In this blog, Homeless Link's Head of National Practice Development Jo Prestidge introduces a new book that can help leaders of homelessness services implement these important approaches.
It’s safe to say that Psychologically Informed Environments (PIE) and Trauma Informed Care (TIC) are not new phenomena for the homelessness sector. In fact, it’s been 13 years since the first good practice guide on PIE was published and 11 years since Homeless Link began promoting TIC as an approach that could transform service delivery. Since then, many Homeless Link members have taken steps to adopt these ways of working – recognising the psychological and emotional experiences of people accessing and working in services and centring relationships in support delivery.
Despite this progress, research shows that organisations still face many challenges and barriers to fully implementing PIE and TIC. Obvious ones relate to a lack of resources in the system, staff turnover and resilience, and general resistance to change. TIC and PIE need to be embedded systematically to overcome some of these challenges and organisational leaders play a crucial role in reducing implementation barriers and role modelling change.
With this in mind, I was delighted to contribute to a book specifically for organisational leaders interested in implementing PIE and TIC, which was published earlier this year. The book is a treasure trove of practical case studies from leaders who are supporting this change, across a range of organisations and sectors. Along with my chapter, which explores how organisations themselves can become traumatised and in turn be traumatising, the book features Homeless Link members sharing their work.
This includes St Martins, in Norfolk, where they have been working to implement PIE for the last few years. Ian, a senior leader who has driven the adoption of PIE, describes how they were previously stuck in ‘a holding pattern of behaviour management’, but that now the team have a shared narrative and approach for delivering the best possible support. His chapter describes some of the changes they’ve introduced in line with the PIE framework and the positive impact this has had over time. Since implementing PIE, their data shows a significant reduction in incidents, temporary exclusions and police call outs. What also interested me from Ian’s reflections is how individuals within the system are a catalyst for creating change, and that relationships within and between all levels in the organisation are a key driver for organisational change.
St Basils, a Youth Homelessness charity in the West Midlands, were one of the first organisations to pilot PIE back in 2009. They worked closely with clinical psychologists to develop their approach which has now been embedded organisationally through tools like their ‘PIE pyramid’ and values which are used to guide relational working and enable reflection and development. They reflect that while their journey started and is underpinned by training and reflective practice, they’ve also needed to adopt other strategies to embed change such as aligning policies and procedures, making changes to systems and improving environments. Jean and Amanda, the chapter authors, reflect:
‘commitment and implementation have to be intentional and perpetual…..you need to be willing for it to become part of your organisation’s DNA’.
Other chapters related to Homeless Link members include the work undertaken by Centrepoint to implement PIE through co-production with young people and systems leaders across the organisation, and the impact of training and reflective practice in implementing PIE across housing and homelessness services in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council.
The book will be officially launched by the editors, Peter Cockersell and Sione Marshall at a webinar on 16th September where they and the authors will discuss the experience of leading on PIE and TIC implementation. Book your place here.
If you want to know more before then, get yourself a copy of the book (currently on offer until 1st August!) and check out Homeless Link’s related resources.
