INCREASE PUPIL PREMIUMS BY WIDENING ACCESS TO FSM ELIGIBILITY CHECKING

Looking Local integrated with the DoE's Free School Meals Eligibility Checker last summer widening access to this key benefit to people on a range of channels and devices. The integration was trialed by Hertfordshire CC and launched in time for the new school year. 

To promote the new access channels - and Free School Meals in general - Herts CC distributed small card leaflets to parents via their schools and the success has been significant. To date 147 successful eligibility checks have taken place via Looking Local channels, with a further 23 checks by people who were eligible but who did not submit their application, and 206 enquiries from people who were not eligible for FSM. 

There are three key elements to this, firstly that FSM is not a universal benefit, so high transaction volumes were never expected. But critically FSM is directly linked to the pupil premium; with the school receiving £900 per child entitled to FSM or who has been in receipt of FSM in the last six years. So by extending access and 'managing' the 147 successful applications, Looking Local has helped Herts CC to bring in an additional £132,300 to their local schools.  

Indeed research shows that there continues to be a shortfall in terms of people who are eligible for FSM, with around 14% of children/families who are entitled to FSMs not claiming them; this is around 200,000 children across England. There is a range of factors around the shortfall and a significant disparity in terms of under-registration rates on a local authority levels from 0%-33% (detailed in the research).

The Dept of Education's website confirms that FSMs and the eligibility checker are still valid despite welfare reforms and Universal Credit, particularly as the first tranche of people being moved over to Universal Credit will be single people with no impact on FSM (if a FSM eligible child goes to live with a single person in receipt of UC, their FSM eligibility will continue).  

With around 1.2 million children eligible for FSM in England and only a handful of local authorities boasting a 0% under-registration rate, there is still work to be done; not only in supporting children and their families, but local schools who receive the pupil premium to help reduce the attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their peers. 

All Looking Local partners can widen access to this key benefit on TV, social networks, mobile, via our apps and even on games consoles, there is a one-off £500 charge to set up local schools data and any local authority specific terms and conditions, as well as entry and exit screens; but the benefit of just one person successfully applying will make a difference. 

LOOKING LOCAL DELIVERS A FOCUSED PACKAGE AROUND WELFARE REFORM

With welfare reform and Universal Credit top of everyone’s agenda, we are pleased to announce a partnership with The Money Advice Service to extend access to their independent, unbiased information around benefits, welfare reform, managing money, debt, as well as tips to make money go further.

Partners can now feature up to date financial advice from the Money Advice Service via Looking Local and make it available across all platforms from TV and mobile to Facebook; it will also be available as part of our new app My Council and be accessible via the My Landlord app.

The Money Advice Service was set up in 2010 by government to help people make the most of their money. Their advice is free, legally compliant, available to everyone and one of their core objectives is to “enhance ability of members of the public to manage their own financial affairs”, which we see as a perfect fit for people using Looking Local channels. Indeed Looking Local is one of a new breed of syndication partners The Money Advice Service is keen to work with to widen access to their information. 

Thinking more widely about welfare reform and the challenges that lay ahead, Looking Local is able to offer partners transactional capabilities with the Progress credit union software system. This integration is now coming into it’s own as credit union accounts are being seen as key in many areas to help people manage their benefits and ensure they meet all their required payments.

By combining local content and listings of welfare support services, The Money Advice Service’s information, safe and secure credit union account access and the ability for people to look for a job via Jobcentre Plus, Looking Local is offering a coherent multi-channel facility to support tenants and customers with the welfare reforms.

HEADLINES FROM LOOKING LOCAL'S MIDLANDS & SCOTTISH WORKING GROUPS

Looking Local hosted two working groups last week where a range of topics were raised and discussed. One of the main areas of debate centered on the re-focus partners were experiencing on digital inclusion, driven this time less from an ethical perspective more from a practical one in light of benefit reform and the introduction of Universal Credit.

