Stronger Support Through Stronger Social Networks
The MLM-Tool helps professionals in neighborhood teams, youth and family services, and the broader social sector, among others, to shed light on the social world of clients and families from their own perspective.
When you see who is in someone’s life, support becomes relational, personal, and sustainable.
Curious about what this could mean for your organization or service?
Schedule an introductory meeting
A big responsibility— A little leeway
Managing services in the social sector means constantly walking a tightrope. Budgets are under pressure, staffing levels are precarious, and demand continues to grow. At the same time, policymakers and regulators are calling for more prevention, better use of social networks, and sustainable outcomes for residents.
In practice, this often leads to lengthy processes, recurring support for the same clients and families, and a lot of pressure on teams. Professionals do what they can, but it’s far from always clear who else is in someone’s life, how strong that social network is, and where it could be better utilized.
In that reality, every new approach must prove its worth. It must be practical, affordable, easy to explain internally, and clearly linked to better outcomes for clients, their loved ones, and teams. If something fails to meet these criteria, implementation is simply not realistic.
The social network does exist—
—but it often remains out of sight
Everyone knows that relationships and informal support are important. Family, friends, neighbors, and other key people can make the difference between staying afloat and falling into crisis. Yet this broader network is still far from being an integral part of our daily lives.
Without a clear picture of who is involved in a child’s, adult’s, or family’s life, assistance can be unnecessarily burdensome, come too late, or place additional pressure on professionals. And although the social services sector is committed to network-based approaches and informal support, there is often no simple, shared way to make these networks visible right now.
By using a simple method to explore the client’s social world together, it quickly becomes clear who is already in their life, where the gaps are, and what small steps can strengthen their connections and resilience. This does not replace professional help, but it does help direct that help more effectively to where it’s truly needed, thereby building more sustainable support and care.
Start with the person—
—not just with the care needs
MLM – My Life With... is a practical method that provides a structured overview of the social network surrounding a client or family. Using a simple visual tool, clients and their loved ones can identify for themselves who is involved, who provides what kind of support, where gaps or risks exist, and where the social environment can play a greater role.
This makes it easier for healthcare and social service providers to identify where the informal support network can be strengthened, where professional support is truly needed, and how support can be better aligned with the client’s life and social context. As a result, care plans become more targeted and effective, and the support provided is better aligned with daily life.
We offer a comprehensive package: a user-friendly tool that professionals can use directly with clients and families, a concise training program to train internal MLM-Coaches, and light follow-up to ensure the method remains relevant in daily practice.
Caroline Fiddyment
The training will help me connect better with families and show them how important their social network is. It was surprising and valuable to fill out the tool myself.
, trained in just one day to become MLM-Coach
Time and attention are scarce resources in any organization. That’s why our training is concise, goal-oriented, and closely tied to real-life case studies from your practice. In just one day, (healthcare) professionals learn how to identify clients’ social context and networks, use the MLM-Tool in conversations with clients and families, and integrate network-based practice into their existing work methods.
The goal is for professionals to feel ready to use the MLM-Tool the very next day. They receive all the necessary materials, access to the MLM Coach community, and codes for the premium MLM-Tool. We remain available for brief check-ins, questions, and reflection, so that the MLM method doesn’t fall by the wayside but becomes part of normal practice. For the organization, this means a clear, well-defined, and concrete process rather than an open-ended one.
Explore the optionsStarting small works!
Every organization in the social sector has its own context, partners, and dynamics. Organizations often start small: with a single team, at a single location, serving a limited group of clients and employing just a few trained MLM-Coaches. This makes the transition manageable, well-guided, and immediately applicable, with room to scale up later.
With the MLM-Tool ," you'll build:
- Appropriate and person-centered care
- Network-Oriented Work in Practice
- A Better Understanding of Family Members and Informal Care
- better coordination centered on the client
- sustainable use of the social network
This is how you build, step by step,future-proof care for clients, their loved ones, and professionals.
Proven in the UK
Over the past four years, the Family Hubs in Kent and Medway have asked us every year to train new groups of professionals. To date, approximately 500 professionals have been trained as MLM-Coaches, and the tool is being used in Family Hubs, 0–25 / Early Help, and related community-based services.
This long-term partnership demonstrates that MLM—My Life With...—is not viewed as a one-time training program, but as a practical approach to working that local teams continue to invest in. Our contacts indicate that the MLM method contributes to policy goals related to prevention, early intervention, and sustainable self-reliance.
Explore the optionsWondering how the MLM-Tool
fits into yourorganization?
In a brief (online) conversation, we’ll take a look together at how you currently work with families and their support networks. We’ll explore one or two realistic ways in which the MLM method can strengthen your work.
We’d be happy to work with you to develop a plan that fits your local context, ambitions, and available resources.
Schedule a meeting
