Beyond the ordinary.
What once was an idea to bring a few people together around a brew and a few biscuits grew legs this week-
National event- Impact of Specialist Homelessness Social Work role held on the 04/11/2025, by Manchester City Council and King's College London, was a reminder of what can happen when people come together with shared purpose and compassion.
The room was filled with humility — the voices of lived experience, practitioners, researchers and leaders acknowledging both the power and the limits of what we can do alone. The visual storytelling captured by Ian, beautifully illustrated our collective intent: to connect, to listen, and to act with care.
What struck me most was the sense of belonging — a recognition that specialist homelessness social work is not a fringe effort but a vital, human one. It’s about standing alongside people facing multiple exclusion, not as experts fixing, but as allies walking with.
The conversations reaffirmed that change begins in solidarity: small acts of courage, shared learning, and persistence in the face of complexity.
Huge gratitude to Sarah McClinton for chairing the day with clarity, vision and compassion, and to John Herring for compering the morning with warmth and conviction. Thank you to the Mustard Tree — a remarkable Manchester community asset — for hosting us in a space that truly reflects dignity and hope.
Thank you to the leadership of Bernadette Enright whose culture of kindness and innovation keeps the people we serve in Manchester at the heart of everything we do in Adult Social Care. Special thanks to Joanna Midgley for joining us and for her continued support.
A heartfelt moment of the day came from Steph Grant, whose voice spoke to our social work values and hope for a better future for those we serve.
Thank you to Sarah Blackmore and Adi Cooper OBE for their insightful panel reflections, and to our speakers Barney Wells Jess Harris at King's College London, Dr Karl Mason, and Cristina Temenos for sharing knowledge with such honesty and purpose.
Gratitude to Liz Kundi and Amber Redding for guiding the afternoon of the National Peer network of social workers celebrating their courage, wisdom and ongoing commitment to this work.
We left the event with a fire in our belly and ‘why can’t we’ attitude!
And finally, recognition to Professor Michael Preston-Shoot and Adi Cooper OBE whose longstanding leaderships in this area of service, continues to shape and inspire us.
I left feeling humbled, hopeful and energised to be part of the change-
Specialist homelessness social work is not a niche — it is a vital movement grounded in human rights, dignity and connection to close the equity gap with people experiencing multiple exclusion homelessness, disadvantage and heath inequality.
Together, in solidarity, we can build the conditions for real change. 💪
Ellie.
I wanted to share my appreciation for the event at the Mustard Tree. It was incredibly inspiring, impactful, and informative. The discussions and presentations were truly enlightening and have left a lasting impression on me.
Social Work Apprentice attending the event