So it was timely that Looking Local was able to demonstrate new developments around welfare reform and Universal Credit. We have been working on a coherent package to help partners and their customers approach the changes, and will be delivering access to nationally provided money, benefits and financial advice in the coming days.

In addition to this key advice and information, Looking Local has integrated with Progress systems credit union software to allow people to have an account and manage their money on a range of devices and channels; all securely and safely. The work with Progress Systems took place two years ago as part of a financial inclusion project we worked on with Hull & East Yorkshire Credit Union (HEYCU) and you can see some of their drivers and resulting access improvements here.

This credit union capability is available to all partners to deploy as long as your credit union uses Progress, we would also like to hear about other software systems that are in use locally, which might help drive further partnerships and integration. Partners saw this broad view from helping people access money advice and benefits information, look for employment (via our partnership with Jobcentre Plus) and - possibly the most pressing issue for people in the room - to help customers manage their money as a positive approach to support tenants and customers.

Up in Scotland the issue of integration raised its head time and time again. All partners present were keen to ensure that Looking Local's channels were linked in to their back end systems. Many instances of integration occur throughout partners' services and it really makes a difference. An API exists to allow partners to undertake integration work, and the group intends to meet again soon with our technical team to encourage and support this focus. Additionally it was decided to collectively lobby Lagan to integrate with Looking Local so that a range of services can be connected in one fell swoop.

Both groups were keen to see the improvements to our usage statistics which are nearing completion, our system will now use Google Analytics and allow partners to assess channels in more detail and offer more comparison. Requests around understanding how to use the new system, decipher the statistics and then feed useful information to other service areas and importantly to their communication and marketing teams has been taken back to the team, so documentation will support these new changes.

Both groups were positive about the My Council app, now in final testing, and it's ability to link to web services and be fully customised, as well as the versatility and capabilities of My Landlord, so it looks like our approach to app development is on the right track.

FREEDOM TO ROAM COMES TO LIFE

Launched back in Autumn 2011 as part of our work in telecare funded by the Technology Strategy Board, Freedom to Roam is a platform with a great deal of potential. Not only has it been one of the most rewarding products that we have developed, with real opportunity to improve quality of life, but also possibly one of the hardest to define and deploy at the same time.

Following a recent session, Freedom To Roam (FTR) is starting to evolve into a solution that can break down inter-departmental communications and improve multi-agency service delivery. Only by working with partners to deploy the technology, can the impact of the solution be truly realised. Troubled families, rural communities, people with long term conditions and/or mobility issues have been identified as top areas for consideration.

Essentially Freedom to Roam is a digital toolbox which can manage individual or group communications and service delivery. It boasts video call, calendar, messaging, community, pictures, news and app functionality. With powerful web management tools and the ability to link in the wider circle of care, FTR allows care and service delivery professionals to deliver a range of services and support - in a variety of guises - and so much more. 

Let's try and bring it to life using an example:

Say there is a care professional with responsibility for a group of people/patients, all with similar needs, currently receiving a fairly hands on level of support.

·     The FTR platform allows the care professional to simultaneously present a range of applications to the end-user's device, which would help them manage their condition/situation using a simple interface. Think news, guides around wellbeing and diet, the multitude of apps available around specific conditions (say diabetes) and illnesses.

·     An inbuilt messaging facility allows single or collective messages to be sent from the web tool, used by the care/service delivery professional on their PC/laptop/tablet/mobile. In addition to direct messaging, FTR enables communication via text message to the patient/citizen device and responses can monitored for response times (where appropriate). 

For example: 

- Which of these repeat prescriptions do you need to be ordered: A B C D?

- Remember to take your medicine at 9am

- How are you feeling this morning? (a response time here might have value)

- Don't forget the luncheon club... 

- Which of these choices for Meals on Wheels would you like tomorrow? Chicken/Beef/Lamb

·      Because the devices can be geo-located, the care professional can check that the owner - e.g.: ‘Sam’ - has returned home safely from town.

