Local Area Coordination in England and Wales

August 2024

Updates on Local Area Coordination, the work of the Network and
the areas implementing the approach.

In this edition we’ll be covering:

• Hello and welcome
• Publications
• ‘Local Area Coordination leadership’
• Events, training, and campaigns
• Useful blogs
• New Social Leaders
• Vacancies

Read all about it.

Sign up to receive future copies to your inbox.

A note from from Nick Sinclair,
Director of the Local Area Coordination Network

Welcome to this month’s newsletter! Thanks as always to Lily for putting it together.

Keen followers of these newsletter updates will no doubt be aware that our Network is in the midst of (what we consider to be) a pretty transformative three-year strategy designed to enhance our offer and approach in all sorts of ways. This ambitious plan is not only about improving and building on the structure of our current work, but also expanding Local Area Coordination to even more regions – we call this part of our strategy “grow”. Basically, our goal is to grow from LAC being in 12 local authority areas (as it is now) to being in 26 in 2026. Why do we want this? Because we want to see as many people, families, communities, and systems benefit from LAC as possible, and we feel that 26 by ’26 is a really stretching but still just about achievable ambition within that time period.

In the last few months, we have seen a steady increase in external interest in our approach, which suggests our strategy is starting to have an impact! In August, we convened active discussions with several prospective councils, exploring how they might implement LAC in their areas. It was great to hear people’s ideas, questions, and ambitions for doing things differently where they are.

Our determination to push forward is driven by the obvious growing need for LAC which not only helps people to achieve the life they want for themselves and their family, but fosters community resilience and solidarity too. It definitely feels like an opportune time to make a significant impact in communities, especially considering the disturbing and shocking scenes witnessed in many places this month.

As we continue to strive forward, we are excited about further opportunities ahead. Our goal is not just to expand geographically but to deepen our impact too, ensuring that every person, family, and community who experiences LAC feels meaningful, positive change with the principles alive in everything we do.

We are of course grateful for the growing support and enthusiasm from our partners and stakeholders, and to you for reading this newsletter! 😊

I hope you enjoy this month’s content, and have a pleasant end to your summer.

Nick Sinclair