Co-producing an agenda for homelessness in Manchester

Summary
The project explores the ways in which Manchester Homelessness charter aims to improve the quality and quantity of homelessness services. Using action groups, the charter is run on coproduction lines. Using perspectives from users, action groups and the partnership board, this project will seek to explore how change works across the system.

Aims and objectives
The Manchester Metropolitan pledge for research is around evaluation of the charter- specifically the processes of change and coproduction.
How does this charter get translated into action? The overall planned change is to ensure that the current patchwork of provision improves ensuring more joined up services with homeless experts, involved in development. The Charter affects the way that statutory bodies operate, plan services, respond to need and whether co-production gets better outcomes.

Co-production is a contemporary approach and usually involves the following:
1. Assets: transforming the perception of people from passive recipients of services and burdens on the system into one where they are equal partners in designing and delivering services.
2. Capacity: altering the delivery model of public services from a deficit approach to one that recognises and grow people’s capabilities and actively supports them to put them to use at an individual and community level.
3. Mutuality: offering people a range of incentives to engage which enable us to work in reciprocal relationships with professionals and with each other, where there are mutual responsibilities and expectations.
4. Networks: engaging peer and personal networks alongside professionals as the best way of transferring knowledge inside and outside of ‘services’.
5. Shared roles: removing tightly defined boundaries between professionals and recipients, and between producers and consumers of services, by reconfiguring the way services are developed and delivered.
6. Catalysts: enabling public service agencies to become facilitators of action rather than central providers themselves.

Partners in the charter will be able to chart progress and targets (e.g. housing, jobs etc ) but a need to know more about how the process works in action.
Across a 3 year cycle 2016-2019 a formative evaluation will be undertaken. We can draw upon action and co-researcher models to explore:
• How the policy climate locally (e.g. Devomanc) and nationally (legislation) relates to the charter ?
• How can public consciousness be shifted and behaviour pledged for the charter- what difference does it make ?
• For partners, how does the balance of power (culture change) operate differently in following a coproduction model of policy and practice?
• Systemically, how does senior level decision making shift in this new approach which includes experience experts?

PhD Objectives
1. To identify a theory of change around coproduction, which is appropriate and allows insight into the Manchester case study and beyond . This will allow an evaluation of how change works across diverse fora such as partnership boards and possibly action groups.
2. To trace and account for shifting policy and behaviour though good enough evidence (appreciative inquiry, peer learning, data sharing )as coproduced evaluation. This will allow a realistic evidence base to be coproduced.
3. To track individual stories of success and engage amongst experience experts

To apply, please use the form on our web page: http://www2.mmu.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply/postgraduate-research-course/ - please note, CVs alone will not be accepted.