·     The calendar facility shows that Sam is due a visit on Tuesday - by using the messaging system an organisation can request a home visit at a time to suit Sam and then use the picture app to send a photo of the new member of staff ahead of them coming to Sam’s home for a check up. In addition friends and family can easily send pictures of loved ones and stay in touch with Sam.

·     The inbuilt call back facility gave the patients a life line to trusted people within their circle of care. In addition as the only people who can communicate/call in to the end-user are from a trusted list of care professionals or friends/family members, issues around safety, cold-calling and ID fraud are removed. 

Because tablet devices that run FTR are portable, the solution - which provides a direct line of communication and care - promotes a more active independent lifestyle, where people don’t feel bound to the house, but can go out and feel safe. 

All of these facilities could be used to reduce the amount of costly hands-on contact people require. Figures thrown into the mix show that it can cost around £100 per visit for care staff. 

Partners saw the benefit specifically in dealing with troubled families, as these families engage with a number of organisations all of whom would benefit from a tool which allowed them to communicate with each other and see what each organisation is doing/delivering. Issues of communication stem from organisations sitting behind different networks, which currently prevent them from having sight of each other’s dealings with the family. For instance having the ability to view the family’s calendar to co-ordinate visits and prevent doubling up on efforts or gathering much the same information on multiple occasions could have huge impacts on savings. 

This is all work in progress and is interesting learning which will help shape how we work and deploy FTR with partners across the country.

LOOKING LOCAL'S SOCIAL MEDIA DEVELOPMENTS SPARK INTEREST

At a meeting in the southeast last week, Looking Local unveiled new technology that has been in development for the past six months, which brings together public services with the popularity and flexibility of social networks. Wanting to get feedback on what we had built, Looking Local worked through the technologys' capabilities to see how partners might look to deploy it. 

We have been exploring the power of social networks in terms of the information these channels collect around personal interests/needs and location, then working on how this could help better engage people with their community and improve service delivery. Whether it is health, housing or local authority type services, even those from charities and the voluntary sector, using preferences and location, a very powerful solution can be tailored to people's needs without crossing any personal boundaries.

The example we used was Aggie, from the Highlands...Aggie has a health condition, which means she spends a lot of time at home and needs support from a variety of agencies. She uses Facebook to keep in touch with her daughter and grandchildren and see the pictures they post. By using our new technology (yet to be 'named'), Aggie can find support groups, advice, videos, events and products to help her manage her condition, which are all relevant to her condition. All within a safe environment. All the time only needing to provide her location.

By integrating with Facebook it allows Aggie to see that her daughter has ‘liked’ Diabetes UK (for example), meaning that Aggie (through the connection to her daughter), can find and explore help/support/advice from them which she may not have otherwise found. Over time the platform ‘learns’ what is of interest to Aggie and so tailors its results around what it's learnt about her.

Partners at the meeting could see that this type of non-identifiable, but location specific technology integrated and learning from social media activity, could have application in many guises, from promoting local communities, to specific services, even helping to support people back to work as part of a welfare reform package.

This technology will form a core part of Looking Local's approach to public service delivery during 2013-2014, as it is intelligent and can help people connect, engage with their community and service providers more, encourage localism but benefit from the global delivery of information. 

Thank you to those partners involved and watch this space....

NW FORUM MEETING HEADLINES

Partners from across the northwest met on Friday for one of the regular Looking Local user groups and covered a range of topics from sharing best practice, promoting channel shift, how the different channels can support in the introduction of new benefits to pre-tenancy workshops and promoting money management.

Some of the headlines to come out of the day include: 

