What Is Act Locally?
Act Locally is a place-based initiative focused on improving the life chances of Bradford’s children by bringing together health and education in an integrated, evidence-led approach.
Our Act Locally partnerships in Bradford operate as effective community hubs — bringing together:
- Local policymakers from health, education, care, and policing
- Academic researchers
- Frontline practitioners
- Community members and residents
Together, we respond to local needs using both data science and community insight to drive meaningful change.
A Whole-System Approach Rooted in Evidence
Keighley
Tackling Food Insecurity and Nutrition
Our first Act Locally partnership is working with schools and community leaders to respond to food insecurity, poor diet and oral health concerns in one of Bradford’s most deprived areas.
Holme Wood
Supporting Children at Risk of Crime
In Holme Wood, schools are leading a cross-sector response to support children and young people vulnerable to crime and antisocial behaviour – with a focus on early intervention and community-led action.
Manningham & Girlington
Prioritising Mental Health
This partnership is focusing on the mental health of female pupils and parents, bringing together education, health, and community services to coordinate support and raise awareness.
These areas were selected due to high levels of multiple deprivation. Each partnership is built around local schools — recognised as anchor institutions in their communities — and collaboratively sets its own priorities, identifies key stakeholders, and defines mechanisms for change.
Why Act Locally?
Schools, nurseries and other educational establishments have become the critical anchor institutions within our most disadvantaged communities. However, schools are increasingly struggling with the day job – educating children – due to external factors affecting children’s lives.
The data shows the urgent need to prioritise children, as this is when interventions are least expensive and most effective. Act Locally recognises that if we want to improve outcomes across health and education, schools need to be at the heart of public service delivery and Act Locally convening partnerships facilitate collaboration across sectors to improve outcomes.
The Bradford District includes communities with diverse needs, requiring tailored, place-based approaches. Act Locally is the response to this complexity where local convening partnerships are working to tackle one issue at one time, in a place.
Our Ambition for Each Act Locally Area
Each Act Locally partnership works towards four core goals:
- Agree a Collective Statement of Intent
Defining the local issue, setting shared actions, and creating recommendations to influence decision-makers and unlock resources. - Use a Community Budget
Funding voluntary and community organisations to deliver interventions and support aligned with the local priorities. - Develop Schools as Wellbeing Hubs
Providing integrated, cradle-to-career support so families can access services more easily and earlier. - Utilise Insight from the Centre for Applied Education Research
Using research and data to understand the chosen issue more deeply and inform evidence-based decisions.
Documents and Resources
You can download key documents related to the Act Locally programme below: