Hard_Edges_Mapping_SMD_FINAL_VERSION_Web

09
www.lankellychase.org.uk
Introduction
There is growing awareness that populations
experiencing the sharp end of problems such
as homelessness, drug and alcohol misuse,
poor mental health, and offending behaviours
overlap considerably (Fitzpatrick et al., 2011;
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP),
2012). There is also concern that these
vulnerable individuals may ‘fall between the
gaps’ in policy and services altogether, or be
viewed through a succession of separate and
uncoordinated ‘professional lenses’ (Cornes et
al., 2011). People with multiple needs should
be supported by effective, coordinated services
(MEAM, 2008, 2009; Revolving Doors Agency
and MEAM, 2011). However, making the case
for this requires a robust evidence base, and
data underpinning social policy for those on
the extreme margins remains largely patchy
and fragmented (Duncan & Corner, 2012;
DWP, 2012).
The central aim of this study was to establish
a statistical profile of the extent and nature of
this form of severe and multiple disadvantage
(SMD) in England, and to ascertain the
characteristics and experiences of those
affected, insofar as possible. A helpful
precursor for this exercise can be found in
MEAM’s (2009) indicative snapshot estimate
of the number of individuals in England with
‘multiple needs and exclusions’ (56,000), which
drew on Schneider’s (2007) psychologically- and
medically-orientated study of ‘chaotic lives’ and
‘multiple needs’. Schneider in turn based some
of her estimations on data generated back
in the 1990s, by major surveys of psychiatric
morbidity amongst homeless people (Office of
Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS), 1997)
and prisoners (Singleton et al., 1998).
The purpose of this current profile was
therefore to bring these estimates up to date,
place them on as reliable a statistical footing
as possible, and provide a more detailed and
socially-orientated picture of relevant overlaps,
trends, geographical distribution, background
factors and causation, quality of life and service
outcomes, and social and economic costs. It is
premised on making the best possible use
of existing administrative and survey data,
including ‘triangulating’ (cross-checking)
findings from independent sources. It is limited,
by definition, to the information and evidence
that can be gleaned from interrogating these
datasets. While in many respects exploratory
rather than definitive, it offers the most robust
account to date of the overlap between groups
subject to these specific multiple and extreme
forms of disadvantage.
» The central aim of this study
was to establish a statistical
profile of the extent and
nature of this form of severe
and multiple disadvantage
(SMD) in England «