is appropriate. Once achievements have been made, workers can show clients just how well they’ve done, how this takes them closer to move-on and how participating in targeted sessions can help to achieve much more in less time.

For more information contact Rupa Sarkar, IYM Training Consulant on 020 7426 9617.