Here is a link to the full version of the e-bulletin.

Homelessness and Safeguarding
Homelessness presents a complex challenge that crosses over with various safeguarding concerns. Safeguarding involves protecting vulnerable individuals from abuse, neglect, and exploitation, and ensuring their health, safety, and well-being. Here are some key aspects of how homelessness relates to safeguarding:
1. Vulnerability
– Mental Health: Many people experiencing homelessness live with mental health issues, making them more susceptible to exploitation and abuse.
– Substance Abuse: Drug and alcohol addiction is high among people experiencing homelessness, increasing their vulnerability.
– Physical Health: Poor health and lack of access to medical care exacerbates their vulnerability.
2. Risk of Exploitation and Abuse
– Physical Violence: People experiencing homelessness often face violence on the streets, including assault and robbery.
– Sexual Exploitation: Homelessness increases the risk of sexual exploitation, especially for women and young people.
– Human Trafficking: People experiencing homelessness are at higher risk of being trafficked for labour or sexual exploitation.
3. Safeguarding Policies and Measures
– Shelters and Safe Housing: Providing safe and secure housing options can protect people experiencing homelessness from immediate dangers.
– Health Services: Access to health care, including mental health services, primary care and community health, is crucial.
– Support Services: Comprehensive support, including counselling, substance abuse treatment, and job training, helps with reintegration. 
– Legal Protections: Laws and policies should protect people experiencing homelessness from discrimination and abuse.
 4. Children and Families
– Child Safeguarding: Children experiencing homelessness are particularly vulnerable to neglect, abuse, and trafficking. Ensuring they have access to education, healthcare, and safe accommodation is essential.
– Family Support: Programs that support families experiencing homelessness can help prevent the separation of children from their parents.
5. Coordination and Collaboration
– Multi-Agency Approach: Collaboration between social services, healthcare providers, police and voluntary and community sector organisations is essential for effective safeguarding.
– Community Involvement: Community support and awareness can play a significant role in safeguarding people experiencing homelessness.
6. Prevention and Early Intervention
– Affordable Housing: Addressing the root causes of homelessness, such as the lack of affordable housing, is key to prevention.
– Economic Support: Providing financial assistance and employment opportunities can help prevent homelessness.
– Education and Awareness: Public awareness campaigns can reduce stigma and encourage community support for people experiencing homelessness.

Effective safeguarding of people (individuals, children, young people and families) experiencing homelessness requires a comprehensive approach that addresses immediate safety needs and the underlying causes of homelessness. Collaboration amongst various agencies including the voluntary and community organisations is crucial in creating a protective environment for this vulnerable population.

Calls To Action 

Women’s Homelessness Involvement Group  
On the 11 July 2024, group members attended the Greater Manchester Homelessness Action Network event entitled “Women’s Experiences of Homelessness”, at Stretford Public Hall. Group members facilitated a workshop and shared details of their work on the “Give Mum A Chance: Campaigning for Women’s Spaces”.
The workshop discussed the aim of the campaign and collected feedback from participants about how to gain further support for this work and make new connections. The aims are:
– To provide day centre provision for women and children experiencing homelessness in Manchester
– For a more trauma-informed and preventative approach across services in Manchester, particularly around women who have had (or are at risk of having) children removed
– An increased awareness of the different ways in which women experience homelessness in Manchester
This action group meets on a regular basis and if you are interested in attending, please contact Lauren at womencochairs@gmail.com

Activities and Wellbeing Action Group 
The survey is still open for people experiencing homelessness who attend your activities to understand what activities they enjoy, what they would like to see more off and what are the gaps.
Here is an online link and a downloadable PDF version of the survey and your support in helping people to complete it would be very much appreciated.
Thank you to Greater Manchester Together, Lifeshare, Manchester Action on Street Health, and the Booth Centre for supporting this work. 
Any paper copies of the questionnaire will be collected by members of the Activities and Wellbeing Action Group and collated with the online survey responses. If you need any paper copies printing out, please email info@mhp.org.uk     
The next Activities and Wellbeing Action Group is taking place on Tuesday 13 August from 2pm to 4pm. If you are interested in attending, please email info@mhp.org.uk 

Physical Health Action Group 
The Physical Health Action Group facilitated by Caritas Cornerstone met and discussed the following areas of work: 
– Organising a World Homeless Day event for 10 October 2024 which will be taking place in Wythenshawe. Further information will be shared nearer the time. 
– Shared the initial summary findings of the Caritas Homeless Health Hub health audit.
233 surveys were completed. Some of the initial findings were 72.1 per cent of people stating they had an unmet dental need, 78.1 per cent felt they had mental health problems and 50.5 per cent stating they want support around their wellbeing. A detailed report with all the responses and recommendations is being written up. This work is led by Caritas Cornerstone. 
– Working on a city-wide timetable of health advice and support drop-ins at homeless day centres across the city. If you are a health provider and would like deliver a health advice, support or awareness session at any of the drop-ins, please email info@mhp.org.uk. 

Useful Information 
Ending Homelessness Together – “Our Voice, Our Rights”
Groundswell has launched a new report – ‘Ending Homelessness Together – Our Voice, Our Rights’ – asking the new government to hear their voice and the voices of all those who have personal experience of homelessness and ensure they are all a part of the solution to tackling homelessness. The report is supported by Amnesty International.
Here are the key priorities for change:
– Acknowledge that homelessness is not only a housing issue but also a health issue, and must be tackled to address health inequities.
– Provide more and better financial support for people experiencing homelessness, through making renting affordable and addressing benefit levels.
– Improve and increase housing provision, including temporary accommodation and review wider homelessness regulations.
– Ensure that all future policy decisions are fully informed by and created with people with lived experience.

