Psychologically informed services: a response from an advocacy perspective

Abstract

Purpose

This paper seeks to offer a commentary on Psychologically Informed Services: A Good Practice Guide, a recently published operational guidance document on developing psychologically informed environments (PIEs) in services for homeless people.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is an invited opinion piece and comment based on the specialist experience and viewpoint of the author in working with advocacy services in the UK and in the USA.

Findings

The new operational guidance is welcomed, with some provisos. Specifically, any emphasis on training for staff should certainly include an equal weighting on training for service users themselves in order to support positive self‐direction and development.

Originality/value

Services that wish to develop as PIEs will need to ensure that service users are fully engaged and enabled through the process to identify their own needs.

Citation

Whelan, A. (2012), "Psychologically informed services: a response from an advocacy perspective", Housing, Care and Support, Vol. 15 No. 2, pp. 88-89. https://doi.org/10.1108/14608791211254234