Live project case studies
SCIE is working with a range of Accelerating Reform Fund (ARF) projects across the country to support innovation and scaling, with a particular focus on supporting unpaid carers, for the social care sector. Learn more about projects, Our role, and emerging learnings and insights by reading below. These are being developed in real-time as project work is ongoing. Please get in touch with our Innovation Team if you have any questions about projects or would like to use these examples within your own work.
Learn more about the Accelerating Reform Fund on our dedicated webpage.
[itineris_blockquote author=’Unpaid carer and project participant’ detail=”] Thank you for the project. It’s a godsend. It makes a big difference, gives me back time, doing something wonderful. [/itineris_blockquote]
Unpaid carers can often feel alone, unconnected and sometimes unable to talk about their feelings or struggles. Lincolnshire is supporting unpaid carers by offering arts, heritage, and nature-based activities, designed to improve their wellbeing and help them build contacts and feel more part of their community. Through consistent co-production, carers have shaped activities and respite care provided, ensuring their needs are met and that they are comfortable having time away from loved ones.
This project offers an alternative to traditional care interventions, focusing on proactive, early support to prevent carer burnout rather than reacting to crises. By integrating nature and creativity, it offers carers tools for wellbeing and resilience, while creating community and a space to talk with others. Social impact evaluation is being led by the University of Lincoln, providing valuable insights into the effectiveness of these activities through qualitative measures.
By also running training for local practitioners in delivering arts and nature activities alongside, the benefits will have impact beyond the current participants. SCIE is supporting Lincolnshire in developing a blueprint model for this approach that will allow for scaling and replication across the country.
Read the full case study, including an overview of SCIE support, emerging learnings and key impact.
- Reaching and identifying carers, including young carers and parent carers
- Ensuring easy access to information
- identified 567 new carers
- had 627 self-help plans created by carers
[itineris_blockquote author=’ARF project lead, Rutland’ detail=”] [SCIE] have been such a wonderful help to the project. [They have] gone above and beyond in the support and reassurance given, no question has been too much. [They have] provided such knowledge and been able to provide excellent practical resources to help with the running of the project… I couldn’t have asked for better support. [/itineris_blockquote]
Rutland is developing a bespoke carer support package, learning from Shared Lives models in their neighbouring Integrated Care System (ICS) area. The project will combine respite and day care services for older adults with flexible, community-based care, empowering carers and those they care for and preventing burnout.
We are working closely together with Rutland, playing an ongoing ‘critical friend’ role throughout project development. Support so far has included providing our expertise in project scoping and business planning, and ensuring the project stays aligned with best practice. Importantly, we are also supporting Rutland to connect with nearby local areas within their ICS for valuable shared learning and peer insights. Next steps for Rutland are focused on engaging carers in meaningful co-production to shape the service and tailor their approach.
The project has the potential to prevent hospital admissions, support timely discharges, and build a community-led approach that strengthens local networks of support for both carers and those they care for.
[itineris_blockquote author=’Service Director for Adult Social Care at Cambridgeshire County Council.’ detail=”] What the [ARF] did was offer us an opportunity to work out of our typical systems, where there may be more restrictions to being innovative. [/itineris_blockquote]
In Cambridgeshire, a project led by Arthur Rank Hospice Charity and Cambridgeshire County Council is helping social care practitioners build confidence in having end-of-life conversations with unpaid carers. The initiative focuses on upskilling practitioners to ensure that a consistent approach and language is used across both health and care systems, increasing skills, knowledge and confidence when having difficult conversations. This provides a more holistic care by involving both the person being cared for and the unpaid carer in the process.
The project has already reached over 100 practitioners through face-to-face training, and activities are currently in place to transition the training to an e-learning platform for wider scalability and marketing to other areas across the country. This will include learning modules, podcasts and periodic updates with case studies to ensure continuous learning.
The delivery modules will form part of grass-root training for newly qualified social workers, fully endorsed by Anglia Ruskin Universities.
