Case studies

Southwark is one of only five English councils to fund a universal Free School Meal (FSM) offer for all of its primary schools. The Council’s Free Healthy School Meals (FHSM) programme has been a universal offer and council commitment since September 2013 for all primary school students in Key Stage 2, supplementing the central government funded, means-tested Free School Meals and Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM).

Southwark Land Commission works together to free up more of Southwark's land, for the benefit of local people.

Southwark Council launched a free mental wellbeing advice and support service during the first lockdown for children and young people which offered drop-in support and one-to-one services.

SFSC is led by the Race Equality Foundation, and had an excellent reputation locally. In Southwark, the SFSC programme had been adapted during Covid-19 lockdown to offer online sessions which parents found very useful.

Councils in the south west started looking at ways of increasing equity of access of PrEP in other groups to address this in late 2021.

Region: South West Theme: Regeneration, Housing (in OPE), Land Release Fund (LRF)

The 2015 Care Act and 2014 Children and Families Act gave young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities more rights to support and for longer. Whilst being a much needed and well received pieces of progressive legislation, they presented severe problems in a system primarily driven by resource limitations.

Coventry City Council has managed demand more effectively and provided a better service for less money by applying behavioural models.

Ensuring children and families have access to support to enhance SLC development when a concern is raised is important. However, access to therapy services in Torbay is currently lengthy for families. Early timely support can enable children to ‘catch up’ with peers. A pathway of support has therefore been developed alongside Early Years Settings, Health Visitors and Children’s Centres.

Spelthorne Borough Council (SBC) faces a range of interrelated housing challenges in its area, including affordability, housing supply (particularly affordable housing), meeting local housing need particularly for those in temporary accommodation, and empty homes.