We are pleased to publish the final report from our five-year national evaluation of the MEAM Approach, a non-prescriptive framework to help local areas design and deliver better coordinated services for people experiencing multiple disadvantage that is being used by cross-sector partnerships of statutory and voluntary agencies across England. Our evaluation took a mixed methods approach in which we collaborated with an expert research group of eight people who have lived experience of multiple disadvantage.

The evaluation indicates that support for people experiencing multiple disadvantage is improved in local areas which work with the MEAM Approach. This improved support enables people experiencing multiple disadvantage to make positive changes in their lives, such as improvements in their accommodation situation and progress towards personal goals. There is also emerging evidence of some changes to systems in local areas involved in the MEAM Approach network. Future delivery and evaluation should focus on better understanding the key components of more effective systems, and of how to achieve necessary systems change.

We are publishing two reports at the end of the evaluation:

• The summative report outlines the 16 key findings of the evaluation.
• The technical appendix details the research methodology and data supporting our findings.

The evaluation has received positive feedback from local leads in areas working with the MEAM Approach, who explained that it has provided evidence to inform strategic decision-making and practice:

“The evaluation has been really important in helping us understand the impact of our work. We will use the evaluation data to highlight the importance of working in a strengths-based and person-centred way with people facing multiple disadvantage, and to look at what didn’t go so well and what that tells us about what needs strengthening in the system. Because of the ongoing data you’ve shared, we have already been able to inform borough-wide strategies and embed new ways of working across the organisation and with our partners.” Gill Taylor, Assistant Director – Communities and Housing Support Team (Interim), London Borough of Haringey

Cordis Bright would like to thank everyone involved in shaping and delivering the evaluation over the last five years, with particular thanks to the MEAM team, the expert by experience research group who worked with us throughout the evaluation, and the staff and clients in local areas across the MEAM Approach network. The full range of our evaluation reports from the last five years are available here.

We have welcomed the opportunity to help build the evidence base around multiple disadvantage, and we look forward to continuing to deliver research and evaluation in this space, whether on a national, regional or local level.

The MEAM Approach has been developed by the Making Every Adult Matter (MEAM) Coalition, which is formed of the national charities Clinks, Homeless Link, Mind and associate member, Collective Voice.