This is just a short, informal account of my time working alongside the team at Changing Futures.  I have been working with the team at Changing Futures since April 2022.

Service coordinators.

It has been a privilege to work alongside the team of service coordinators and Di and Sarah at Changing Futures.  Working with people with multiple disadvantages, the frustrations are numerous and inevitable.  One colleague described it as a house of cards, a carefully worked out plan can fall apart at any moment, but these guys have an enviable resilience and non-judgemental patience that carries them through and gets results for customers when mere mortals would give up.  It’s a challenging customer group, who are often perceived as a nuisance or worst still anonymous, by some service providers and wider society but the team at Changing Futures always treats them with dignity and as human beings.

Multi-agency working

I have been so impressed with the way that Changing Futures has been at the forefront of multi-agency working.  I have seen the important of MDTs and way in which coordinators have grown in their role of organising meetings to make sure that everyone has a role and is accountable for their actions for the client.  I have also attended some excellent multi-agency meetings where workers from different agencies and disciplines have come together to look at complicated issues such as arson, cuckooing and housing pathways.

Expert Citizens

Finally, I have been impressed with the commitment of the project to put the customer’s opinions and thoughts at the heart of the project.  I can still remember being amazed that a customer had been invited to their own MDT, even though it now seems obvious that a person should have an input into a meeting looking at their future housing needs.  I was also so impressed that a customer was invited to the workshop on cuckooing where his forthright opinions added some colour and honesty to what might have been an academic, agency driven discussion.

In a nutshell, working with Changing Futures has made me a better person.  I now try to be less judgemental, more patient and empathetic with people and not to cross the street if I see a homelessness person or avert my eyes if they ask me for money.  It’s a shame I won’t be with you guys for the final year, but I’m confident that the customers are in good hands and that you’ll be creating more inspirational stories in the future.

Geoff Davies

Citizens Advice Staffordshire North and Stoke-on-Trent