Brent is one of London’s youngest and most diverse boroughs. Many people are still facing big challenges: financial hardship, homelessness and poor health to name a few. Simultaneously, there is increasing pressure and demand on public services locally. The council, alongside the NHS, Crisis and key voluntary sector and community groups noticed that some residents were not accessing services or were only seeking support when their problems reached a crisis point. To change this, local partners decided to work together alongside residents to prevent these problems before they reached crisis point.
Building the foundations for neighbourhood change
Leaders across Brent from the council, NHS, Crisis, and voluntary and community groups agreed that no single organisation could fix these issues alone. They created Brent Working in Neighbourhoods (WIN) to bring teams together, listen to what matters most to residents, and support communities in a more joined up, local way.
Launching Neighbourhood Teams
From the start, it was important to set up Neighbourhood Teams; these are co located, multi agency frontline teams dedicated to smaller geographic areas, working to support residents and prevent crises. The purpose of these teams is to co-ordinate actions and earlier interventions so that residents have a more seamless experience, especially if they are in a complex situation.
