Case studies

Firefighters in Wigan have become ‘health champions’ in their local community. Thanks to specialist training they are able to use their contact with residents to promote healthy messages, give advice and signpost people to help. In total, they work with 20 different agencies.

West Midlands has made working with the most vulnerable people a key priority. The service’s 1,322 fire officers have been given public health training to support the people they come into contact with.

Firefighters in Merseyside are tackling social and health inequalities in the community by educating people about the benefits of fitness, healthy eating and living a healthy lifestyle.

Summary Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council has commissioned housing charity Shelter to run a family intervention project (FIP) to reduce anti-social behaviour (ASB). Project workers intervene assertively with perpetrators' whole families to address the root causes, including mental health problems, thereby reducing the effect on victims.

Enfield was awarded the first prize and the Popularity Award in the 2012 National Tilley Awards for innovative work to address gangs and serious youth violence.

London Borough of Barking and Dagenham This article is the first in a series that will follow the progress made by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham towards a new, borough-wide neighbourhood management (NM) service.

The Seedley and Langworthy Trust (SALT) is a community-driven development trust. The trust works in partnership with Salford City Council, statutory organisations and other partners in an inner city area of Salford that is being regenerated. SALT aims to strengthen community ties and encourage local residents to play an active role in improving the quality of life in their area.

Connecting people to their neighbourhoods through photography: Creating fair employment for all Summary

There was a battery of instant analysis in the immediate aftermath of the riots in August, and central government peppered the airwaves with policy responses: evictions for people convicted of rioting, more help for so-called problem families, curfews and a strategy to tackle gang culture.

The Breathing Spaces Project, Bradford www.prismyouthproject.org/ Delivery organisation Prism Youth Project Breathing Spaces at Prism City farm Funding Big Lottery Fund (BIG) programme (Ecominds), programme value £147,790