Local authority leads commented on ringfenced funding allowing teams to work outside of traditional systems and processes, allowing flexibility to be more creative in developing solutions.
[itineris_blockquote author=’Gurdev Singh’ detail=’Head of Services (Commissioning) Contracts, Cambridgeshire County Council’] I would encourage all commissioners to look at how this particular scheme is working and consider ways of doing something similar elsewhere. [/itineris_blockquote]
Read the full case study, including an overview of SCIE support, emerging learnings and key impact.
If you have any enquiries around the training, please contact kulvinder.kaur@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.
- reached 23,010 unpaid carers
- delivered over 11,000 carer engagement support actions
- helped carers access £1,364,320 in Carer’s Allowance support.
Over the past six years in Worcestershire, family carers have continuously fed back that their main issue with health and social care support is around when the person they care for is discharged from hospital. They are often not involved in this process, so don’t know what the discharge journey will look like, or what support they might need to put into place at home, causing a lot of stress and anxiety.
[itineris_blockquote author=’Steven Medley’ detail=’Lead Commissioner at Worcestershire County Council’] One of the things we recognise as a county council is the value of unpaid carers. Without them, our system would be totally on its knees. [/itineris_blockquote]
To change this, Worcestershire County Council has set up a guiding coalition of partners, including local carers organisation Worcestershire Association of Carers (WAC) and technology provider Taking Care, to help find a solution, looking at how to use technology to better support carers through and beyond the hospital discharge process.
The project has launched in the stroke unit of a local hospital, where caring roles often begin suddenly. A dedicated Hospital Discharge Carers Adviser now works on the ward, identifying carers early, guiding them through discharge, and connecting them to support, for a more holistic approach. Alongside this, 60 free technology enabled care kits have been dedicated to the project, including emergency buttons and falls monitors, to help carers feel more confident and reducing the risk of readmission.
[itineris_blockquote author=’David Fuente’ detail=’Taking Care (Technology Enabled Care Provider)’] Normally tech is implemented when people are home, after the event has happened – when people are at their most stressful… What we are trying to do with the ARF project is pick that up as soon as they have entered hospital, to look at how the tech is going to support the unpaid carer, as well as the service user. [/itineris_blockquote]
Since the Hospital Discharge Carers Adviser has been in place since 1 February 2025, seven new carers have been identified and six technology enabled care kits have been deployed.
The wider impact of this project for the area overall is improved partnership and collaboration between organisations, leading to a more cohesive system.
[itineris_blockquote author=’Mel Smith’ detail=’Deputy Chief Executive, Worcestershire Association of Carers’] This work is going to leave a legacy of improved connectivity across the system. [/itineris_blockquote]
Read the full case study, including an overview of SCIE support, emerging learnings and key impact.
Westmorland and Furness have invested their ARF grant entirely into recruitment for Shared Lives, a scheme that pairs an adult or young person who needs long term support with a local person in their community who has registered to be a Shared Lives carer. The local authority wants to increase the number of Shared Lives carers locally,
The Westmorland and Furness Shared Lives team have been working closely alongside the internal council communications team to improve marketing collateral, streamline website applications and implement Facebook ads.
[itineris_blockquote author=’Philippa Fox’ detail=’Manager Shared Lives, Westmorland and Furness Council’] This has felt very different, as it has been more joint working, with both teams using their areas of expertise. [/itineris_blockquote]
The teams have used previously conducted Acorn demographic profiling, which has provided nuanced insight on their target audiences (where they do their weekly food shop and what they watch on TV, etc.), based on those currently enlisted. This has helped to shape messaging, define target areas for leaflet drops, and provide best locations for in-person recruitment stands. Other recruitment methods include radio and Facebook adverts, sponsoring the local rugby team and attending community events, such as open days at SEN colleges.
By timing leaflet drops with boosted Facebook and radio adverts, Westmorland and Furness went from an average of none or one enquiry a month before the project began, to 60 new enquiries in September 2024. At the start of the programme they had 23 carers enrolled, and in the next three months this is expected to increase to 42. They are projecting that by the end of 25/26, they will have 50 carers enlisted.
