The MaRG is a team of people from a range of different organizations, from the public, community and voluntary sector who also have links to a wider network of support agencies, through being part of the Changing Futures programme, but also through organizations and groups such as the Collaborative Network.

The MaRG has been designed to help those people in the city who are experiencing multiple disadvantage, but the traditional approaches have proved to be ineffective or inappropriate. So we come together as a team to try to design innovative and bespoke solutions to help those people live their lives well.

A key part of our work involves the Expert Citizens who help us to create the relationships that are vitally important If we’re going to help those people in the most effective way. We think it’s vitally important that we have the voice of lived experience represented at the MaRG and also ensuring that the customer’s voice is heard. We can do that in different ways, such as with a video interview, an audio clip or  with a trusted person to represent that person’s views and preferred future.

Introductions are made to the MaRG using the forms that we have in place (above). This is then sent to a secure portal and picked up by a Changing Futures Case Manager. We then take the introduction an we have a discussion with Darren Murinas, who is the independent chair, and there we discuss and we decide if the application is suitable for MaRG.

If the application is not accepted we will always offer advice, guidance and signposting, which will be given in terms of what should or could be tried. A few pointers on what a good introduction needs to look like: We need to have lots of information there, past, present, what’s been tried and tested, who is involved and what are the blockages and barriers within the system preventing that individual moving forward.

If the introduction is accepted, this is shared with all members of the group and this will give people the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the details and start to think about potential solutions.

MaRG is a platform to identify and overcome blockages and barriers within systems and discuss people who aren’t able to move forward because of this. So we wouldn’t accept an introduction if all these routes haven’t been explored (for example, making referrals to the relevant agencies or challenging decisions about accessing services, or holding multi-agency meetings).

Through the MaRG, we want to capture some of the learning and some of the trends and themes that are coming through. We want to create a spacewhere we can come together into a community of practice and explore some of those themes and see if we can find some of the solutions to those blockages, system barriers and gaps.

How to make a Referral

Please send your completed referral form, consent form and the accompanying participation agreement to marg.sp@stoke.gov.uk in the subject field please quote the initials of the client.

Download an introduction form here

Download the terms of reference here

Download the consent form here

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