[Skip to Content]
Frontline Network Wales Report: A Heart of Help Further Exploration

Frontline Network Wales Report: A Heart of Help Further Exploration

Frontline Network Wales Report: A Heart of Help Further Exploration

Friday, May 2, 2025

Heart of Help is a report by Platfform that gathers people’s real-life views and experiences of support, alongside findings from focus groups, to ask the question: "How can we create the right conditions for people to be supported in a relational way?"

St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity currently provides funding to Platfform through our Mental Health Fund. We fund Platfform’s Community Coaching, in Cardiff and Newport, a one-to-one coaching support project for people transitioning from two 24-hour staffed mental health crisis houses, back into the community.

The aim of the report was to explore the understanding and experiences of the Trauma-Informed Wales Framework from the perspective of people with lived experience of using substances or seeking sanctuary.

After A Heart of Help was published, Platfform approached Cymorth Cymru to facilitate additional work to further explore how to embed a relational approach in substance use services.

They producted the report "A Heart of Help – Further exploration of embedding relational values in the delivery of substance use services", by Alex Osmond and Jordan Brewer, Cymorth Cymru, in partnership with the Third Sector Substance Use Network and the Frontline Network Wales. It includes the perspectives of members of the networks and their colleagues. This was undertaken through focus groups with staff who have direct experience of supporting people with alcohol or substance use issues, giving them the chance to comment and reflect on the relational values and their implementation.

The report identified a series of ‘relational values’, which stemmed from listening to people and learning about their experiences. These relational values set out ways that people can and should think about or approach services. One of the report’s recommendations is for these values to be explored more widely.

Read the full report.

News and Views

collapse/expand
  • Brain Injury Guidance

    Brain Injury Guidance

    Leigh Andrews of Change Communication offered specialist advice on brain injuries and homelessness through a digital...
  • End Furniture Poverty Survey

    End Furniture Poverty Survey

    End Furniture Poverty have recently spoken with the Frontline Network to discuss their important ongoing survey, seek...
  • Cover the Cost Campaign

    Cover the Cost Campaign

    Jasmine Basran, Senior Policy Officer at Crisis, talks to us about the Cover the Cost Campaign, asking the Government...
  • VRF Impact Report 2018/19

    VRF Impact Report 2018/19

    Over the past year we have given out 3827 grants totaling £1,156,805 through the VRF. Read the latest Impact Report t...
  • Influence from the Frontline

    Influence from the Frontline

    Frontline workers are crucial at giving insight into the viewpoints of the people they work with as well as the chall...
  • The Vagrancy Act

    The Vagrancy Act

    Crisis, along with others including Homeless Link, Cymorth Cymru, Centrepoint, St Mungo’s, Shelter Cymru and the Wall...
  • Influencing local decisions

    Influencing local decisions

    Zoe, Frontline Network Coordinator at Coventry Citizens Advice, talks to us about the Coventry Frontline Network and...
  • The Litigant in Person Network

    The Litigant in Person Network

    Martha de la Roche, Network Development Manager at Litigant in Person Network (LiP Network), tells us about The LiP N...
  • VRF Impact Report

    VRF Impact Report

    Find out what impact VRF had last year and how to get involved in shaping its direction in the coming year.
  • Housing First Scotland

    Housing First Scotland

    Please see here for the first issue of Housing First Connect - a twice-yearly newsletter for Scotland’s new Housing F...
  • Slaying the Dragon

    Slaying the Dragon

    Will Golding, Edinburgh Tutor at Crisis, talks to us about 'Slaying the Dragon'.
  • CPAG - Early Warning System

    CPAG - Early Warning System

    Dan Norris, from CPAG, talks to us about a new Early Warning System to record the impact of benefit changes implement...
  • The Hostile Environment

    The Hostile Environment

    Bethan Lant, a Project lead from Praxis, writes about the creation of a hostile environment for migrants and refugees.
  • Wrexham’s Crisis Cafe

    Wrexham’s Crisis Cafe

    Sinead Kelleher writes about Wrexham's Crisis Cafe, a multi-agency response to Universal Credit.
  • Frontline Worker Survey

    Frontline Worker Survey

    We are asking frontline workers to participate in a survey, aimed at those working with clients who are experiencing...
  • A map through conflict

    A map through conflict

    A Cyrenians Mediator writes about their innovative Amber Mediation and Support Project, a model of mediation and supp...
  • “A place to call home"

    “A place to call home"

    Hannah Gousy was seconded from Crisis to the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) to help design policy recommendations to...
  • A London Nightshelter

    A London Nightshelter

    On 7 November we opened our church-based shelters for the winter with more churches signed on then ever before. Glass...
  • 'Step Up' at The Connection

    'Step Up' at The Connection

    Wyn Newman introduces the volunteer programme 'Step Up' that has been developed at The Connection for service users.