Social justice strategy recognises need for new approaches to multiple needs

Revolving Doors welcomes the government’s social justice strategy and its focus on better coordinated support for individuals facing a combination of problems such as mental ill health, substance misuse, homelessness and contact with the criminal justice system.

Social Justice: transforming lives, launched today by the Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith MP, makes clear that the government's vision for social justice and a ‘second chance society’ extends to this group of individuals facing multiple needs and exclusions, as well as to families.

The strategy recognises that people who experience multiple problems “risk falling between the gaps” and that new approaches are needed, saying “we cannot hope to tackle multiple problems in a sustainable way unless we continue to establish new approaches to delivery for this group, including better preventative services, multi-agency approaches, and the provision of key workers to provide long-term tailored support.”

 The recognition of individuals facing multiple needs in a national strategy demonstrates important progress in the first of five government actions needed to enable communities to better respond to this group that we recommended in Turning the Tide: A Vision Paper for multiple needs and exclusions, published last year in partnership with the Making Every Adult Matter coalition. 

The strategy goes on to say: “We know that co-ordinated, outcome-focused support delivers better results for a person’s life chances in the long term... We recognise that more can be done to support those who are least well served by current approaches. Through this strategy and the work that follows, we want to encourage local areas to design and commission interventions that are better coordinated and that deliver multiple outcomes.” 

Commenting on the strategy, Dominic Williamson, Revolving Doors’ chief executive, said:

“We are pleased that the government has recognised that many individuals facing multiple problems are not living in family units and are often left out by current initiatives. We agree that more must be done to support them. Getting services to work better for these men and women is essential to achieving greater social justice. An essential part of this will be to improve accountability for this group and to target resources more effectively in local areas.”

 Revolving Doors and MEAM look forward to working with the government to achieve all five actions outlined in Turning the Tide and to ensure that the delivery of the social justice agenda is effective in turning around the lives of individuals experiencing multiple needs and exclusions.