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.
All Family Hubs previously known as Start Well Family Centres have worked hard to ensure that families are made to feel comfortable and welcome when visiting our venues. All venues have key information display boards which link to the provision of services and knowledge for our families to access.
Colleagues in West Sussex were experiencing high demand for long-term adult social care services, needs becoming more complex, and continued financial pressures. Action was taken to strengthen reablement as a core intervention, promoting independence and managing long term care demand. The Community Reablement Service was recommissioned, with approximately £0.72m additional investment.
Wigan Council has implemented a multi channel, highly visual engagement strategy to increase awareness and take up of Family Hub services. This includes large scale distribution of QR coded information cards, a new digital booking system, and community engagement with branding development.
Dudley Council, in partnership with BookTrust, is embedding the Bookstart programme across its Family Hub network to strengthen early language, literacy and school readiness. The programme is coordinated by Dudley Libraries, who have built networks across the region to identify the most effective routes to reach families most in need.
This case study outlines how Leicester City Council – including the Library Service and Family Hubs teams – are working together using BookTrust resources to promote early reading among families facing barriers to support.
Overview
Redcar and Cleveland were experiencing discharge delays across the local system, and intermediate care bedded provision was not leading to return home as frequently as would be expected.
Action
Demand pressures and increasing costs were putting strain on the system, making it difficult to maintain service quality and meet the needs of service users efficiently. There was recognition that no single partner could deliver systemic improvement alone; effective collaboration across Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Staffordshire County Council and Midlands Partnership Foundation was essential for meaningful change.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Halton’s intermediate care provision was delivered through several separate services. These included the Rapid Access Rehabilitation Service, a Capacity and Demand Team, falls prevention team, hospital discharge teams and a Frailty team. While each service provided valuable support, they operated largely independently.