Case studies

Reigate and Banstead’s community development workers are a key part of the borough council’s work to tackle social isolation. They are embedded in the community and work with people of all ages, helping establish volunteer networks for older people, intergenerational art and craft groups and activities for teenagers and young people.

The Basildon Advice Store opened in 2019 and is run by Basildon Council. Residents may walk in and use it to access employment-related skills from a range of local providers.

At the start of the pandemic, Calderdale Council’s public health team recognised the importance of supporting schools. They set up a helpline for schools so they could get in touch with public health specialists for advice.

South Gloucestershire agreed a new plan for children’s social care in October 2021 which will see an extra £10m invested over the coming three to five years.

Libraries across Dorset host a range of early years programmes such as Rhyme Times, Library Gets Lively and Story Times to support early language development and a love of books and reading. Following a Rhyme Time session at Portland Library, staff identified a need to develop their sessions in response to the requirements of some of their families; in the main the isolation of some parents who found it difficult to break into established groups, or who were new to the area and had not developed relationships with other parents.

Gateshead Council has seen unemployment rates rise, but the council is working with its partners to provide targeted support to the most deprived communities in a variety of ways.

Artists are working in libraries and children’s centres to develop their creative practice for babies and their families.

The BookTrust’s Storytime Prize aims to build confidence and enjoyment in sharing books with children and encourage visits to the library, by inviting families to explore and vote for their national Storytime prizewinning book.

The Start Well Wheel is a tool for parents/carers to track all appointments and key milestones in their child’s life.

Multisystemic Therapy (MST) is a well-established and well evidenced approach for emotional and behavioural disorders. MST is an intensive family and community based intervention for young people aged 11-17 years.