Nugent champions prevention and partnership at Labour Party Conference

Nugent joined conversations at this year’s Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, advocating for a future where social care, housing, health, education and community support work together to prevent crisis and create lasting opportunities for people and communities.

Across the conference, Nugent Chief Executive Jo Henney attended discussions exploring some of the biggest challenges facing communities today, from the future of social care and housing-led regeneration to youth employment, public services and support for children and young people.

While the discussions covered different areas, a clear theme connected them: lasting change requires earlier intervention, stronger partnerships and systems built around people rather than organisations.

From crisis to prevention

Nugent took an active role in the conversation through our panel event, From crisis to prevention: reimagining a lifelong national care service, held in partnership with BB Partners.

The panel explored how national ambitions for social care can translate into practical change and how a more preventative, person-centred system could provide continuity throughout people’s lives. It also considered the importance of integrating health, care, housing, education and community services, alongside wider changes to funding, workforce and commissioning.

The discussion brought together Jo Henney, Chief Executive of Nugent; Lee Weston, Chief Executive Officer of Believe & Achieve CIC and Team Leader, Pathway East at Nugent; Kevin Peacock, Chief Executive of Options for Supported Living; Maria Eagle, MP for Liverpool Garston; and Darren Paffey, MP for Southampton Itchen and member of the Education Committee. The conversation was chaired by Kevin Rodgers, CEO and Founder of Spark Youth.

At the heart of Nugent’s contribution was a simple principle: support should follow the person, rather than stopping at the boundary of a service.

Jo highlighted the challenges created when services operate in isolation and the importance of looking at prevention over the long term. Investment in the right support at the right time has the potential to prevent people reaching crisis, while giving them greater opportunity to build independence, stability and a positive future.

The panel also explored how charities and independent providers can play a greater role in shaping reform. Organisations like Nugent see first-hand where gaps between services affect people’s lives and can bring together professional expertise with the experiences of the people and communities they support.

Putting people and communities at the heart of change

These themes continued throughout the conference.

Discussions around housing and regeneration highlighted the importance of thinking beyond bricks and mortar. Successful regeneration is also about creating strong communities, connecting people with opportunities and ensuring local voices play a meaningful role in shaping the places in which they live.

For Nugent, this is particularly relevant as we continue to consider how housing, care and community support can work together to create greater stability and independence.

Conversations around young people, employment and skills also reinforced the need for joined-up, place-based approaches. Removing barriers to opportunity requires more than a single service or organisation. Education, employers, public services, charities and communities all have a role to play, alongside the consistent relationships and trusted adults who can help young people navigate important transitions.

This closely reflects Nugent’s belief in creating pathways of support that recognise the whole person and help individuals move towards a future filled with possibility.

Turning conversations into action

The conference provided an important opportunity not only to hear different perspectives on the challenges facing social care and communities, but to ensure the experience of frontline organisations forms part of those conversations.

As Nugent continues to deliver our Imagine Our World strategy, the themes discussed throughout the conference closely reflect our commitment to developing a lifelong pathway of support for individuals and communities in need.
The central message from Nugent’s contribution was clear: prevention cannot be achieved by one organisation or sector working alone.

Health, care, housing, education, employers, charities and communities all have a part to play in building systems that intervene earlier and provide continuity throughout people’s lives.

By bringing together lived experience, frontline expertise and strong partnerships, Nugent will continue to contribute to conversations about how we create services that give people the dignity, stability and opportunity they need to flourish.