LIFE

What is it? 

The LIFE programme from Participle supports families in chronic crisis develop the capabilities that will enable them to build lives they want to lead.

Families receive support from the LIFE team to build healthy, happy and independent lives, and the long-term goal is to reduce their dependency on public services. Crucially though, families are expected to be active participants in the process rather than recipients of support - it is a family led programme.

LIFE has already proved to be a major innovation in family work but to enhance the approach Nesta supported two new innovations that bring the LIFE programme online:

• www.alifewewant.com - is an open source site that pools the collective expertise of families, frontline workers and experts which is then used to strengthen the programme and build a community of support.
• The LIFEboard - is an online tool that helps families and workers collect data and monitor progress over time.

The LIFE Online tools facilitate greater openness and transparency in the programme, it is easier for families to track their progress which encourages them to take greater ownership of their development, and the amount of time professionals spend on administrative duties is reduced so they can spend more time working with families.  

How the idea developed

Working with Swindon Borough Council the LIFE programme started in early 2009 with six families and a team of four workers. In 2010 the Council decided to expand it and supported by 10 workers, over 80 family members have now gone through the programme. 

At the same time the development of LIFE Online got underway and this has supported LIFE's transition from prototype to start up because programme content, working practices and measurement strategies had to be developed as part of the digital work. Life Online was co-designed by service providers and families to support the broader shift to a more open and equal relationship, and they are now fully embedded in the Life programme.

Through Nesta's Reboot Britain programme the project received £155,000 to support the prototyping of the Life Board and the scaling of the intervention across the country.

Latest news (as at 20 August 2012) 

Participle is now scaling the programme into the London Borough of Lewisham, Leicestershire and Wigan, with more local authorities expected to enter the programme in the coming months. Swindon Borough Council have ambitious plans to take on a further 400 families in to their Life Programme. They are also using the principles of LIFE as the basis for a council-wide transformation that involves existing services taking on the Life principles.

Want to know more?

Tarrant Steele, Operations Director - tarrants@participle.net