Helping councils turn local welfare funding into targeted crisis and prevention support

Local Government Reorganisation creates a major challenge for local welfare support.

New councils may inherit different crisis support schemes, different Discretionary Housing Payment approaches, different local welfare policies, different referral routes, different partner arrangements and different data systems. At the same time, the Crisis and Resilience Fund requires councils to provide timely crisis support, strengthen household resilience and demonstrate what has changed as a result.

Visionary Network helps councils design, harmonise and deliver effective CRF arrangements during Local Government Reorganisation.

Working alongside Inbest’s administrative data capability, we help councils identify residents who may need support, design targeted campaigns, strengthen referral pathways, track outcomes and create a clear CRF operating model for the new authority.

Our support is practical, evidence based and designed around the realities of Revenues and Benefits, local welfare, housing, debt, customer services, finance, members and partner delivery.

What we can do for you

1. Design a clear CRF offer for the new council

Local Government Reorganisation can leave new authorities with several inherited approaches to crisis support, hardship payments, housing support, resilience activity and voluntary sector delivery.

We help councils bring those arrangements together into a clear CRF offer.

This can include:

Crisis payments for immediate financial shocks.
Housing payments for rent, arrears and housing stability.
Resilience services focused on income maximisation, debt prevention, employment support and longer-term financial resilience.
Community coordination, including referral routes, partner delivery and local advice provision.
A cash first approach where appropriate.
Clear eligibility, decision making and escalation routes.
Resident facing information that is easy to understand.

The result is a coherent CRF scheme that officers can administer, members can support and residents can understand.

2. Use administrative data to find people earlier

Councils already hold valuable data through Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Council Tax, discretionary support, debt recovery and other local services.

We help councils use that data responsibly and practically to identify households who may need support before problems escalate.

This can include analysis of:

Low-income households.
Disability related indicators.
Housing circumstances.
Benefit entitlement.
Council Tax Reduction claims.
Rent or Council Tax arrears.
Households who may be missing out on national benefits, discounts, grants or social tariffs.
Residents at risk of repeat crisis demand.

This allows councils to move from broad, reactive support to targeted, preventative intervention.

3. Run targeted campaigns that support crisis prevention and resilience

CRF delivery should not only respond to crisis. It should also help prevent crisis from happening.

We help councils design and deliver targeted campaigns using administrative data, local priorities and service insight.

Campaigns can include:

Benefits take up campaigns, including Pension Credit, Attendance Allowance, Healthy Start, free childcare support and social water tariffs.
Prevention campaigns, including debt prevention, arrears intervention, employment support, housing stability and income maximisation.
Hardship and crisis support campaigns, including emergency payments, urgent financial support and follow up advice.
Energy cost support campaigns, including support for households facing high energy costs, those using heating oil, residents in low energy efficiency homes, and referrals to energy advice, grants or retrofit schemes.
Each campaign can be designed around who the council wants to reach, what support is available, what action residents need to take and how outcomes will be measured.

4. Build referral pathways that stop residents falling through the gaps

The best CRF schemes do more than make awards. They connect residents to the support that helps prevent repeat crisis.

We help councils design referral pathways between Revenues and Benefits, housing, debt advice, employment support, social care, customer services, voluntary sector partners and local welfare provision.

This can include:

A clear “no wrong door” approach.
Warm referrals between teams and partners.
Follow up after an award.
Personalised communications and reminders.
Routes into benefits advice, debt support, employment services and housing support.
Clear handling arrangements for residents who need face to face or assisted support.
Feedback loops so services can see what happened after a referral.

This helps turn the CRF from a payment scheme into a broader resilience programme.

5. Track outcomes, prove impact and support reporting

Councils need to show that CRF funding is being used effectively, reaching the right households and supporting both immediate crisis response and longer-term resilience.

We help councils design outcome and reporting frameworks that are useful for officers, members, partners and DWP management information requirements.

This can include tracking:

Residents identified for support.
Residents contacted.
Campaign engagement.
Applications, awards and referrals.
Benefit take up and income maximisation outcomes.
Repeat demand.
Referral completion.
Changes in arrears or financial pressure.
Geographic and demographic patterns.
Which interventions are most effective.

This gives councils a clearer picture of what is working, where demand is changing and where future support should be focused.

Our CRF support offer

Our support can be tailored to the stage your council is at.

CRF readiness review

A short diagnostic review of your existing crisis support, DHP, local welfare, hardship, referral and data arrangements.

This is designed to identify what should be retained, what needs to be harmonised, what needs to change for LGR and where the main risks sit.

CRF scheme and operating model design

Support to design the CRF scheme, eligibility framework, decision making model, governance routes, referral pathways, payment approach, partner roles and resident journey.

This can include member briefings, officer workshops and plain English scheme documentation.

Administrative data and targeting support

Working with Inbest, we help councils use administrative data to identify residents who may need support, segment households, design targeted campaigns and track outcomes.

This supports better targeting of limited funding and earlier intervention.

Campaign design and delivery support

Support to design and run benefits take up, prevention, hardship, crisis and energy cost campaigns.

This can include campaign selection, data criteria, communications, reminders, referral routes, assisted support and outcome monitoring.

LGR harmonisation support

Support for new councils that need to bring together several inherited schemes, policies, teams, datasets and delivery models.

This includes options appraisal, risk analysis, governance support, member engagement and implementation planning.

Reporting and impact framework

Support to build practical management information and outcome reporting for service leads, senior officers, elected members, partners and DWP reporting requirements.

Designed for the realities of Local Government Reorganisation

CRF delivery during LGR is not just a funding issue. It affects residents, staff, systems, partners, governance, budgets and public trust.

Councils need to protect local discretion while creating a scheme that is consistent enough for a new authority to administer. They need to maintain crisis support while redesigning services. They need to use data intelligently while ensuring that residents still receive human support where needed.

Visionary Network understands those pressures because our work is rooted in Revenues and Benefits, local welfare, Council Tax, DHP, CTR design, consultation, service transformation and operational delivery.

We help councils make practical decisions that can be implemented.

Why Visionary Network and Inbest?

Visionary Network brings specialist local government consultancy, with deep experience in Revenues and Benefits, local welfare, CTR, DHP, income maximisation, policy design, governance and implementation.

Inbest brings the administrative data capability needed to identify residents, target support, run campaigns and track outcomes.

Together, we offer councils a practical way to move from broad crisis response to targeted, preventative and measurable local support.

We have worked with councils using administrative data to run benefits take up campaigns, deliver hardship grants and design local welfare schemes. We are now supporting councils to design end to end CRF delivery journeys, from identification and outreach through to support, referral and reporting.

What councils will have at the end

Depending on the level of support chosen, councils can expect:

A clear CRF scheme design.
A practical operating model.
A harmonised approach across legacy councils.
Defined payment and referral routes.
Targeted campaign plans.
Administrative data criteria for identifying residents.
Resident communications and follow up routes.
A management information and outcome framework.
Member and officer briefing material.
Implementation planning for go live.

A stronger evidence base for future local welfare decisions.

Preparing your CRF approach for Local Government Reorganisation?

Visionary Network can help you design a Crisis and Resilience Fund approach that is targeted, preventative, locally responsive and ready for delivery.

Contact:

Malcolm Gardner
Director, Visionary Network
malcolm@visionarynetwork.co.uk

Rachael Walker
Policy Director, Visionary Network
rachael@visionarynetwork.co.uk