Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in many residents becoming newly vulnerable while also exacerbating the needs of those already vulnerable. Boroughs had to urgently respond to these changing needs by putting in place new ways of working, structures and support services, including partnerships with the VCS and community organisations.
Building on the knowledge and lessons learned, Hackney and Newham worked together on a pilot to test the effectiveness of a holistic preventative model. This proactive approach sought to equip staff with the right resources and knowledge to enable them to have better conversations with residents, signpost them to the services they need, and follow up their journey, so they don’t have to repeat their story every time they get in touch.
The outputs from this project include:
A digital platform (beta phase) used by council staff in Hackney to identify relevant support services in their local area. LOTI will make available to other boroughs the following resources that can be reused / repurposed:
- Open source code
- Project documentation (user stories and wireframes)
- Service manual
- Key contacts for the partner development agency and Hackney ICT
A toolkit consisting of project resources that can be reused by other councils in implementing this preventative approach, including:
- Survey questions
- Research guides
- Workshop formats
- Peer support session (structure and approach)
- Tool onboarding plan
- Link worker model
A ‘train the trainer’ toolkit for setting up and conducting training sessions with staff.
This project was funded by LOTI’s Covid Innovation Fund, launched in December 2020, to help boroughs work together to address Covid-related challenges. For more details on the Fund, please read this blog.
