Complex or simple?
In September we published Turning the Tide, a vision paper setting out how political leaders could transform the way our public services respond to people with multiple needs. I was pleased to speak at the parliamentary launch alongside Cabinet Office minister Oliver Letwin MP and the Labour spokesperson Roberta Blackman-Woods MP in front of a large audience of MPs, peers and other supporters.
In a joint speech with Ollie Hilbery from the MEAM coalition, we argued for a transformation in the way our society responds to people at the margins of our communities or those who are trapped in the revolving door of crisis and crime.
Often the issue seems so complex that a solution might remain elusive.
But the truth is that what we are arguing for is simple: that our public services should respond to the reality of human experience. Because as human beings, we have strengths and weaknesses in our lives and in our social environments, which interact. For most of us this dynamic sustains our well-bring so we can thrive, giving and receiving support from family and friends. But when the opposite happens, when problems accumulate and especially when people have poor mental health or frayed social support, people can end up in a downward spiral. And when this happens, as Complex Responses, our new research report published this week shows, public services can be very poor to respond and people find themselves living lives of crisis and chaos, too often caught up in the criminal justice system.
So our shared vision is that in every area, local people experiencing multiple needs are supported by effective coordinated services and empowered to tackle their problems, reach their full potential and contribute to their communities. Turning the Tide sets out how government can support local leaders to make this vision a reality.
We are pleased that our message seems to be gaining interest and we are working with officials and parliamentarians to find ways that our political leaders can help drive this forward. With daily news about the precarious state of the economy, now is the right time to bring together new solutions to transform lives and communities and stop the waste of lives and public money of people recycling through the system.
We need your help to press this message so I am grateful for your continuing interest and support. Please download the pdf of the vision paper and if you can, email it on to your MP or local council leaders to ask for their support too.
