Making complex social care ideas clear, human and usable
Think Local Act Personal’s mission – to make social care more personalised – is powerful, but the ideas behind it can be difficult to communicate.
Concepts like co-production, choice and control and Direct Payments needed to feel relevant and practical to the people responsible for putting them into practice.
HopeWorks was brought in to help TLAP sharpen how it communicated its work – connecting its strategy, brand and communications around a clearer understanding of what audiences needed to know, feel and do.
The approach
Understanding the organisation from the inside out
We ran workshops with internal and external stakeholders to understand where TLAP’s value was most strongly felt, what people associated with the organisation and where its messaging wasn’t matching their experience. This helped identify the ideas that needed to come through more clearly and consistently.
Evolving the brand around personalisation
We expanded TLAP’s visual identity with a broader, more flexible colour palette designed to reflect the diversity and individuality at the heart of personalised care.
Co-producing imagery with people who draw on care and support
We developed a new photography library with people who draw on care and support, creating imagery that felt authentic, contemporary and respectful – and better reflected the people at the heart of TLAP’s work.
Turning knowledge into practical learning
We shifted the focus from simply publishing information to helping people use it. This led to structured learning hubs, practical resources and a new e-learning approach designed to help practitioners translate TLAP’s principles into everyday practice.
“HopeWorks does exactly the kind of work that so many organisations need but often struggle to do well – turning complex ideas into something clear, human and usable.”
Dr Clenton Farquharson CBE
Think Local Act Personal
What we delivered
• Refreshed visual identity and expanded colour palette
• Co-produced photography library
• Redesigned TLAP website and structured learning hubs
• Making It Real website supporting the implementation of personalised care
• Practical resources for local authorities and practitioners, including the Understanding Direct Payments learning series
• Social media campaigns and templates
• Report and publication templates

52%
LinkedIn follower growth over 18 months
48%
increase in website traffic year-on-year
Reinvigorating Direct Payments
The challenge
TLAP has deep expertise in what needs to change in social care, but much of that knowledge traditionally lived in reports and guidance. For busy practitioners, there was an opportunity to turn those ideas into something easier to engage with and apply.
TLAP needed a more practical way to communicate the fundamentals of Direct Payments – one that could support learning across local authorities and influence day-to-day practice.
The approach
We proposed a tailored e-learning series that would turn complex guidance into short, accessible learning experiences.
Working collaboratively with people across care and support, we shaped the content around real experiences, questions and challenges. We then designed and developed the learning series, alongside the launch communications and promotional materials needed to help it reach practitioners across the sector.

1 in 3
local authorities embedded the Direct Payment modules into their in-house training
96%
of learners said the resources would positively affect their practice
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