22/02/21
Co-production on a computer By Lou Thorpe, Female Engagement Co-Production Worker I have no distractions – no children stuck with their school work or a dog running in circles clutching a black (or perhaps green?) small plastic bag telling me it…
30/01/21
Bringing the voice of lived experience and community learning into research By Ang Broadbridge “There’s something really interesting in our data here, we don’t quite have the full picture, let’s talk to some people to puzzle it over more.” This…
18/01/21
Many people experiencing homelessness, drug and alcohol problems, mental ill health, and repeat offending die early because they become desensitised to death through suffering vast loss and lack of hope, new research has revealed. People with multiple and complex needs…
14/12/20
The Experts by Experience Network is a group of people with lived experience of the most challenging circumstances including homelessness, mental ill health, substance misuse and offending. We work with Fulfilling Lives Newcastle Gateshead to raise awareness of these issues and encourage local organisations…
10/11/20
People facing multiple and complex needs such as homelessness, substance misuse, repeat offending and/or mental ill health experience severe health inequalities and much higher death rates than the general population. Our recent research project with Fuse and our peer…
14/10/20
I was recently invited to speak at the Homeless Link ‘Everyone in for good’ conference to share how Fulfilling Lives Newcastle Gateshead and the Experts by Experience Network approach system change and co-production and the importance of involving the…
01/10/20
“Talking about co-production and system change to other organisations was an amazing experience, being an equal voice on the panel was brilliant. We discussed the role we take in co-producing training and the organisations we have worked with, and…
20/09/20
How I heard about the Experts by Experience (EBE) Network I was attending a Narcotics Anonymous meeting in Newcastle in January of this year and after the meeting I was offered a lift to another meeting in the area by…
20/09/20
How did you get involved with the EBE? After a series of events that affected my mental health, I joined Moving Forward and began taking courses to build my confidence to help me find my purpose. One of these…
10/09/20
We have commissioned a new research project to develop our learning around the multiple and complex needs (MCN) system in Gateshead. The project is being delivered as a partnership by Oasis Community Housing, Goodlabs, Helme Park, and the Collective Impact Agency and will focus…
07/09/20
The Experts by Experience Network is a group of people with lived experience of the most challenging circumstances including homelessness, mental ill health, substance misuse and offending. We work with Fulfilling Lives Newcastle Gateshead to raise awareness of these issues and encourage local organisations…
06/09/20
In July 2020, our System Change Lead Claudene Cetinoglu and our Female Engagement Co-Production Worker Lou Thorpe were invited to take part in a New Social Leaders podcast discussing the value of co-production, how it can work…
06/08/20
“I feel like I’m being punished for not engaging” By Keith Gibson, FLNG Data Analyst People experiencing multiple and complex needs (MCN) are often referenced as ‘difficult to engage’ or ‘hard to reach’ and a common theme amongst services is inconsistent…
30/07/20
In July 2020 we contributed to a national Fulfilling Lives Evaluation webinar exploring experiences of closing down beneficiary support projects where we shared our learning from bringing our own direct work to a close through the pilot of a…
12/07/20
Finding the time to put the Co in Co-production? By FLNG System Change Lead Claudene Cetinoglu This time last year, the Experts by Experience Network at Fulfilling Lives Newcastle Gateshead was approaching the end of National Co-Production Week with a celebration…
25/06/20
Our Experts By Experience Network (EBE) is a group of people with lived experience of multiple and complex needs who work with us to raise awareness of these issues and…
04/06/20
Learning from our Critical Time Intervention pilot Between June 2018 and March 2020 we piloted a Critical Time Intervention (CTI) model with people experiencing multiple and complex needs (MCN) in Newcastle and Gateshead, one of the first full-scale pilots of…
29/05/20
On Friday 29 May 2020 our Experts by Experience (EBE) community took over our blog and social media channels to share #EBE_Voices during the Covid-19 pandemic. Click on the links below to read all about it, including examples of co-production…
29/05/20
Co-production in times of crisis: how do we walk alongside the voice of lived experience? By Lou Thorpe, Female Engagement Co-Production Worker When asked to pen some thoughts on the impact of the current pandemic and resulting lockdown and how this…
29/05/20
What does co-production look like in a time of crisis? By Fiona, Experts by Experience Network Member The current lockdown and health crisis presents new challenges for those of us with complex needs more so than in normal times. Accessibility is a…
13/05/20
Online group reflective practice during Covid-19 By Dr Ray Middleton and Kevin Dobson, Fulfilling Lives Newcastle Gateshead Hi, I’m Dr Ray Middleton, I’m the Workforce Development Lead at FLNG where we are working hard for a better response for people experiencing complex…
12/05/20
Online group reflective practice sessions during Covid-19 – Blog by Workforce Development Lead Dr Ray Middleton and Peer Research Co-Production Work Kevin Dobson Tips to taking a trauma-informed approach to coronavirus part 1 – Blog by Workforce Development…
12/05/20
Empowering the Women’s Voice in the Experts by Experience Network By Lou Thorpe, Female Engagement Co-Production Worker, Fulfilling Lives Newcastle Gateshead Since the start of this year I can say with pride that the voice of the women within our Experts…
30/04/20
Starting a new role during a global pandemic By Kevin Dobson, Peer Research Co-Production Worker Walking into a new office, with new colleagues, to start a new job is something I think we can all agree is a nerve wracking experience….
