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.
We wanted to take a play-based approach for supporting rich parent/child interactions to help young children develop their speech, language and communication skills. We also wanted parents and carers to be aware of the positive impact they have on their child’s development and the simple everyday things that they can do to help.
To reduce the injuries that young children from the most disadvantaged families suffer at home, a University of Nottingham research team worked closely with Nottingham’s Small Steps Big Changes team, children’s public health 0-19 nursing services, children’s centre staff, family mentors and parents to develop, deliver and measure the impact of the innovative Stay One Step Ahead programme.
Rotherham Council has developed an early years education and childcare strategy to raise awareness of this important stage of development in a child’s life and ensure oversight of the identified priorities for the borough, with a particular focus on early identification of need.
Using the Chatterbug programme in Knowsley; an area with one of the lowest educational attainment outcomes in England, to address speech, language and communication challenges, referrals to speech therapy services reduced by ninety percent in two years.
Nottingham’s new central library opened in November 2023. The redevelopment of the site enabled an immersive early years space to be created, alongside a craft/activity room, exhibition space and engaging children’s library.
This evidence-based Language Leads Approach, which consists of training and mentoring a designated practitioner to become the SLC lead in their setting, was piloted in Nottingham City. Despite the positive impact of the LLA, the pilot, ran in 2021/22, saw a very high attrition rate amongst the private, voluntary, and independent settings (PVIs). Staff cover during the COVID pandemic was the barrier to attendance, with the need to develop flexible approaches to the LLA training.
We are proud to say we have heard so many stories from families accessing the Family Toolbox about how the service has completely transformed their quality-of-life outcomes.