The London borough of Lambeth says it has been experiencing success with the government’s Supporting People programme.

The programme aims to provide a better quality of life for vulnerable people, enabling them to live more independently and maintain their tenancies.

It hinges on contracts with agencies and organisations in the voluntary and community sector (VCS).

One mandatory requirement for providers is to demonstrate outcomes that target hard-to-reach groups in greatest need.

In response, Lambeth Supporting People has developed a commissioning process that is accessible and short on bureaucracy, it said.

It also provides support for providers, many of whom are small and local.

Ann Skinner, Head of Supporting People, said, referring to a pilot scheme in Brixton:

“The voluntary organisations involved were clearly the right agents to engage with the communities, identify individuals most in need, respond to them and directly deliver or broker help.

“It became clear that multiple disadvantages required a multi-agency approach – addressing depression, poverty, debt, homelessness, health problems and so on”, she added.