Transforming Community Support: A Partnership Success Story

The Challenge: A System at Breaking Point

Across the UK, local authorities are facing a critical challenge: rising demand for cost-of-living support is straining manual, outdated processes. For Achieving for Children (AfC), which provides children's services for Kingston, Richmond and Windsor and Maidenhead Councils, this meant that time-consuming workflows involving multiple emails and forms were creating frustrating delays for families in need.

The system was inefficient; it lacked the speed and transparency that AfC wanted for its service users. Recognising that a simple digital fix wouldn't be enough, AfC's leadership sought to completely reimagine their support delivery. This required a new vision, a technology platform  and the specialist expertise to connect the two.

The Blueprint for Success: A Three-Part Solution

The project's success was built on a collaborative partnership between three organisations, each playing a crucial role.

1. The Vision: Led by Achieving for Children AfC defined the essential goals for the new solution. It needed to:

●     Deliver support in minutes, not days.

●     Empower families with choice and independence.

●     Ensure total accountability with robust security and clear audit trails.

2. The Platform: Powered by Huggg AfC needed a technology partner whose platform could meet these ambitious goals. Huggg was the clear choice, providing the flexible and secure foundation for the entire project.

The Huggg platform was instrumental because it directly addressed AfC’s core requirements. Its recipient-first design empowers families to choose where they redeem vouchers, while its comprehensive back-end provides real-time data and full auditability. With a wide range of support options from supermarket vouchers to white goods and top-tier security accreditations, Huggg was able to provide the trusted, versatile technology needed to turn AfC's vision into a reality.

3. The Integration: Engineered by Optima Digital Solutions A platform is only effective if it works seamlessly with existing systems. Optima Digital Solutions, as specialists in public sector digital transformation, provided years of experience working with the public sector.

Working in close collaboration with Huggg's technical team, Optima engineered a robust API to connect the Huggg platform directly into AfC's Granicus govService environment. They built an intuitive, one-click workflow that made the complex integration feel effortless for AfC's social workers.

"It was really easy. This is where we were especially grateful for Optima’s involvement. Their expertise in the Granicus platform was instrumental in making the integration a success."

Matthew Bond, Strategic Lead Digital Transformation, Achieving for Children

The Impact: A Win for Everyone

The integrated solution transformed support delivery almost overnight. The new, streamlined process means that once a request is approved in Granicus, a Huggg voucher is delivered to the recipient straight away.

The results of this three-way partnership speak for themselves:

●     From Days to Minutes: Voucher delivery times have been dramatically cut, getting support to families when it's needed most.

●     Effortless Auditability: Real-time audit logs allow for reconciliation in minutes, ensuring complete transparency and accountability.

●     Reduced Admin, Increased Impact: A simple one-click process has freed up social workers to focus on high-impact work.

●     Exceptional User Satisfaction: Feedback from over 78 social workers has been overwhelmingly positive, with an average rating of 4.97 out of 5.

The project’s success was also recognised externally, earning Achieving for Children a Changemaker Award for its cross-organisational innovation and lasting community impact.

The Future is Collaborative

The success of this project proves that when public sector vision, innovative technology, and specialist expertise come together, the results can be transformative. It provides a powerful and repeatable blueprint for other organisations looking to modernise their services and deliver better outcomes for their communities.

Want to find out how a Huggg integration can work for your team? Get in touch with Huggg today

Using the Granicus govService platform? Optima Digital Solutions are the trusted experts in delivering seamless Huggg integrations.