Good old-fashioned support work: a rose-tinted myth, a thought exercise, or a template for the future? After a successful and thought-provoking event last month, showcasing the PTS Response, Jhoana Serna (JS), Head of PTS Coaching at Mayday Trust, sits down with Oliver Townsend (OT), Head of Partnerships and Practice at Platfform, to discuss strengths-based working

Through the eyes of a PTS Coach By Meg Forader, a PTS Coach for Mayday Trust. Working in a strengths-based way allows people I meet with to feel valued (because they ARE valuable!) even at what may be their lowest points, when a lot of society is treating them like they have no value at

Good Intentions aren’t always enough. By Grant Campbell, Head of Partnerships & Consulting at Homeless Network Scotland. The growing pressure of the ‘permacrisis’ mobilised a wide range of voluntary action, in city centres and communities across the country to help people most affected. Understandably, there are often no benchmarks, national strategies or guidelines on

You can read Platfform's Manifesto for Change, which launched on the 2nd of February 2023, here. Mental health: overhaul of outdated systems urgently needed New System Alliance partner, Platfform has launched its Manifesto for Change. From working with over 9000 people experiencing challenges with their mental health each year, the charity states that the current support

By Oliver Townsend, Head of Partnerships and Practice at Platfform. #HousingMattersWales  We are trying to do things differently in Platfform, as so many organisations are across Wales. The past ten years have resulted in rapid, positive practice and policy change in our country, despite huge and unprecedented financial pressures. I’ve been writing about some of

Natasha Almond from the Good Organisation writes about Homeless Bound (Coterminous CIC, 2022)- A book that explores how the language and misconceptions of people experiencing homelessness continue to shape our response to the issue: Homeless Bound “The media, almost without exception, will put an image of a ‘man in doorway’ shot in an article about

By Alex Fox, CEO of Mayday Trust. Alex believes that the UK’s charities and public services have one goal: to create ways for people who want support, and people who want to help, to meet as equals. What works best in support services usually feels small, human and personal. Alex is fascinated by how to

Jen Daffin is a Community Clinical Psychologist with a passion for social justice. She has 15 years experiences of working across NHS mental health and learning disability services and now works for a mental health and social change charity called Platfform. On Tuesday 24th of May Jen hosted a Conversations that Challenge event which explored

Trigger warning: this content contains mention of abuse in all forms. I’m Still a Risk, a poem by Simon Whitter. I was put into care at 11 years old, disposed of by my family, beaten black and blue. This wasn’t my choice, but I’m the risk. Raped and abused by people there to protect me.

NEF Consulting was commissioned to conduct a two-year evaluation of the Person-Led, Transitional and Strength Based (PTS) Response delivered by Mayday Trust in Northampton and its partner Changing Lives in Newcastle. The PTS brings together an asset-based approach and advantaged thinking to work with people transitioning out of homelessness and other difficult life transitions.