Redesigning Referral Pathways for Vulnerable Families

01 · Challenge

Information silos were costing families the support they needed.

A wide range of public services exist to support children and families — but they rarely talk to each other. Information isn't easily shared, and families often have to repeat their story from the beginning every time they encounter a new professional.

• Families retelling their full history at each new service touchpoint, causing emotional and practical burden
• Professionals spending significant time on data entry and administration instead of direct support
• Referral processes inconsistent across 152+ local authorities, leading to errors and gaps in care
• No single view of which professionals had already interacted with a child or family
• Existing tools not designed around the actual referral decision — only the form-filling that came after

02 · Approach

Map the system. Prototype the fix.

As Senior Service Designer, I oversaw two Alpha workstreams simultaneously, applying GDS human-centred design principles throughout. The work moved from understanding the system in full before designing any solutions.

• Theory of change workshops to establish what success would look like at scale
• Assumption mapping and alignment workshops with policy leads, local authority representatives and frontline professionals
• Systems maps showing how different local authorities, services and referral pathways interconnected
• Service maps of the current referral journey — exposing where time was lost and decisions were delayed
• Solution prototyping across two Alpha ideas: a digital referral management tool and a professional directory
• User testing with professionals across multiple local authorities to validate desirability and usability

Methods used

03 · Outcome

Two Alpha propositions, ready for further development.

The work produced two distinct but complementary solutions, both grounded in research and tested with real professionals.

• A digital referral management service — giving professionals a clear, structured way to identify need, make a referral and capture informed consent
• A professional directory — enabling teams to see which other services had already engaged with a child or family, reducing duplication
• Service designs validated with frontline users and policy stakeholders across multiple local authorities
• Best-practice frameworks adaptable across different local authority structures and emerging family hub models

04 · Impact

Better decisions for professionals. Better outcomes for families.

The work created the evidence base for continuing development — demonstrating that better information-sharing tools could meaningfully reduce admin burden while improving care quality.

The goal was never a better form. It was professionals who could spend more time with families, and families who only had to tell their story once.