Going Beyond: Homeless Link Practice Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In Episode 1, we speak to Andy Meakin, Director at Expert Citizens and Diane Allman, Case Manager on the Changing Futures Programme in Stoke-on-Trent. We speak about the challenges people experiencing homelessness face in accessing support from Adult Social Care and discuss how workers can use the Voices of Stoke Care Act Toolkit to advocate for individuals.​

People experiencing homelessness visit A&E three times more often than the general public but attending can be stressful and challenging. Issues such as communication barriers, mental health problems, complex trauma and addictions frequently combine with practical issues and anxiety over being judged and stigmatised.   This podcast features guest speaker Sam Dorney-Smith, Nursing Fellow at Pathway. It discusses the challenges people experiencing homelessness face when attending A&E and the challenges for hospital staff in caring for them, highlighting the actions support workers can take to prepare and support their clients in A&E.

In Episode 2, we speak to Taylor from Single Homeless Project along with Oscar & Jan from Groundswell. We talk about the barriers people experiencing homelessness face in accessing physical health care and think about how frontline workers can approach conversations about health. 

In Episode 1 of Season 3, we speak to Adam Clayton & Dr Michelle Hacking from Greater Manchester NHS Mental Health Trust. We talk about the link between homelessness and co-occurring conditions & discuss what good practice looks like.

In the final episode of Series 2, we speak with Alex, Viv, Lauren & Vicky from the National Practice Development Team at Homeless Link. We use this episode to reflect on the series as a whole, discuss the key messages and talk about anything which resonated with us. 

In Episode 6, we speak with Nick Karr, registered psychotherapist and reflective practice facilitator. We are also joined by Neal McArdle, Head of Learning & Training at Providence Row. We discuss the importance of reflective practice and talk about practical ways of embedding it within every day working life. 

In Episode 5, we speak with Dr Emma Williamson, consultant clinical psychologist, and clinical lead at South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Psychology in Hostels project. We discuss why it is so important to allow time to debrief after an incident, and go through different models of critical incident debriefing. 

In Episode 4, we speak with Dr Aliénor (Lili) Lemieux-Cumberlege, Clinical Psychologist working across two community mental health teams in Edinburgh.  We discuss the differences between vicarious trauma, secondary traumatic stress and burnout and the impact these can have on frontline staff. We talk about resilience and discuss what organisations can do to support staff.

In Episode 3, we talk to Ben Neal, independent organisational consultant and coach. We discuss why people come to work in the homelessness sector and how this plays out in the way they deliver their work, looking at how our boundaries can often be pushed.

In Episode 2, we hear from Andy Phee, mindfulness practitioner and teacher at Oxford University’s Mindfulness Centre. We discuss what mindfulness is, go through some simple grounding exercises and talk about how we can use mindfulness to unpack stress in daily life.