Team approach

We use an evidence-based team approach that has been demonstrated to be the most successful way of working with people who have complex needs and who don't engage with mainstream services.

Our innovative model

The guiding principle of our team approach is that each client is known by at least two workers. The whole team is aware of people who are in a crisis situation. Our approach enables us to be highly flexible, accessible and responsive, and is less restrictive than the traditional caseload model of allocating one worker per client.

Our work with clients is organised by colour zones. Clients who are zoned red are in crisis or their whereabouts are unknown; amber indicates unstable but there is no imminent crisis; green-zoned clients are stable and we are looking to close our work with them; and black indicates clients who are located elsewhere, such as in hospital. Clients who are zoned red are known by the whole team.

Maximising our effectiveness

Our team approach enables us to prioritise our resources, provide an effective crisis response and target people who are difficult to engage. Having a green zone enables us to ensure that we work with clients only as long as is needed and supports us to plan for closing people's cases.

Our float system ensures staff are available in the office at all times during working hours. We encourage clients who are particularly chaotic to use the float system. This enables them to access services without having to arrange prior appointments.

Tracking clients

We produce regular database reports to track our contacts with clients and alert the team whenever a person has not been sighted by a member of staff within a specified time period. This regular monitoring ensures that a client's urgent needs do not go unmet. Structured team meetings are held throughout the week to plan and prioritise workloads, and to ensure timely and efficient sharing of information and learning.

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