Case studies

The Community Safety Partnership in Northampton has started working with schools to warn pupils about the dangers of knife crime. The initiative has paved the way for a new project which will see youth clubs created to target at youngsters most at risk of finding themselves caught up in organised and violent crime. This case study is an example of how councils are tackling youth violence.

Bristol Council has adopted a public health approach to tackling violent crime – and in doing so is fully engaging the community.  A stakeholder group has helped to design and implement the strategy, while community champions have been recruited to work with young people. This case study is an example of how councils are tackling youth violence

Wakefield Council’s award-winning Liaison and Diversion Service is helping young offenders steer themselves away from crime by providing support for everything from mental health problems to help accessing education and training. The approach has proved so successful it is now being replicated in other areas. This case study is an example of how councils are tackling youth violence.

The Safer London charity is working with councils across the capital to help young women caught up in criminal networks and at risk of sexual exploitation. Advocates working alongside council teams help hundreds of young women every year to escape the abuse.

In developing a healthy new town, South Cambridgeshire has re-considered its approach to developing play schemes and encouraging activity. A more adventurous approach is leading to what is being dubbed “playable landscapes”. This case study shows how district councils have improved the health of their local areas.

In 2018, the Mayor of Bristol, Director of Children’s Services at Bristol City Council and Cabinet Member for Women, Children and Families agreed to develop a new approach to ensure that children were at the heart of the city – not just in council decision-making, but across the breadth of Bristol’s partners.

The London borough of Camden focused on bringing together information from a range of systems to support frontline workers provide a more effective service to families in need.

Earlier this year, Birmingham’s Commonwealth Games handover and homecoming celebrations gave the world a glimpse of to expect from the city when it hosts the event in 2022. Eleri Roberts, Birmingham City Council’s assistant director of communications, explains how with just four weeks’ notice, the council and its partners engaged residents in Birmingham’s Commonwealth Games story and launched the city onto a global, live stage. Birmingham City Council was awarded a bronze award for this work at the 2018 public service communications excellence awards.

Mental health problems can impact anybody at any stage of their life. Many people are scared to open up about mental health issues but Hertfordshire Council and partner agencies from across the county made it their mission to help change this. They wanted to raise awareness and normalise speaking out about mental health, particularly among boys and young men. Jen Beer, children and young people’s health improvement lead for public health at Hertfordshire County Council, tells us how their campaign to get people to ‘Just Talk’ won a bronze public service communications excellence award.

Sutton is an outer London council that has retained its stock, delivering management via its Sutton Housing Partnership arms-length management organisation (ALMO).