[itineris_blockquote author=’Philippa Fox’ detail=’Manager Shared Lives, Westmorland and Furness Council’] As a result of the ARF, we’ve had a few people that we have now been able to accommodate that we couldn’t help before… We’ve been able to respond to a couple of potential breakdowns at home, identifying respite care to avoid traditional care systems. [/itineris_blockquote]
With the increase in enrolment and need for service clearly evidenced through the recruitment campaign, next steps are growing the Shared Lives service in-house and employing more staff to diversify the local offer.
[itineris_blockquote author=’Philippa Fox’ detail=’Manager Shared Lives, Westmorland and Furness Council’] It’s been good to think about our scope and where we can go. Now we are looking at different avenues and thinking about far we can cast our net and support people. [/itineris_blockquote]
Read the full case study, including an overview of emerging learnings and key impact.
Unpaid carers can often struggle with burnout due to lack of breaks and access to support. Cornwall County Council has partnered with Carefree to offer flexible, low-cost overnight hotel stays, giving carers vital time away to rest and recharge.
The initiative not only supports wellbeing but also increases visibility of carers previously unknown to the system. By marketing through Carefree’s channels, younger and more diverse carers were reached, prompting the creation of a ‘hidden carer pathway’ to connect self-referred carers to wider support services across the local authority.
The project demonstrates how digital tools and non-traditional partnerships can extend reach, with over 120 breaks taken and strong wellbeing outcomes for carers.
Read the full case study, including an overview of emerging learnings and key impact.
Kent is home to over 180,000 unpaid carers, many of whom lack easy access to assessments or support. In response, Kent County Council have joined up with Kirklees Council to co-produce a digital self-assessment tool, enabling carers to identify needs and connect to support at their own pace.
Developed in partnership with carers, local organisations, and tech provider Infoshare+, the tool is intuitive and accessible on all devices. It offers tailored recommendations and clear guidance on carers’ rights, using video animations and images.
From initial testing, the platform is showing promise in improving communication and streamlining processes. It also supports early intervention by giving carers fast and easy access to information and support when they need it most.
Read the full case study, including an overview of emerging learnings and key impact.
Standardised prevention and support services can often struggle to meet the needs of people in rural areas, where local ideas and community contributions are a key resource. Somerset is reshaping care by supporting grassroots organisations to lead hyperlocal solutions that connect people drawing on care with nearby support.
Through the Accelerating Reform Fund, Somerset has introduced a flexible, grant-based model that empowers volunteer-led, community-rooted organisations to design and deliver care in their own areas. This represents a shift away from traditional commissioning, allowing communities more ownership and input, particularly unpaid carers and those receiving care.
By working with infrastructure organisation SPARK, Somerset has overcome procurement barriers to get funding directly to small organisations, many of them for the first time. As well as funding, support also includes health checks, and a growing peer network to share learning and sustain the impact.
Early signs show strengthened collaboration, more sustainable local care models, and improved wellbeing through continuity of care close to home.
Read the full case study, including an overview of emerging learnings and key impact.
North East and North Cumbria is building a region-wide pathway for digital innovation in adult social care, unlocking local ideas and accelerating transformation through a new funding model.
Faced with capacity and resourcing constraints across a large ICS footprint, the region has launched an Innovation Fund to support projects that demonstrate clear benefits for unpaid carers and people drawing on care. Led by NE ADASS, the fund supports scalable, digital solutions while promoting cross-area learning.
An Expert Reference Panel of lived experience experts, commissioners, and service leads reviews applications for funding, ensuring relevance and impact. So far, eight projects have been funded, ranging from AI case management tools to real-time feedback apps. All funded projects must evaluate and share learnings, helping build a regional repository of tools and solutions for wider adoption.
This work is showing that regional collaboration can drive innovation and reduce local duplication when it comes to digital innovation.
Read the full case study, including an overview of emerging learnings and key impact.