Case studies

The Children’s Social Work Matters (CSWM) programme was launched 10 years ago to champion the vital role of children’s social workers and raise industry standards.

Holly Garner and Parveen Devi, communications officers from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, share their innovative approach to getting people back to the high street, and boosting the local economy, as part of the post-pandemic recovery.

Norfolk has a well-established Healthy Libraries scheme that is having a significant impact on social isolation and loneliness. The library service runs a range of initiatives from singing and colouring groups to a reading project aimed at people who are housebound. They have played a vital role in keeping people living in the large rural county connected both before and during the pandemic.

An alliance bringing together the public, private and voluntary sectors has been supported by Stockport Council to help tackle digital exclusion. Local residents have been trained to become “digital champions” and a dedicated helpline and a device lending library set up. Since the programme started in 2018 thousands of residents have been helped improve their digital skills, reduce the risk of isolation in the process.

This project aimed to provide scientific advice and support as well as building capability within South Gloucestershire Council to identify pathways to local climate targets and support the delivery of the South Gloucestershire local Climate Action Plan, which is now at its second year of delivery.

Over the past year there has been considerable media speculation as to the carbon impacts of enforced homeworking. Has working from home helped to reduce carbon emissions? The home working energy usage project sought to take advantage of the enforced homeworking that became essential for most non-frontline staff at Durham County Council and Durham University to explore the empirical truth.

From June 2021 – August 2021, the City of Westminster undertook a behavioural insights trial to test ways of reducing the dumping of waste bags and bulky items. Two new bin designs were tested. One design used, “biophilia”, which involves exposing people to images of nature to prime them to be more pro social. The other added “affect” to the bins by using playfully designed characters.

The Climate Change and Health Tool is an evidence-based resource to support public sector institutions, initially in Cornwall, but with the hope that it can be rolled out nationwide. The model will provide evidence for decision-makers to focus beyond short-term outcomes and understand the potential implications of climate change mitigation and adaptation on health and the subsequent impacts across a broad range of sectors and services.

Research was conducted by London Southbank University (LSBU) in partnership with Lambeth Council to understand the local retrofit supply chain and workforce in the two main retrofit channels: Public-Procured and Private-Purchased. The recommendations and outputs include a list of the roles and skills needed to 2030 and 2050, a stakeholder map of employers and supply chain, and what the council and other stakeholders should do to address gaps and barriers and optimise local benefits from the delivery of net zero retrofits.

Delivery of net zero requires significant systemic change in the ways in which local authorities procure the goods and services they rely on. This project works to produce two tools to aid in scope 3 emissions reductions. Together these provide a standardised, transparent mechanism to measure emissions, along with a trajectory for best practice to effectively communicate the Council’s ambitions to its suppliers.