• Success of call centres means that it is too easy for tenants and customers just to call up and get the answer or service they need. In fact good call centres don't help channel shift, they stifle it, as the telephone becomes the easy option. Only by improving the services available on other channels to equal those available on the phone, by repeatedly directing people to other channels and even by incentivising people to self serve, can trust in digital channels grow and the shift become a reality. 
• One idea for incentivising people was around the communal provision of wifi across properties. By offering wifi for free for one year and making people use it for all their tenant issues, one partner is looking to test whether the channel shift resulted in the savings they are looking for and could change contact behaviour in the longer term. 
• The Looking Local Facebook app is really working for some partners, particularly Twin Valley Homes, whose usage stats have increased considerably since using and promoting the app to tenants. 
• In light of the new developments that were shown, such as our 'My Landlord' app and the upcoming Universal Credit module, the group was positive about the multi-platform approach and the provision of content to help with upcoming issues. Some feedback on the proposed Universal Credit module will be taken back to our developers to try and make it as relevant as possible to all partners. 
• The NW Group are looking to work collaboratively on content around benefit changes, which will lead to a comprehensive approach in terms of information and services available and save on duplicating effort. 
• Also news around Looking Local's new usage/metrics service was well received; soon all partners will benefit from Google Analytics in terms of being able to understand, graph and illustrate their usage better. Ideas around having a tutorial for the new system and how partners can then use the data to then better market to certain groups of people are again being taken back to the relevant people in the Looking Local team. 
• The group was keen to hear more about how Bristol City Council uses Looking Local's apps as mobile working tools. Their operatives use our smartphone technology to report graffiti and street scene issues and we hope to link up with them for the next meeting to hear how it is helping the bottom line. 

If you want to attend the next NW Forum meeting or want to know when the next user group in your area is do get in touch. Also you can join our NW Group on LinkedIn to become part of the regional debate.

CADWYN HOUSING GOES LIVE

CADWYN HOUSING LAUNCHES ON LOOKING LOCAL AND A CUSTOMISED 'MY LANDLORD' APP

Looking Local is pleased to launch a new site from Cardiff based housing association, Cadwyn Housing. Not only can their tenants access a range of services via TV, mobile, Facebook and games consoles - Cadwyn have also launched their own branded version of the 'My Landlord' app.

Cadwyn offers a range of dedicated housing services such as housing repairs, information on rent and rent payments, benefit changes, the facility to find a new home, request inspections, adaptions and improvements. In addition there is a range of services that are much more personal and locally focused. People can find financial advice, request a money advice appointment, find out about available resources (such as their free online centre) as well as local projects and groups such as Tenants & Cadwyn Together, the Over 35s Group and special interest groups.

Kath Williams, Community Engagement Officer says: “We were looking for a way in which our tenants could access our services and information quickly and easily when on the go.  My Landlord provided the perfect solution without compromising the Cadwyn brand!”

Cadwyn are also using TV, mobile, apps, social networks - all the channels Looking Local makes available - to support people to get back to work. They offer a range of services such as 24/7 direct access to job vacancies as well as work placement programmes,  support in CV writing, interview skills and more. 

THE LATEST ON OUR APPS

MY LANDLORD
Looking Local's housing repairs app is proving popular with customers keen to use smartphone technology to engage tenants and make the reporting system simpler. Already over 20 of our partners have engaged with the app, in most cases branding it with their own colours and logos and in a number of cases integrating it with their back end systems.

The integration piece helps partners realise further efficiencies by using our published API it allows seamless communication through to their in-house repairs management systems. Reports coming in from the My Landlord app can be easily managed by staff via a web portal which allows them to communicate with their tenants within the app, find out their availability before booking the work and then track the status and finally close the repair.

With the ability to badge the app in corporate colours and even have it listed in the iTunes App Store and Google Play under one's own name and branding, it is proving a versatile and useful way for housing associations to deploy an effective repairs app without having to build and manage it in house.

LOOKING LOCAL'S REPORT IT APP
Our Report It app allows people across the UK to report issues they find in their street, such as graffiti, potholes, dumped rubbish and anti-social behaviour direct to their council. One review recently stated: "This is an excellent app, brilliant for reporting graffiti and annoying pot holes. Keep up the good work." 5*

It is a simple system using the phone's GPS and camera functionality, which allows people to report a problem - without a lengthy registration process - and it be delivered to the relevant authority in charge. A number of our customers have started to work on integrating the app with their back end systems to really derive maximum benefit from it, enabling them to manage all reports in one system and ensuring that people can see existing reports which are marked on a map.

