New System’s Alliance partner Mayday Trust release their latest ‘Wisdoms from Strength-Based Working’ findings.
Mayday Trust conducted a ‘Wisdom’ deep listening consultation or exercise with those working to support people through tough times such as homelessness as part of its PTS Frontline Network activities to understand the impact of a pioneering strength-based and person-led support method, the PTS response.
Frontline workers were offered a variety of platforms to share their voices as part of the ‘Wisdoms’, including group Zoom conversations, individual conversations, WhatsApp messages, email, and social media. Conversations took place with people from across the UK during COVID-19 restrictions and contributions were anonymised to allow for complete honesty.
The Mayday Trust approach of deeply listening through ‘Wisdoms’ is a pioneering research approach which poses just one open question and listens to what each person wants to bring to the conversation.
A total of 66 people contributed to Wisdom from Strength-based Working, all of whom were directly delivering strength-based work, and some of whom had lived experience of homelessness or other tough times. The conversations and comments were initiated with the question – What is your experience of delivering strength-based work?
The Wisdoms showed that strength-based working is valued by the practitioners and those facing tough times, and is proving positive. However some key recommendations were made around how to truly embed strength-based working to realise its full potential including:
- Trusting practitioners
- Embedding strength-based working in organisational culture and commitment
- Funding linked to strength-based outcomes
- True understanding of strength-based work
- Changes in Housing and support
- Building a culture of ‘Not Fixing’
- Reviewing the approach to risk
- Addressing System challenges
The final conclusion shows that being strength-based encourages practitioners to being passion into their work with one contributor commenting: “Strength-based work should be the norm. It makes no sense that we even have to say that.”
Download the full report here.
As a New System’s Ally, can we ask for your support in promoting the Wisdoms in any of the following ways:
- Use the press release –Wisdom from Strength-based Working – or the content from this news item to use on your website, send out to your contacts via email or newsletter.
- Share the report on social media channels using #StrengthBasedWisdoms