Case studies

In March 2023, Telford & Wrekin Council received notification of an impending Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) inspection. This case study explores how the council turned a potentially high-pressure situation into a showcase of collaboration, clarity, and confidence and how communication played a vital role at every stage.

To address the affordable housing issue for staff, the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), One Public Estate, The London Estates Delivery Unit (LEDU) and the Greater London Authority developed the Homes for NHS Staff toolkit.

This protocol is backed up by the development of a multi-agency case conference (MACC) approach to supporting victims of modern slavery identified through homelessness services. Last year, the approach was supplemented through the creation of a dedicated navigator post, based in The Passage, to support victims.

East Devon District Council’s vision for clean growth and the ambition to transition to net zero is driving forward new investment opportunities and enabling the economy to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic. Amidst the challenges of the pandemic, the council is looking to capitalise on opportunities to provide greener, healthier, more vibrant places to live, work and learn.

Barnsley Council declared a climate emergency in September 2019 with targets to achieve net zero carbon emissions in its own operations by 2040 and across the wider borough by 2045. The council’s Sustainable Energy Action Plan affirms the council’s commitment to embed a carbon reduction culture across the organisation. The council has a housing new-build programme, but energy efficiency measures included in properties have varied with no standard energy specification. The council wanted to work with a “critical friend” to review the specification and Leeds Sustainability Institute (LSI) have carried out this role.

At more than 5,000sq kilometres, Norfolk is one of the largest counties in England. To cover such a big area, the county council has set up a network of mobile testing teams rather than rely on static sites. It has allowed the teams to target testing at the neighbourhoods with the most need as well as support local businesses and big events.

More than 100 locations, including parks, supermarkets and faith settings, have been visited – with thousands of test kits handed out to the most hard-to-reach communities.

Hertfordshire County Council has successfully targeted a number of the marginalised groups included on the government’s at-risk list. Outreach work with the local traveller community was particularly successful with the public health team working with key influencers in the community to engage people through social media.

The public has got used to using and ordering rapid tests themselves. Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council has focused its efforts on targeting its support towards those most in need. Key to this has been its mobile testing unit.

The programme was designed to build trust and relationships through co-production and co-delivery, not only with the council, Public Health, Leeds CCG, and trusted local organisations; but through the creation of meaningful opportunities for local people and groups to act as COVID-19 community champions.