Client successes: Summer 2025
Discover how Stockton-on-Tees, Powys, and Norfolk County Councils are transforming digital services, launching vital new platforms, enhancing citizen access, and driving innovation with the GOSS Digital Platform.
Stockton enhances access to local support with revitalised information directory
Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council continues to push forward with its digital ambitions by making public services more accessible, responsive, and community-led. With a focus on supporting families, carers, and individuals across the borough, Stockton has launched a revitalised version of its Stockton Information Directory (SID) using the GOSS Digital Platform.
This project began in September 2021 and culminated in February 2024, representing a major upgrade to how local information is published, accessed, and managed. The goal was to create a smarter, more efficient directory of information that would support both the Council and the wider community in finding and sharing vital services and events. Key challenges included enabling seamless content contribution, improving filtering through metadata, highlighting local SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) offerings, and ensuring the design and structure remained clean, user-friendly, and professional.
With the new platform, Stockton has successfully implemented a dynamic, easy-to-maintain solution that empowers service providers and the public to take greater ownership of information. Using GOSS Contribute, visitors to the directory can now submit website content directly into the website through a structured approval process, ensuring content quality while reducing administrative burden. With the Platform's metadata and filtering capabilities, it also makes it significantly easier for citizens to navigate a wide array of local resources. Furthermore, clear signposting on the website has helped to connect citizens directly to Stockton's Local Offer, their core site for SEND information and support, helping to fulfil key SEND requirements.
Building on this foundation, additional features have been introduced to further enhance user experience and accessibility. A discreet "quick exit" button offers privacy for users engaging with sensitive topics like domestic violence support services, while intelligent linking enables the Council to reference authoritative information from trusted sources such as GOV.UK. This not only reduces content duplication but also simplifies maintenance and ensures the information remains accurate and current.
By centralising services and information in one place, the Stockton Information Directory has not only improved user experience but also delivered impressive cost efficiencies, with estimated savings of around £77,000. The platform now allows Stockton to respond more flexibly to community needs and share resources quickly and consistently across partners and service areas.
Powys County Council launches new family events listings
Powys County Council has launched a new section of its website dedicated to promoting family-focused events across the region, developed using its GOSS Digital Platform. Led by the Adults and Families Service, the project aims to improve access to community-based activities that support children, parents, and overall wellbeing.
While Powys previously hosted general event listings, there was no central space tailored to family and wellbeing-focused activities. Recognising this gap, the Adults and Families team set out to create a user-friendly, centralised hub where residents could easily find and book relevant events, such as children's holiday clubs, baby groups, children's sports, craft workshops, and more.
Working closely with the GOSS Client Success Team, the team, at Powys used their existing GOSS Events product to build a dedicated area of the website featuring a centralised community calendar. This new calendar allows residents to browse all upcoming, bookable events across the county in one place, making it easier than ever to discover activities that suit their needs and interests. In addition to the central listing, individual community centre pages, such as the Welshpool Integrated Family Centre, were enhanced with clearer layouts, updated contact details, and dynamic feeds that showcase events specific to each location. Staff can now easily create and manage events tied to individual venues, ensuring information remains accurate, relevant, and locally focused.
Thanks to the flexibility of the platform, the project was delivered in just six weeks, with many events published within hours of launch. The result is a more accessible, streamlined experience for families and residents, while giving community teams a simple, efficient way to promote their services. Following this successful rollout, Powys County Council is now exploring how the approach can be expanded to other service areas to further strengthen community engagement and access to support.
Norfolk County Council launches International Recruitment East website
Norfolk County Council has successfully launched the International Recruitment East (IRE) website, a central hub designed to support overseas care workers and adult social care providers across the East of England. Built using the GOSS Digital Platform, the site represents a major step forward in improving onboarding, support, and consistency across the region's care sector.
The IRE programme is a regional partnership led by Norfolk County Council, bringing together 12 local authorities, eight care associations, and the Eastern Region Care Association Alliance (ERCAA). The initiative aims to address the growing need for coordinated support as more care workers are recruited from overseas, and to equip providers with the resources they need to offer effective guidance and integration. Before this project, support for international recruits and providers was fragmented, spread across multiple organisations with no single digital destination. Norfolk County Council stepped in to lead the development of a dedicated, user-friendly website that consolidates key information and tools in one accessible space.
Developed for the IRE hub team at Norfolk, the new site offers clear, structured content tailored to both audiences. While local authorities and care associations across the region don't directly manage the site, it provides intuitive links to their respective websites, ensuring users can still access localised information when needed, without losing the consistency of a central experience. Thanks to the flexibility of the GOSS Digital Platform, the site is easy to maintain and update, allowing the IRE team to keep resources current without the need for technical redevelopment. While there are no immediate plans for a next phase, the platform lays a strong foundation for future enhancements as the programme evolves.
This project showcases how local government can successfully lead region-wide collaboration by combining strong leadership with the right digital tools. Norfolk County Council's role at the centre of this initiative has delivered a practical, future-ready solution at a time of critical importance for the adult social care workforce.
