Case studies

Waltham Forest Council has established a dynamic, youth-focused initiative to provide young people (aged 11-25) with free, accessible spaces and activities that address not only crime prevention but also broader issues such as poverty, anti-social behaviour (ASB), and mental health.

Healthy Movers is for children aged two to five years old. Through a range of physical play and activities, the programme aims to improve children’s physical literacy and development, and support their social and emotional wellbeing, which helps children gain a better start in life.

Hull City Council Healthy Lifestyles Team have designed and created a programme of early years provision to promote physical activity and movement at the earliest opportunity. The programme is designed to increase access to physical activity, provide opportunities to meet Chief Medical Officer guidelines and develop physical literacy with school readiness in mind.

We wanted to make accessing evidence-based parenting support easier for parents. We wanted to run programmes in local communities and schools, which parents would find available on their doorstep.

Central Family Hub Locality meetings are held on a monthly basis with partners from across the Family Hub network coming together.

City of Doncaster Council has long been committed to supporting families through its network of 12 Family Hubs.

The early years sector in the UK is facing a severe recruitment and retention crisis, with many settings struggling to find and keep qualified staff.

‘Family Matters’ is a multi-agency programme in Stoke-on-Trent that gives families access to the advice, tips and opportunities they need to thrive. It is a key part of the city council’s commitment to early support – working with partners, including the voluntary and community sector, to ensure that children have the best start in life.

St Helens Borough Council, working in collaboration with its partners through an award-winning inequalities commission, is looking at how stigma can exacerbate the inequalities affecting many aspects of people’s lives. Together, they are exploring how stigma can affect people’s access to and experience of a range of services, and how system change can help to combat this.

Hillingdon Council explored the development of family hubs to bring together a support network for children, young people and families. Hillingdon self-funded its family hubs as the location was not a government funded family hub area, yet the council recognised the value of service delivery in this way. By focusing on collaboration across sectors and a flexible, community-driven approach we were able to develop a model that meets diverse needs and maximises existing community resources.