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.
As the number and regularity of Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) arriving in Sutton increases, the council have reviewed how best to support these young people in their community. The authority have looked at how the same high standards of support their social care team provides to all children and young people can be tailored to meet the particular needs of UASC.
The London Borough of Hillingdon council wants to maintain its status as a Disability Confident Leader and continue to make progress in being a more inclusive employer for people with disabilities. Using the Disability Confident framework, they are continuing to develop activities and make changes to a range of employment practices to support cultural and behavioural change in the organisation.
Stockport proactively and strategically responded to the introduction of the mandatory National Transfer Scheme (NTS) in July 2022 in readiness to meet the demands of caring for increasing numbers of Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC). Stockport have worked in partnership to redesign their processes, including efficiently managing referrals, finding placements swiftly, and upskilling their teams.
Lincolnshire County Council have sought a different way to support their care experienced children with their mental health. Knowing that there are sometimes long waiting times for specialist support, the council identified a way to support social work staff to hold the mental health and emotional wellbeing needs of care associated children.
Under the umbrella of their City of Sanctuary work, Portsmouth City Council are providing broader outreach and support for their Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children. This is known as the 'starting out' programme.
Bath and North East Somerset Council introduced variable pricing at the Roman Baths in 2019. 4 years on, visitor enjoyment has increased, demand peaks are a thing of the past, and revenues are contributing to the council’s broader statutory responsibilities.
Healthy Start is a national scheme which helps young families and those pregnant on low incomes to access nutritious food, milk and vitamins. Figures are published on its take-up at local authority level, with one of the best rates of take-up being County Durham. In February 2023 the England average uptake was 63.5 per cent, while the figure for County Durham was 73 per cent.
Durham has developed a strong early help and prevention offer. This approach has supported in rebalancing the system, taking pressure out of the social care system with impact being seen sustained outcomes for children and their families and in lower numbers of child in need.
Hounslow Council have set up a cross-organisational working group with expert representatives to help identify emerging issues and gaps in support and develop solutions that will help to prevent and deal with these issues when they arise.