16/04/20
Our core partner Changing Lives is calling on Government to do more to protect women who are experiencing sexual violence or sexual abuse during the Covid-19 outbreak. An Open Letter to the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, and Lord…
13/04/20
“This has been by far the best part of my job, getting to work with our inspirational experts.” I joined FLNG back in September 2015 as a level 2 service navigator which was a post that was open to people…
02/04/20
Hi I’m Dr Ray Middleton, I’m the Workforce Development Lead at FLNG where we are working hard for a better response for people experiencing complex needs such as mental health, offending, substance misuse and/or homelessness or accommodation needs –…
26/03/20
Hi I’m Dr Ray Middleton, I’m the Workforce Development Lead at FLNG where we are working hard for a better response for people experiencing complex needs such as mental health, offending, substance misuse and/or homelessness or accommodation needs –…
16/03/20
NOTICE: we’re sorry to announce that we won’t be running any Experts by Experience Network meetings until further notice.
10/03/20
Practices that stretch boundaries to benefit the people who use our services Ang Broadbridge, FLNG Research and Evaluation Lead A key area of learning on our programme has been exploring what makes a good multiple and complex needs worker. As well…
08/03/20
Our EBE Network harnesses the power of our members’ lived experience and using our expertise can work with you and your service to help improve your service offer. Find out more and get in touch to explore how we could work together…
14/02/20
Today was my last day at Fulfilling Lives Newcastle Gateshead (FLNG) after four amazing years and what a lovely send-off I have been given by all the amazing people I’ve worked with over the years. Cards, gifts and the…
11/02/20
FLNG and DWP: a case study of collaboration by Lindsay Henderson, FLNG Programme Manager Many people experiencing multiple and complex needs rely on financial support from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) so we have always recognised the vital role…
20/12/19
Bookings on now open for February’s 2020 quarterly research meeting. The meeting, co-organised with PHE, ARC NENC and the Fulfilling Lives Newcastle Gatehead Experts by Experience Network, welcomes those who have an interest in improving outcomes for people with multiple…
18/12/19
Alex Smith is FLNG’s former Operational Lead who played a major role in setting up our Critical Time Intervention pilot. Before she moved onto pastures new with Homeless Link in August 2019 we asked her to share her experiences…
18/12/19
Alex Smith is FLNG’s former Operational Lead who played a major role in setting up our Critical Time Intervention pilot. Before she moved on to pastures new with Homeless Link in August 2019 we asked her to share her…
29/11/19
Being an ethical peer researcher Ang Broadbridge, FLNG Research and Evaluation Lead In my last blog (available here) I shared some of my learning from training eight cohorts of peer researchers as part of FLNG’s peer research programme. Our Peer…
25/11/19
“You’re not talking to the suits, you’re talking to one of your own” by Ang Broadbridge, FLNG Research and Evaluation Lead Peer research is research that is conducted by people with lived…
21/11/19
In 2019 we published interim evaluation reports about two of our major strands of work: our Workforce Development programme and our Critical Time Intervention (CTI) pilot. These are available to read using the links below: CTI Interim Evaluation…
12/11/19
Friday 8th November: our fifth annual event was finally here at FLNG and what a day it was! By Lindsay Henderson, Programme Manager I don’t think I realised just how powerful the day would be when we began to plan the…
04/11/19
Keith joined Fulfilling Lives Newcastle Gateshead (FLNG) in August 2018. His academic background includes degrees in Physics, Applied Mathematics and Engineering. He has a passionate interest in inequality and poverty and joined FLNG to use his skillset to contribute to…
08/10/19
We don’t need to wait until we are struggling; ‘Every Mind Matters’ encourages adults to be more aware of their mental health and help them discover simple steps to look after their mental health and wellbeing. The campaign provides useful…
23/09/19
Psychologically Informed Environments – our early learning points A Psychologically Informed Environment (PIE) is a space which considers ‘the psychological make up – the thinking, emotions, personalities and past experience – of its participants in the way that it operates’…
16/09/19
A Psychologically Informed Environment (PIE) is a space which considers ‘the psychological make up – the thinking, emotions, personalities and past experience – of its participants in the way that it operates’ (Johnson et al., 2012). Fulfilling Lives Newcastle Gateshead…
31/08/19
Part of a national campaign that reached over 1.8million people on social media, we marked the day with a Human Library event in the Grainger Market in Newcastle city centre. Our Experts by Experience were at the heart of…
31/08/19
We took part in the fourth annual Co-Production Week in July to promote the benefits of co-production by sharing good practice and highlighting the contribution people who use services make to improving services. Championed nationally by the Social Care Institute…
25/04/19
Peer researchers from our Experts by Experience network talked directly to people experiencing homelessness and those in insecure accommodation, gaining vital insights into some common problems. Healthwatch has now released the report, which includes some important recommendations to…
02/11/18
The day was all about using real life situations where we would like to see evidence of co-production. Lou says: ‘An Action Learning Set approach was used to brainstorm ideas, to focus on practical steps and reflect on the results….
27/09/18
People with multiple complex needs – combining mental health, alcohol and substance misuse with housing and other needs – often get thought and talked about in stereotyped and stigmatising ways, such as referring to people by a diagnosis/label or…
20/08/18
At Oasis Aquila Housing we’re passionate about supporting those in our services to live life to its fullest. Time and again we have seen the incredible resilience and strength that people can exhibit to overcome their circumstances. But we…
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