In July 2019 Cambridgeshire & Peterborough’s Public Services Board (CPSB) agreed to jointly commission a report on homelessness transformation. This would inform a review of housing related support and its commissioning by Cambridgeshire County Council. Arc4 consultancy were appointed and started the work in December 2019.
They undertook desktop data analysis, meetings with local authority leads and teams, with partners and with service users – supplemented by information from questionnaires – which all fed into a draft report received in March 2019.
The Housing Board has considered arc4’s very detailed report, and categorized all the recommendations, converting them into an action plan. Some recommendations were detailed operational points, while some referred to system-wide transformation, which the Housing Board gained CPSB’s support to progress.
It is only through cooperation that we will overcome the barriers highlighted by arc4 and progress to more effective ways to prevent and tackle homelessness, and its worst effects.
The report
In September 2020 we received the final report and a separate appendix document which provided a wealth of data covering the districts involved.
Our action plan
Using the recommendations in the report, we are devising a SMART action plan and plan to work with various groups, projects and individuals to take those actions forward.
Who is involved?
There are a number of organisations involved, one of the most important principles is to take a person-centred approach, learning from people who have been “through” the system.
This is key to making ‘improvements’ which are positive for service users, not just guessing at what the issues and experiences are for them.
Thankfully there are ways we can do this including working with the Service User Network, and the Making Every Adult Matter team.
Others who will want to get involved include:
- Adult Social Care, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
- BeNCH Community Rehabilitation Company
- Cambridge City Council
- Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Foundation Trust
- Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Public Health team
- Cambridgeshire Community and Voluntary Services
- Cambridgeshire Constabulary
- Cambridgeshire County Council, including
- Adult Early Help team
- Housing Related Support team
- Drug & Alcohol commissioning team
- Adults and Safeguarding team
- Clinical Commissioning Group (Community Services)
- Community Forums
- East Cambridgeshire District Council
- Fenland District Council
- Homelessness Trailblazer team
- Homes for Cambridgeshire & Peterborough
- Huntingdonshire District Council
- Integrated Commissioning Board
- Local housing providers / housing associations
- Making Every Adult Matter team
- Mental Health services
- National Probation Service
- Northwest Anglia NHS Foundation Trust (NWAFT)
- Peterborough City Council
- Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner
- South Cambridgeshire District Council
- SUN network