When people think of public sector innovation, it can be tempting to jump into shiny new tech. But in local government, some of the most impactful change comes from knowing how to reshape the existing bureaucracy to deliver something better. 

That’s what we set out to do in Camden with the Family Hubs Pregnancy Grant (FHPG) pilot in partnership with Nesta and the NHS. The idea was simple: support pregnant people experiencing financial hardship with a £500 unconditional cash transfer, alongside a warm invitation into our Family Hubs through a ‘Family Navigator.’ 

The innovation was the delivery. Instead of asking residents to find us, we acted first. Working with Policy in Practice, we securely matched NHS maternity data with the Council’s benefits data to identify pregnant people in financial hardship and offered support directly. This was the first time a local authority had matched these datasets in this way.  Together, we turned what is usually slow and reactive bureaucracy into something proactive and supportive.

Why we needed to do things differently 

Traditional crisis support schemes are reactive: families have to know where to look, fill in long forms, and wait to be assessed. Help often comes too late. The challenge is spotting people before they reach crisis.

Pregnancy offers a unique window for early support because it is both financially demanding and a moment of huge change. Parents told us that around the 20-week scan the baby starts to feel “real” and when they are more willing to prepare for what’s ahead. Research shows that early support at this stage can reduce risks like low birth weight and long-term inequalities for children.

In Camden, one in five children grows up in poverty. We already had five excellent Children Centres and Family Hubs, but around 15% of families in the most deprived areas were not using them. We needed a way to reach those who could benefit most, at the time it mattered most.

From the outside, the pilot was designed to feel simple for parents: 

• They heard from us first. After their 20-week scan, eligible parents received an email, then a letter and text to reassure them the offer was genuine (deliberately “un-scamming” it). A dedicated phone line and website added extra reassurance.
• They received the grant in the way that worked for them. Parents could choose either a direct bank transfer or an instant ATM cash code. The offer was unconditional — built on trust that families know best what they need.
• They were linked to wider support through human connection. A Family Navigator called parents to tell them about antenatal services and offered them an in-person tour of the Family Hub. 

Lessons learned

Nine months of governance work, data mapping and system-stitching showed us that bureaucracy is not the enemy. It’s the backbone of innovation if you can rewire it to serve residents. Four lessons stand out:

1. Start with shared goals: Before tackling the “how,” align on the “why.” In Camden, that meant aligning this work with Camden’s mission to address child poverty and Nesta’s Fairer Start mission. Senior champions at both political and officer level were critical to unblocking challenges.
2. Build on existing data flows: We didn’t build from scratch. Instead, we extended an existing health visiting agreement to include pregnancy data, giving access from all local hospitals through one secure route.
3. Design for trust: Dual-channel communications, translated materials, and plain language reduced the risk that residents thought the offer was a scam. Offering a choice of ATM cash or bank transfer met people where they are and built confidence.
4. Plan for gaps and equity: No data flow is perfect. Some families were always going to be missed such as those not claiming benefits. To fill this gap, we added a simple self-referral form via midwives and community partners.

What would happen if we all cared about the boring stuff? 

The FHPG pilot shows that local authorities can use data differently to act earlier and more proactively. It highlights the value of collaboration across systems and the importance of designing targeted offers that meet the needs of families most at risk.  

With the Crisis Resilience Fund launching in April 2026, there’s a real chance to build on this approach in other boroughs. Camden and Nesta have just launched a Family Hubs Pregnancy Grant Toolkit for councils that want to try something similar. 

About the authors

This blog is written by Jun Nakagawa and Benny Souto from the London Borough of Camden. Jun is the Behavioural Insights Lead and her work focuses on early intervention, data-driven design and cross-sector collaboration to better support underserved communities. Benny is a Policy Designer within the Strategy and Design team, her work focuses on applying design skills to bring diverse perspectives to reimagine public services. Feel free to get in touch with them directly if you’d like to learn more.