York MCN Update: 2021 – 2022
York MCN involves various projects, organisations and people coming together to create change, with the aim of improve the lives of people experiencing multiple complex needs across the city. Information about all of the activities below can be found on our website: www.yorkmcn.org
Next Network Meeting: Tuesday 5th April 2022, 9.30am to 12.30pm, at Priory Street Centre. To receive an invite to this or any of the meetings mentioned below, please email: info@yorkmcn.org
Following the Cultural Values Survey in 2020, We began a collaborative sense-making process at the end of April 2021 to explore the results together, help us understand the health of the system, and ultimately make changes that will improve people’s experience. We have been through various stages of learning and have now produced a Meetings That Matter toolkit (find this online) to help people plan and facilitate meetings that really make a difference. We are holding a Cultural Value Community of Practice meeting on Tuesday 8th March, 1pm – to 2.30pm.
In 2021 one working group created a co-location space with the aim of exploring how we can work better together. Individuals from across the city were then invited to use a large space at York CVS Priory Street for work and meetings which was successful. This experiment will be coming to an end on March 25th 2022 and we hope learning can be shared to help influence the design of the mental health hub.
This group is currently working on two projects which aim to increase wellbeing and develop relationships with lived experiences, creating opportunities for engagement to be an ongoing relationship.
The Mail Art Project hopes to reach those who may be isolated and create a sense of community. The Art Bank Project hopes to provide free art supplies and encourage creativity, and will be located at Spark:York on Saturday’s between 10am-12pm. These two projects will be launched in April 2022.
This is a new stream of activity in which we’ll be exploring how we can co-design and implement a Payment for Involvement policy for all York MCN activity. We’ve just begun, but will be coming together to begin work soon.
Current discussions and work-streams of the Co-commissioning group, which look at those services which are commissioned using public money, include:
- Strengths-based approaches, including a 5-week programme looked at Commissioning and Service Transformation through an ABCD Lens (Asset Based Community Development).
- Staff wellbeing/supervision and support across the system
- Data and definitions of multiple complex needs to inform commissioning
- Whole-system review of resettlement pathway and related services/support, with a multi-agency Project Board supporting an intensive review, with conclusions/recommendations needing to go to CYC Executive by late June 2022.
Future 2022 Meeting dates: 2nd March, 27th April and 8th June. Each starts at 2pm.
Through a donation from Lankelly Chase Foundation, and supported by Two Ridings Community Foundation and York MCN, there has been an 11-month participatory grant making process called Deciding Together. It aimed to push the boundaries, encourage big ideas and change how things are normally done, putting people from across York in control of how money is allocated. £218,000 has now been gifted to 20 groups across York, and Two Ridings Community Foundation continues to support those who've been awarded grants from the Deciding Together Fund.
System Changers
We ran a third Systems Changers Programme over summer 2021. The Programme gave participants the tools to apply systems thinking to their job roles, projects they may be working on and also across other areas of their lives, encouraging experimentation, collaboration and deep conversation about how we can create change.
In 2022 we will be offering taster sessions on topics of interest such as systems thinking, looking at building capacity through ongoing availability of Deep Democracy training, and exploring other facilitation techniques that can support people working in the city.
Together with Young People - Children and Young People Inquiry
The Together with Young People inquiry launched in October 2020, with a passionate and committed group of people coming together to explore the question: “How do we change the systems that perpetuate multiple disadvantage for children and young people in York?”
The group have created a positive, meaningful and open environment that seeks to understand the experiences, feelings and needs of children and young people in York from multiple perspectives, asking what’s important to children and young people and how we might go about changing the current way things work.
Over last year the group has been developing relationships and exploring areas of activity to undertake together.
Connections to people and groups with direct and personal experience of multiple complex needs
We continue to have strong connections with the independent lived experience network, LIFE and the peer led recover group, York in Recovery. Individuals across both groups are integral to various activity across the York MCN Network, and we continue to developed relationships with any individuals with direct and personal experience of multiple complex needs who want to get involved in York MCN.