MAPS

Legacy and Progression

MAPS has been running since January 2020 within Manchester. Initially starting with one neighbourhood, working together with partners to support residents experiencing multiple disadvantages. Working closely with the MLCO during the conception of the co-ordinated care pathway (CCP) taking influence from the MEAM approach. The forum was set up in co-ordinance with the 13 neighbourhood Bringing Services Together for People In Place model for Manchester. Identifying a pilot neighbourhood based on intelligence gained regarding poverty and deprivation. The first MAPS site brought together partners from across the neighbourhood ranging from housing services to general practitioners, to discuss residents experiencing multiple disadvantages who were creating demand on services. The pilot ran from January 2020 until June 2020 where an intermediate evaluation took place to identify the progress. Concurrently the world experienced a global pandemic which brought extra challenges to the pilot.

The evaluation identified that although progress had been made working with residents experiencing multiple disadvantages there were some improvements required within the MAPS pilot to further enhance the offer. Namely the need for an extra layer of support for residents who were disengaged with services. It was recommended that to ensure that residents were receiving the right support and engaging well with services, there was a direct need for key work support. Over the coming months, plans were developed to define what the key worker model would look like and identify how this would be funded. In December 2020 Central Government via MHCLG announced funding via the national Changing Futures program. Over the coming year, Manchester City Council alongside Shelter, developed the offer for MAPS whereby an engagement worker would be attached to each MAPS site to support residents that needed that helping hand, engaging with services and getting the right support.

From June 2020 until October 2021 MAPS continued to expand across the city to 4 new neighbourhoods. The Changing futures program was officially launched in January 2022 and has been in operation since this point. The program has been so successful in engaging residents and getting them the right support, it has now been extended until 2025 with the support of Making Manchester Fairer funding (MMF). Manchester City Council are working closely with partners from across the city to develop an early help for adults approach that will look to provide early help interventions to residents experiencing multiple disadvantages. The city plans to further expand the MAPS forums to become citywide, integrating services across the city to develop pathways that provide the right support first time. MAPS has become integral to the public service reform programme of work that the council is leading to develop a collaborative approach that delivers services around the person, with a flexible place-based workforce, breaking down silos and building on strengths within communities, supporting every resident to thrive.

The success of the MAPS is down to the enthusiasm of the partners that sit around the table. Their dedication to support residents experiencing multiple disadvantages, alongside the innovative approaches from the Changing Futures engagement workers has directly influenced the way the city thinks about this cohort of people. More importantly how partnership working on a local level, whilst considering the outcomes that the resident wishes to achieve, has provided lasting results and inspired the development of a whole person approach across systems and services. The next 12 months leading up to April 2025 will define the city, as it looks to introduce a citywide Early Help for Adults approach that becomes business as usual.

Level of Impact

MAPS was built on the idea that by sharing responsibility for our residents on a local level across agencies and services, we could look to reduce demand on frontline services, create better pathways of support and prevent over utilisation of our emergency services. Over the 4 years since it’s development and launch. MAPS has supported over 250 residents with their ranging needs. It has built strong working relationships between partners and encouraged agencies to adopt a whole-person approach. By leading on workforce development and engagement. We are now in a position where additional funding is being secured to expand the model citywide to develop a business-as-usual approach post 2025.

MAPS has paved the way for services to get support for their residents who need a helping hand working through the multiple disadvantages that they face. Whether that is working to prevent an eviction saving over £70,000, to joint working relationships between housing, community safety and GMP to reduce anti-social behaviour. MAPS provides a platform for partners to feel confident that they can work as a team around the neighbourhood to improve the lives of the people that live there.

MAPS has worked with partners extensively to build strong lasting relationships across services. It did this by providing opportunities to develop their knowledge base around Multiple disadvantages and trauma-informed practices. Regular workforce development sessions were delivered to support our partners in gaining a deeper understanding of the residents we worked with. This included Adverse childhood experiences, Hoarding, trauma-informed practice, VCSE sector organisations offer, strengths-based conversations and a whole host of connections and individual offers from partner agencies for shadowing and work experience. MAPS in collaboration with Changing Futures, Back On Track and GMCA hosted an energiser event inviting all MAPS partners to spend some time together, learn more about MAPS and our supporting partners do to support multiple disadvantages.

