Title

Date

Start Time

Duration

CRF: Resetting local crisis support in England The 2025 Spending Review contained a welcome announcement on new long term funding for local crisis support in England. The Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) is set to replace the Household Support Fund (HSF) from April 2026, for three years.

The CRF is an opportunity to reset local crisis support in England, following over a decade of patchwork provision and the short term funding rounds that have characterised the HSF.

Together with anti-poverty charity Trussell, we have published a report, Resetting local crisis support in England, presenting new analysis and recommendations intended to inform delivery across the three key elements of the CRF:

1. Provision and access to effective crisis support
2. Improving the financial resilience of individuals and local communities
3. Bolstering community level support

Speakers will include the Department for Work and Pensions and the authors of the report:

- Beatrice Orchard, Head of Programme at Trussell
- Deven Ghelani, Founder and Director at Policy in Practice
- Francisca Torres Cortés, Head of Research at Policy in Practice
- Rory Ewan, Senior Policy and Data Analyst at Policy in Practice

Join us at this webinar to learn more about our recommendations and explore practical examples focused on:

- Delivering a cash-first approach to local crisis support
- Using the CRF to build financial resilience for people most at risk of financial crisis
- Developing a systematic approach to monitoring and evaluating outcomes

The webinar is open to any organisation with an interest in the CRF. It will be particularly relevant to local authorities, as well as voluntary and community sector organisations involved in supporting people at risk of financial hardship.

21/1/2026

10:30am GMT

1.3 hours

Overcoming the data disconnect in safeguarding Too often, vulnerable people are only identified when it is already too late. Safeguarding professionals are forced to make decisions with only part of the picture, as crucial information is spread across disconnected services and systems. This makes it harder to spot risks, see patterns or act early, leading to delayed or inappropriate support.

In this webinar, we’ll explore how councils and safeguarding partners are tackling this challenge by improving the way data is shared and used. You’ll hear about practical approaches to using daily, structured data feeds to inform decisions, identify concerns earlier and support coordinated prevention work across teams.

We’ll also look at real life examples of how better access to safeguarding data is already helping professionals to take timely, more targeted action, and how they are beginning to evidence impact.

28/1/2026

10:30am GMT

1.3 hours

Council Tax Reduction in 2026: Practical approaches to policy reform and supporting the most vulnerable In recent years, Council Tax arrears in England have hit a record £6 billion. As we move into 2026, the design of local Council Tax Reduction (CTR) schemes remains one of the most powerful levers councils have to protect low-income residents and tackle child poverty.

Join us at this webinar to explore practical solutions focused on:

• The 2026 policy landscape: Preparing for the April changes, including the removal of the Two-child limit and the Universal Credit Act, which will have significant implications for Council Tax Reduction schemes
• Supportive collection: Aligning CTR design with the new national guidance to move away from punitive enforcement and toward sustainable debt management
• Local government reorganisation: Best practices to harmonise disparate schemes and be ready for the transition
• Efficiency through automation: How to reduce the administrative burden of Universal Credit fluctuations through income-banded schemes and automated modelling

The policy landscape is shifting rapidly. The removal of the two-child limit and the implementation of the Universal Credit Act 2025 will fundamentally change caseloads and eligibility. Meanwhile, the Government’s new Child Poverty Strategy introduces statutory requirements for councils to ensure their schemes actively reduce inequality and align with supportive collection practices.

Deven Ghelani (Director) and Rory Ewan (Senior Policy and Data Analyst) of Policy in Practice will discuss the impact of these policy changes and practical approaches based on our analysis of over 150 schemes. We will also be joined by a local authority sharing their experience of CTRS redesign and harmonisation.

This webinar will aim to provide Heads of Revenues and Benefits, Revenues Managers, finance directors and policy leads with the tools to navigate complex legislative changes and design data-driven, resilient schemes.

By acting now, councils can turn these policy challenges into an opportunity to deliver fairer, more efficient support.

18/2/2026

10:30am GMT

1 hour

Islington helps older residents stay warm and well this winter by securing over £5m in Pension Credit

Figures correct as at December 2025

“Working in partnership with Policy in Practice has been a big part of our plans to tackle poverty in Islington. The LIFT and Better Off Calculator products are excellent tools to ensure residents are claiming all their benefits and entitlements. They allow you to prioritise your resources to engage with the vulnerable groups that need the help most and enable you to distribute support/grants to residents most in need. The team at Policy in Practice are very responsive to your individual organisations needs.”

What challenge(s) have you faced this past year?

The scale of the challenge trying to tackle poverty and improve residents’ financial circumstances whilst continuing to deliver excellent day to day services in a challenging financial environment.

What led you to choose Policy in Practice's product to address your challenges?

We have established a very good relationship with Policy in Practice, working with them for many years.

We trust Policy in Practice to deliver via their products and work to help us address the challenges that we face.

What success have you had, or expect to have, as a result of using your Policy in Practice product?

We have used LIFT for benefit take up purposes and are on our 6th data led Pension Credit take up campaign. We’ve secured over £5.2m of additional annual benefit income to date.

Our successful Attendance Allowance take up campaigns, using LIFT to identify single households over 80 not on disability benefits, achieved £429,000 of additional annual income, totalling £2.8m of lifetime value.

We have used LIFT to regularly distribute our Household Support Fund to vulnerable groups.

The Better Off Calculator has been an important tool for our residents and advisors to use.

Reflecting on your work and that of your colleagues, what has been your most notable success story from 2025? How has Policy in Practice contributed to this achievement?

Our biggest success is LIFT; it has been an excellent tool for identifying priority groups to target for engagement, helping them claim all their benefits and entitlements.

In addition to the success stories noted above, our recent Thames Water pilot achieved over £634,000 in discounts for more than 1,700 households.

Our award winning Better Off platform

The Better Off platform uses innovative technology to proactively identify and resolve vulnerability, uncovering financial hardship and safeguarding risks. Built on our industry leading research, the platform drives efficiency, lowers costs and improves lives. Each tool is powerful alone and even better together

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CRF: Resetting local crisis support in England

Islington helps older residents stay warm and well this winter by securing over £5m in Pension Credit

What challenge(s) have you faced this past year?

What led you to choose Policy in Practice's product to address your challenges?

What success have you had, or expect to have, as a result of using your Policy in Practice product?

Reflecting on your work and that of your colleagues, what has been your most notable success story from 2025? How has Policy in Practice contributed to this achievement?

Our award winning Better Off platform

Low Income Family Tracker

Better Off Calculator

Multi Agency Safeguarding Tracker

Want to know more about what Islington did?

Contact Us

CRF: Resetting local crisis support in England

Islington helps older residents stay warm and well this winter by securing over £5m in Pension Credit

What challenge(s) have you faced this past year?

What led you to choose Policy in Practice's product to address your challenges?

What success have you had, or expect to have, as a result of using your Policy in Practice product?

Reflecting on your work and that of your colleagues, what has been your most notable success story from 2025? How has Policy in Practice contributed to this achievement?

Our award winning Better Off platform

Low Income Family Tracker

Better Off Calculator

Multi Agency Safeguarding Tracker

Want to know more about what Islington did?

Contact Us

Book a Call

CRF: Resetting local crisis support in England