Project Overview
Until recently, West Sussex County Council (WSCC) manually managed access to its Holiday Activities and Food Programme via telephone or email, governing eligibility using spreadsheets.
Given the complexity of the HAF service, this manual process was causing unmanageable workloads, admin inefficiencies and a lack of visibility and control.
For citizens, this approach meant an inability to self-serve, an outdated user experience, and limited service access.
The Solution
Working closely with WSCC, we developed a purpose-built HAF Booking Service that has helped to:
Simplify access to activities.
Simplify Access to Activities
WSCC can now manage eligibility workflows, credit allocations, and booking limits with:
- A simple, digitised process for approving user accounts
- An upload feature that enables data migration on pre-approved users
- Booking rules and digitised credit allocations that automate and fairly manage access to activities
Improve Reporting and Streamline Admin Processes
WSCC has reduced time-consuming admin processes and improved reporting with:
- Real-time KPI dashboards
- Real-time attendee lists and views
- Automated data collection
- Automated comms
- AI-powered scheduling for multiple locations, activity types, and providers
- Reduced reliance on resource-consuming service channels.
Enable End-to-End Self-Service
WSCC has saved time, reduced costs, and increased first-time resolution rates by enabling families and guardians to:
- Self-serve 24/7
- Book for multiple children at once
- Book multiple activities at once
- Register for a ‘MyAccount’
- Be assisted by guidance messaging
- Use the service in multiple languages.
Make It Easy For Providers To Manage Activities
WSCC has also been able to simplify activity management for providers who can log in to dedicated areas to:
- Create, modify, or cancel their activities
- View bookings and attendance reports
Unlike council staff, providers can only view their activities — this provides the benefits of consolidating bookings in a single platform while still protecting data.
The Results So Far
Note: This is an early-stage case study. We’ll update it as the project progresses.
- £185,000: Based on SOCITM’s CPT ratio, we estimate WSCC will save over £185,000 per annum by digitising HAF Programme bookings.
- 20,000: WSCC has automated over 20,000 bookings and counting.
- 2,700: Over 2,700 children have benefited from free activities so far.
Stay tuned for more project updates.
