Made By Mortals – reimagining social care training

A Greater Manchester-based social enterprise is revolutionising health and social care training through interactive workshops, films, audio stories, and theatre.

At the heart of its recent growth and impact is support from the Foundational Economy Innovation Fund, which has enabled Made By Mortals to scale its initiatives and drive positive change.

Made By Mortals wanted to explore how a new kind of training and events offer could address one of the social care sector’s key challenges – retaining staff.

“Through the arts, we’re helping  to upskill the workforce within the social care sector, empowering staff to become better and happier in their jobs,” says CEO, Paul Hine.

As well as in-person immersive workshops for practitioners across Greater Manchester, the organisation also offers online training tools and resources that have reached hundreds of thousands of people globally over the last 18 months.

The challenge: engaging health and social care practitioners

Frontline social care and health practitioners often grapple with high-stress environments, leading to burnout and emotional disconnection from their roles, says Paul. At the same time, individuals in vulnerable situations, particularly those experiencing domestic abuse, coercive control or isolation, may find their voices unheard by the very systems meant to support them.

Made By Mortals saw an opportunity to use the arts to bridge this gap – helping professionals reconnect with the core values of their work, and empowering marginalised individuals to share their stories in impactful ways.

The challenge was how to make these stories accessible, engaging and impactful for staff across the sector.

“We saw that health and care practitioners needed a better understanding of the people they serve, particularly in recognising the emotional and cultural complexities of lived experiences,” Paul explains. 

“Staff want to learn from people with lived experience, and from health and social care research, but they lack the time and space to read long reports or case studies and then reflect on how they adapt their practice accordingly.

“That’s where support from the Fund came in. It has allowed us to develop something completely new that enables staff to get a fresh perspective on the challenges individuals face and how to better help the people they support.”

The innovation: training co-created with lived experience

The Innovation Fund supported Made By Mortals to create interactive workshops based around drama, storytelling and film – an accessible, engaging alternative to what might be seen as the dry and uninspiring training typically on offer to them.

The workshops focus on issues such as domestic abuse, mental health, and social isolation. What makes the approach truly innovative, however, is that the sessions are co-produced by people who have lived experiences of these issues, who create and present fictional characters experiencing real-life challenges

“This gives communities the power to not only share their stories but to reframe their traumas in a way that’s constructive and empowering,” says Paul. “Greater Manchester residents are provided with the opportunity to use their imaginations and creative skills, which is not only a much more interesting way for them to share their experiences, but also contributes to them changing their relationship with their trauma.”

One of the practical benefits is the flexible, scalable nature of the initiative. “It’s a package that can be used very easily in multiple settings,” Paul explains. “Sessions can be lengthened or shortened as required. They can fit into conferences or take place in health or community settings, and they don’t need any extras like a stage or set.”

Real-world impact: enhancing training and practitioner retention

A standout feature of the workshops is their ability to renew practitioners' commitment to their roles.

“We’ve had participants tell us, ‘This reminds me of why I got into this job in the first place,’” Paul says. “This has been a huge success, showing the value of these workshops for both skill development and emotional reconnection.”

For example, a training session with Manchester Women’s Aid, which helps women experiencing domestic violence and abuse, produced the following feedback:

“Really interesting workshop. It's great to have a different sensory experience to the usual training, and it’s far more effective and hard hitting. This experience will definitely stay with me.”

“One of my favourite trainings I've ever done. It was so immersive and having women with lived experience in the room was so important. It has made me quite reflective of my current practice.”

"This has been one of the most incredible training events I've ever attended. So immersive. This has genuinely refreshed and rejuvenated my perspective, and ideas around my approach with the women I support.”

Expanding reach through digital channels

Building on the success of their in-person workshops, Made By Mortals has expanded its impact through digital platforms, reaching an even wider audience.

Eggshells is a four-minute film about coercive control, gaslighting and domestic violence that was co-produced by a team of professional artists, health and social care partners, and a group of women who have courageously shared their lived experience for the benefit of other people. Semi-finalist at the prestigious Lonely Wolf International Film Festival, the film has been viewed over 870,000 times on YouTube (as of October 2024).

Kerry’s Story is an audio story about domestic abuse, which takes the listener into the life of a 37-year-old mother to three young boys who lives in a two-bedroomed council house. Performed and created by a group of women who have lived experience of domestic abuse, the listener learns a little bit about the people who created the story, by stepping into Kerri’s world.

And Sadiqa: An Empowering story of Hope is an immersive audio story that asks the listener to walk in the shoes of a character who has lived with domestic and honour-based abuse, giving a better understanding of how it feels to be this character.

This digital approach has allowed the organisation to expand its audience far beyond Greater Manchester, touching the lives of health practitioners and individuals across the UK and globally.

“Organisations and individuals can access these online resources at no cost, maximising their impact,” says Paul, who speaks of the importance of embracing innovation and creativity to drive meaningful change.

“As a society, we need to move toward a more preventative and community-led approach to health and care. The Foundational Economy Innovation Fund has enabled us to push boundaries and has been instrumental in accelerating our growth.”

Made By Mortals has also benefitted from wider assistance from GM Business Growth Hub, including an introduction to a marketing mentor, who has supported Paul’s team in strategic decision-making, connected them to industry contacts, and provided crucial support in recruiting a new marketing officer.

To explore how Made By Mortals can support your health or social care team, visit www.madebymortals.org and click ‘Project Chat’ to start a conversation about tailored workshops and resources.