Innovation in local government is about improving the lives of the people in our
communities. Browse through our case studies to see the many innovative programmes councils are involved
in.
The needs of people being referred into support housing are increasing. In response to that, Medway Council and its providers have worked hard to offer extra support to help those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
Richmond and Wandsworth Borough Councils commissioned Loudmouth to incorporate Theatre in Education (TiE) into their approach to the prevention of exploitation of children and young people and raise awareness on harmful sexual behaviours such as sexual harassment and assault. Loudmouth is an innovative TiE company with over 30 years’ experience of collaborating with local authorities to support Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) and safeguarding in schools and other educational venues.
Led by Luton Borough Council’s public health team and Bedfordshire Police, a wide variety of organisations are working together to improve the support for women involved in on-street sexual exploitation in Luton. They have developed a 10-year strategy and action plan which aims to reduce the harm and impact from on-street sexual exploitation and support women into routes out of it.
City of York’s public health team recognised that the children in asylum-seeking families had often missed out on routine vaccinations. When other parts of Yorkshire experienced measles outbreaks, the team worked with local partners to prevent an outbreak in York’s migrant population.
In the London boroughs of Camden, Islington and Haringey, a long-established sexual health promotion outreach team provides a trusted gateway linking sex workers with other services.
Walsall Council and Walsall NHS Trust have a dedicated teenage pregnancy team, funded by Walsall Public Health, with more than twenty years’ experience of providing both support and prevention initiatives across the borough.
Following the publication of The Better Birth Maternity review in 2016, East Sussex Healthcare Trust established the Lighthouse Team. This decision was prompted by the high under-18 maternity rate in Hastings, which in 2017 was 68 per cent higher than the England average (Office for National Statistics, 2019).
Since 2022 the service has been commissioned by Public Health through Home-Start, an organization with a successful track record in supporting parents of all ages, with a dedicated Coordinator providing a key point of contact and working closely with other services.