With SOCITM now assessing mobile reporting functionality across all local authorities in their annual benchmarking review, Looking Local's Report It app is again an easy way for partners to offer the functionality without having to build or manage it in house.

FREEDOM TO ROAM
Freedom to Roam is a new approach to caring and healthcare using smartphone technology and simple intuitive interfaces. Rather than being a dedicated app addressing a specific need, Freedom To Roam is a platform on which patients and older people can be connected with their circle of care (doctors, healthcare professionals, friends and family).

Freedom to Roam allows remote management of a tablet device, enabling carer to upload relevant apps on to the device, to send messages, multiple choice questions and alerts through and even to share photos. The solution was developed with funding from the Technology Strategy Board and is currently being piloted and evaluated in partnership with the University of Northumbria.

The adaptability of the solution is such that is could be deployed in a multi-dwelling setting, bought for someone Grandma or used by healthcare professionals to keep in contact with remote patients. It can be put into play to tackle a specific need, illness or ailment, or simply bought to enable communication and relieve loneliness. Devices are managed from a secure website and the interface is simple so that the end user does not need any prior computer experience or understanding of the internet.

LETSHELPYOU APPS
Currently our developers are working on a new app for the LetsHelpYou affordable rental properties solution, that was funded by DWP and has been deployed to help local authorities, housing organisations and tenants with the changes in local housing allowance. With thousands of people expected to move across the UK over the next two years as LHA rates change, LetsHelpYou provides a way for landlords to promote available properties, for tenants to find potential new homes within their allowance and for the reliance on councils and other housing organisations to be reduced.

The app - which will be available on both iPhone and Android - allows tenants to search within geographical areas based on GPS, to calculate their new allowance using the LHA calculator and easily see which properties they can afford via the colour coded rental rates. Landlords have improved versatility using the app as well, as it allows them to easily upload images of their properties and mark properties as un/available.

APPS in 2013
We are currently working on improving a number of our existing apps to be more versatile and offer even greater value as well as developing a number of new apps for emerging needs.

Find out more about our apps here
Download any of our Google Play apps here

LETSHELPYOU - EVALUATION & HEADLINES

LETSHELPYOU - EVALUATION & HEADLINES

www.letshelpyou.co.uk is a website developed by Looking Local, funded 
by the DWP and piloted across the five local authorities in West 
Yorkshire; Calderdale, Leeds, Bradford, Kirklees and Wakefield. 
Live since February, the website focuses on making affordable housing
available to tenants who have had their LHA (local housing allowance) 
reassessed and need to find a new home. 

Following the website launch and a marketing programme the first real
evaluation of the website is underway, trying to outline the impact it 
has had on front line services, what efficiencies have been realised by 
the housing teams involved and how it is helping local tenants affected 
by the changes in LHA.

Since the initial release in mid February, www.letshelpyou.co.uk has been a
genuine success within a very short time. In just 15 weeks 1,800 tenants 
and 500+ landlords have registered and the site has logged 23,590 unique 
sessions.

Week on week user session have increased and now average at just under
1,500, whilst the inclusion of new properties has increased seven-fold as
marketing and communications programmes have taken affect. Using this 
as a base, www.letshelpyou.co.uk predicts that by the end of 12 months 
there will have been just shy of 190,000 user sessions.


Following on from this and SOCITM Insight’s benchmark figure of £2.85 for 
an equivalent contact via telephone, this level of usage demonstrates just 
over £540,000 of avoidable contact for the region (over 12 months). And
indeed, many of those needing help from the council to find a home will be
considerably more expensive to deal with than the SOCITM figure. 


What is interesting is the type of property the site is attracting; of the 650 properties listed to date, 71% are listed below the relevant LHA rate. One of the issues raised by partners was the balance in terms of landlords' expectations of rents and what tenants could afford, and that seems to have been found.

The LetsHelpYou service offers an important alternative to the over-subscribed choice based lettings scheme, and in the past week access has been extended for those people not online, with LetsHelpYou now available via Looking Local on Sky and Virgin TV. 