With the support of Changing Futures providing an engagement worker to each of the four MAPS sites partners also have an extra offer to support our vulnerable residents. This is in the form of a key worker who will work with the resident to improve engagement with services and achieve outcomes that the residents sets themselves. This has been highly effective in decreasing demand on services and improving relationships between resident and services. The engagement workers are now a trusted resource by many and positive change can be seen across the board. The success of this has resulted in further funding being allocated to expand the engagement worker offer to co-inside with the expansion of MAPS across the city providing an engagement worker at every MAPS site.

Furthermore, the community safety team commissioned Chang Grow Live (CGL -substance misuse services) to provide support to MAPS and the Bringing Services Together for People in Place programme to ensure that an allocated representative was present at every MAPS site and was able to support residents who were experiencing substance misuse across the city. Historically working with residents who were accessing support via substance misuses agencies had strict information sharing agreements that restricted the sharing of information between agencies. They required explicit consent to discuss anything related to their case and was a major barrier to positive change. However, since the introduction of the dedicated workers from CGL, consent to work closer with MAPS and Changing Futures has been achieved much quicker than ever before and has led to real change for people in their lives.

Overall, MAPS has gone from strength to strength since its initial launch in 2020. The next two years promise to expand on the positive work that has already happened and improve on this further. With funding from MMF and central government to expand MAPS citywide with dedicated engagement support from a procured partner, and a dedicated staffing resource 2024 and 2025 looks to shape the face of Manchester by developing a lasting, robust, early help offer for adults experiencing multiple disadvantages.

Additional Evidence or Information Statistics

MAPS has been operational in Manchester since Jan 2020 covering 14 wards (14/32) which is 4 nieghbourhoods (5/13 two neighbourhoods in Wythenshawe are combined)

We have heard over 220 cases since conception

Over 300 individuals from partner agencies have attended the meetings across the 4 neighbourhoods.

Over 20 different partner agencies attend including numerous housing associations

51 residents are receiving intensive personal outcome support from Changing Futures

Over 32 different identified support needs addressed on a regular basis

Over 811 different requested outcomes addressed

4.52/5 rating for the effectiveness of MAPS to support residents to lead better lives

20 different partner agencies have brought cases to MAPS for support.

After a recent cost benefit analysis over a 2 year period. Focused on one individual who was experiencing mental ill health, Substance misuse, anti-social behaviour and domestic violence and abuse creating significant demand on Public services. MAPS was able to reduce demand across the board which would have cost public services £500k P?A.

Testimonials:

‘I feel MAPS manages to bring lots of different professionals together who would previously work in silo, and help them to work together to support those being discussed. My experience of MDTs not organised by MAPS is often very different to this, often rigid and the result is very little partnership working.’

‘The meetings are prompt, very well attended and have the best interests of the citizen at the heart of every referral to ensure that all individuals get the help and support that they require to empower them to have valued and prosperous lives.’

‘Only have a positive experiences of MAPS. My experience of working alongside GMP, housing and other services in support of a person being discussed has a massive impact on their life. The information sharing has been a massive help for our service in terms of risk, we often go into our work blind in relation to some of the risks and the MDT have been vital.’

MAPS has evidenced it has had a positive impact on some residents and this has been due to the joined up partnership working. Changing Futures is also a major contributing factor, people have responding well with the therapeutic one to one support from Changing Futures. The support has abled individuals to access. health and community provisions’

Media:

In summer 2022 the Changing Futures partnership (MAPS, Changing Futures/Shelter, Back on Track and Community led initiatives) worked together to develop a video for the annual Changing Futures away day. The request was to tell the story of an indvidual who had accessed the service and what impact this had had on their lives.

The partnership identified a person who wanted to tell their story. For the purposes of anonymity we named them CJ. We wanted to ensure that they were given the space to tell their story in their own way and how they experienced it. Back on track had been working with CJ and supporting them back into adult education so conducted an interview with them. CJ is referred to above in the cost benefit analysis conducted. When CJ first came to MAPS they were creating high demand on Police services via nuisance calling. CJ was struggling with their mental health, substance misuse and experiencing Domestic violence and abuse. CJ was in and out of numerous Homelessness accommodations and supporting them and finding the right method of engagement whilst in a choatic state proved incredibly difficult. The first step was to introduce Changing Futures and build a relationship working towards outcomes that CJ set. Working to CJ’s strengths and building on trust they managed to support CJ into rehab and then into step down recovery accommodation. Over time CJ stopped making calls to GMP and engaged well with services. CJ developed healthy relationships and made active progress in her life. CJ was supported to work with Back on Track and the video consists of CJ telling us about their story in their own words in their own voice.

The link to the video is here:

CJ’s story https://youtu.be/8FSwfV5bDj0