- Changing Futures Programme extended until 2025 to support
England’s most vulnerable adults
- £7 million additional funding for local areas to provide
world-class support services designed to meet each person’s
unique needs
- Part of government’s commitment to improve life chances of
people facing disadvantage
A £73 million scheme to improve people’s life chances has been
extended as Government increases support for vulnerable people.
Local areas participating in the Changing Future programme will
now have an extra year to deliver pioneering support services to
people facing multiple issues including mental ill health,
homelessness, drug and alcohol misuse and domestic abuse.
The extension to the programme, which launched in 2021, is backed
by £9.5 million from the government’s Shared Outcomes Fund.
The programme is designed to overcome the challenges adults face
in receiving support from the NHS and local support services. It
focuses on bringing together the work of local councils,
charities and support services into easily accessible teams that
can better cater for a person’s range of issues, rather than them
having to seek separate support for each area of their life.
New research from the government, published today, shows that
Changing Futures is reaching those most in need, with nearly 7 in
10 people on the programme having experience of more than one
mental or physical health issue.
Minister for Housing and Homelessness, said:
“The Changing Futures programme is making a difference to
thousands of lives up and down the country – helping us reach
some of the most vulnerable people and giving them the specialist
support they need to improve their lives.
“The extension and funding we are announcing today will help
support even more people and I look forward to seeing what other
long-lasting changes local areas can deliver for these
individuals.”
Changing Futures is co-funded and run in conjunction with the
National Lottery Community Fund.
David Knott, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Community
Fund, said:
“The Changing Futures programme is showing that - when equipped
with the right tools and support - vulnerable people facing
multiple disadvantage can make significant changes to improve
their lives and have a positive impact on the communities they
are part of.
“As joint funder, we have seen first-hand the difference this
programme has made since 2021. I welcome the Government’s plans
to extend it and am excited to see what comes next.”
Examples of local initiatives funded by the programme include:
- A new service in Surrey which uses the latest developments in
trauma support for women dealing with domestic abuse
- A specialist mental health and wellbeing team in Essex for
individuals who have struggled to access mainstream health
services.
- Specialist workers in Nottingham to help people get the
support they need with links to specific GP, mental health and
housing support
Anna Smith – Bristol Changing Futures Programme Director, said:
“I am proud to be leading the Changing Futures programme in
Bristol. It is wonderful to see agencies from across the city
working in partnership to trial different approaches to working
with people facing Multiple Disadvantage.
“By taking a My Team Around Me approach with our clients, we aim
to end the revolving door which sees them lose trust in the
system and disengage from services and support them to
independence.
“We welcome today’s announcement and look forward to hearing more
about what it means for Bristol.”
Areas receiving support include Essex, Westminster, Sussex,
Surrey, Bristol, Plymouth, Nottingham, Stoke-on-Trent, Hull,
Sheffield, Leicester, Northumbria (Northumberland, Newcastle,
Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, and Sunderland), South
Tees (Middlesbrough, and Redcar and Cleveland), Lancashire
(Blackpool, Lancashire, and Blackburn with Darwen) and Greater
Manchester.
Case study from the Changing Futures programme:
- Jane was referred into the Changing Futures partnership in
Essex as she had been making daily use of emergency services.
- She had entrenched complex needs, including mental ill-health
and alcohol misuse, and her traumatic past experiences meant she
had difficulty trusting professionals.
- Regular multi-disciplinary meetings, including with her GP,
Essex Alcohol Recovery Community, the Mental Health &
Wellbeing Team and a local homeless charity, meant the teams
could identify the best ways to support Jane.
- Jane was successful in reducing her alcohol use, which has
had a positive impact on her mental and physical health.