With projections for Leeds (Mar-Dec 2012) indicating that over 4,500 benefit recipients will face a shortfall in housing benefit, www.letshelpyou.co.uk is a vital, multi-platform tool that gives tenants and housing teams a way finding new homes in the private sector. 

Indeed there are a number of policy areas where LetsHelpYou can help address current and upcoming issues. Simply from an information perspective, the site can give tenants and landlords a greater understanding of the LHA reforms and changes, as well tackling issues around homelessness, Universal Credit and the capping of benefits. 

www.letshelpyou.co.uk is available to be deployed across the UK. Built to allow organisations or areas to re-use the technology, the DWP is actively promoting the solution as a critical part of the jigsaw underpinning the changes to LHA, housing provision and wider welfare reforms. 

To find out more go to www.letshelpyou.co.uk 

JUNE UPDATE - MY LANDLORD LAUNCHES

'MY LANDLORD', LOOKING LOCAL'S NEW HOUSING APP LAUNCHES

Our new smartphone app, 'My Landlord' has launched and over the next two weeks will be rolled out to our 50+ housing customers allowing their tenants to report issues via their Android phones. The app available in Google Play, is free for tenants to use and has been delivered to our housing partners as part of their ongoing subscription.

What makes 'My Landlord' stand out from other housing repairs apps, is that alongside the tenant app, there are web services that allow housing organisations to communicate and manage the report direct with the tenant via the app. These web services consist of tools that send messages to the tenant managing times and dates for repairs and informing them of the status of the repair report.

To find out more click here.

WWW.LETSHELPYOU.CO.UK

The DWP funded website www.letshelpyou.co.uk that Looking Local launched earlier this year, is now available for other housing organisations and councils who are looking to help tenants across their area in light of chagnes to local housing allowance (LHA).

www.letshelpyou.co.uk offers tenants affected by housing allowance changes quick and easy access to affordable rental accommodation in the private sector based on their LHA and area. With an inbuilt LHA calculator, this self-service approach is already reducing avoidable contact and easing the impact of wider welfare reforms.

Read more on this new website here

LOOKING LOCAL CONFIRMED AS PARTNER ON dallas INITIATIVE 'LIVING IT UP' 

Looking Local is confirmed as a partner on the dallas initiative Living it Up, funded by the Technology Strategy Board.

Living It Up - focuses on developing innovative solutions that will enable people in communities across Scotland to live happy, healthy and safe lives, enabling choice and better control over their health and wellbeing. The Hidden Talents element also encourages people to identify their talents and share them with other members of the community.

The UK’s population is shifting from a predominately younger population to an older population. The opportunities this brings for British businesses to invest and be part of a growing global market that is responding to demand for innovative technologies and services that meet the wants of older adults are significant. The dallas programme will encourage and help businesses take advantage of this opportunity.

Click here for more info

FREEDOM TO ROAM WORK CONTINUING APACE

Looking Local has been working on the Freedom To Roam (FTR) project for some time, and the solution is coming together well. Part of the solution , the Freedom to Roam (FTR) Marketplace, helps people search through the hundreds of Android apps being developed for older people, patients and carers, helping them find and use the best apps for their caring needs. Patients and carers can review the apps, rate them, download specific apps and suggest their own for inclusion.

Complementing the Freedom to Roam Marketplace is an Android app that allows healthcare professionals, friends and family to manage patient care by allowing a range of interaction and communication with the control panel ‘facet’ of the marketplace. More simply, the control panel lets those people involved and interested in a patient’s care, to send messages and reminders, download relevant apps, review and rate apps, as well as find out information and ask questions of people in a similar caring capacity.

NEW PARTNERS LAUNCH ON LOOKING LOCAL

We are pleased to see new sites from Knowsley Housing Trust, Surrey County Council, Baywide CCG, Saint Vincents HA, Parkway Green Housing and Leicestershire County Council their information and services are now available across TV, smartphones, mobile web, via apps, Facebook and more.