The Gendered Lens Framework
The Gendered Lens Framework from Homeless Link has been designed to support homelessness services to respond to women effectively. The framework is for frontline workers, service managers and commissioners. It is particularly useful for those responsible for the design of homelessness services, whether they are looking to provide a gender specific service or to improve an existing offering. Women experience homelessness differently to men. Causes of homelessness and experiences while homeless are unique to each person, however a person’s gender and relationship to their gender informs this experience.
Homeless Link produced the ‘Gendered Lens Framework’ to support services take a gender informed approach. It communicates what they have learned from women with lived experience, and the women’s and homelessness sectors about how design and deliver effective support to women experiencing homelessness. This resource was updated in April 2024. 
Homeless Link have produced a bite-size video series which provides an introduction to the Gendered Lens Framework. Each video is 5-10 minutes long and explains more about the impact of gender on women’s experiences of homelessness and how you can use the framework to improve the response to women.

Health and Homelessness

Improving Accident and Emergency experiences for people experiencing homelessness
Accident and Emergency is often the front door for people experiencing homelessness to access health care, and it is vital that staff can respond to their needs. Check out this new short video from Homeless Link and Pathway. Featuring the lived experience voice of Pathway expert-by-experience Pete B, and Pathway Nursing Lead and Fellow Sam Dorney-Smith, it looks at the key issues in improving care for this vulnerable group.  You can also find a full set of new resources on improving Accident and Emergency for people facing homelessness here, including posters, a new podcast and social media assets. Plus, you can access a free e-learning on the topic at the Fairhealth website here.

My Right to Healthcare
Everyone has a right to healthcare. But registering with a GP can be very difficult when you are homeless. ‘My right to healthcare’ cards from Groundswell can help people register.

We hear time and again how people experiencing homelessness face barriers when registering at a GP practice. This is just not right. Anyone who registers:
– Does not need a fixed address.
– Does not need identification.
– Their immigration status does not matter.

Managing the risk and impact of suicide within the homelessness sector
People experiencing homelessness are at a higher risk of ending their lives by suicide than the general population. The resources from Homeless Link have been developed to support organisations to manage the risk and impact of suicide. There are resources for people experiencing homelessness, workers and managers as well as a range of shared resources and good practice examples.
– Click here for resources for supporting people experiencing suicidal thoughts
– Click here for organisations developing suicide prevention policies and procedures
– Click here for examples of good practice and shared resources for suicide prevention

Learning from Practice
On 17 July, 2024, Macc held a VCSE Safeguarding conversation at City Labs. One of the speakers, was Julie from Manchester Safeguarding Partnership.
During her presentation, Julie stated that during 2021 to 2023, homelessness was the second highest issue relating to safeguarding reviews.
In 2020, Manchester Safeguarding Partnership carried out a Homelessness Thematic Review and this was also published. Here is a link to the full report and summary. 
Given it is four years on, please take the time to read the summary review document and provide feedback on any learning that has taken place. You may think that processes have not improved or share what is working well. Please share your feedback by email to info@mhp.org.uk
The Manchester Safeguarding Partnership (MSP) is a statutory multi-agency body whose objective is to ensure the effectiveness of work to safeguard and promote the welfare of adults, children, young people and their families and carers in Manchester. They offer training and resources to support safeguarding in Manchester.

We Need Support report
This new briefing from Agenda Alliance, reveals the brutal impact of child removal proceedings on women experiencing multiple disadvantage. Commissioned by Greater Manchester Combined Authority, the briefing offers a rare insight into the experiences of a group of women who are frequently unseen and unheard. It shares crucial recommendations for change across Greater Manchester’s 10 boroughs, as a well as a snapshot of the national picture.

Events and Training
Learn to save a life – take the free suicide prevention training
It can be really hard to know how to support someone who you think might be feeling suicidal. Zero Suicide Alliance have created free online training that will give you the skills you need to help someone who is struggling with suicidal thoughts. Further information and resources can be found on the Shining a Light on Suicide website. 

Online naloxone training – Change, Grow, Live Manchester
Here is a link to online training for staff members on Naloxone from Change Grow Live Manchester.

Healthy Minds Greater Manchester online course
The Royal Society for Public Health is offering a free online course for anyone living or working in Greater Manchester. At the end of this one-hour course you will better understand: 
– the difference between mental health and poor mental health
– the things we can do to help us cope with our negative thoughts and feelings
– the benefit of talking and sharing our thoughts and feelings with someone we trust
This course has been developed for Greater Manchester residents in partnership with NHS Greater Manchester.

Temporary Accommodation: Navigating the system and accessing further support
The second of our online awareness sessions took place on Monday 22 July, with Manchester City Council colleagues on the above topic.  34 people attended from voluntary and community organisations including staff and volunteers. Feedback from the one hour session included:
– Thanks for a great and informative session.
– Thank you so much for this fantastic presentation, very informative and a very steep learning curve.
We will be repeating this session again on Monday 4 November from 1.30pm to 2.45pm. Email info@mhp.org.uk if you would like to attend. Learning from this session we have allowed more time and case studies will be included. 

If there are topics you would like us to host an awareness session on, or if you would like to present an awareness session, please email info@mhp.org.uk