Transforming Redcar & Cleveland
Customer success case study
Enhancing services by crafting a one-stop People’s Information Network for all
Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council (RCBC) embraced a forward-thinking approach to enhance the services it delivers to its communities. Selected to participate in the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme by the Department for Education, the Council is at the forefront of an ambitious initiative designed to uplift the support provided to adults, families, and the SEND communities.
This project showcased RCBC’s dedication to enhancing community services through the People Information Network. By focusing on the needs of adults, families, and the SEND community, this project was an opportunity to make it easier for everyone to access essential services.
Project overview
RCBC embarked on a project to enhance their digital service delivery for Adults, Families, and the SEND community. By adopting LocalGov Drupal (LGD), the aim was to transform their website into a centralised hub, a one-stop destination for information and guidance tailored to the needs of these diverse groups. Previously, the website struggled to evolve with its users’ changing needs, falling short of both GDS and WCAG standards.
RCBC and Invuse combined their strengths in Family Information, SEND, and Family Hub services with our deep expertise in LGD, user research, and accessibility to transform the People’s Information Network. We aimed to create an intuitive, accessible, and high-quality digital platform. Designed to facilitate effortless self-service for both residents and professionals, our project significantly reduces the reliance on direct council support. Anchored by evidence-based decisions, strict adherence to WCAG 2.1 AA standards, and alignment with GDS principles, every phase of our development is meticulously tailored to meet the communities authentic needs.
Top 3 Family Hub
challenges
Adapting to the needs of the community
RCBC faced the challenge of their People Information Network not keeping pace with the community’s changing needs. They engaged with their communities to co design a trusted and responsive digital service, reflecting the dynamic needs of adults, families, and the SEND community.
Making navigation more intuitive
The council’s digital services previously relied heavily on a search function, which was problematic for over 80% of users. They overhauled the Information Architecture to make navigation more intuitive, reducing reliance on the search function and enhancing user experience.
Updating key user functionaities
The People Information Network wasn’t integrated or signposted to other council services and lacked key functionalities, such as directories and guides. Additionally, content was not tailored for all reading levels, and update dates were missing, affecting user trust.
Our approach
to tackling the project
As part of our collaboration with LBHF, our team of Local Government specialists delivered the following services to help with the project’s success.
User Research Programme:
The results and outcomes
The key results achieved for Redcar & Cleveland are outlined below. The figures highlight the crucial time-saving improvements made by making information clearer and more simple.
72%
taken to complete
key user journeys
-4 yrs
average reading age
of website content
115+
user research and
collaborative design
Key user journey times, before and after Invuse involvement:
User Journey 1: Looking for information about free childcare for 2-year olds
User Journey 2: Finding infomation on applying for education, health and care plans for a child receiving SEND support
User Journey 3: Find a list of mental health services for your teenage daughter experiencing anxiety
User Journey 4: Find a list of care homes near you to support your elderly mother
User Journey 5: Looking for suitable summer holiday activities for a 6-year old child with autism
This was a really enjoyable project and I’m really proud of what Redcar and Cleveland have achieved. Throughout the project they showed their commitment to co-production by working with us to engage with communities across the borough and then using this information to shape our design and development. This is a huge step forward, and the new website in comparison to the old shows a
significant improvement providing quality services to their communities.
