Local Help My Way is a pilot project led by Support Staffordshire working in association with and funded by Staffordshire County Council. It helps people find trusted support from people in their own community. Using a simple search tool, people can find, or offer help with everyday tasks or more specialised support.
The project is being delivered by a small, dedicated team who care deeply about quality support, real choice, and listening to what people want. They are supported and guided by a steering group of experts and individuals with lived experience in social care.
We believe people are best supported at home or in their community, by people who live nearby and understand their lives. Support is designed together, so people can find flexible and creative ways of doing things that work for them and respond to individual needs.
Local Help My Way helps people earn money close to home while supporting others in their neighbourhood. When people and families know good support is available, they feel more confident, stay connected, return home sooner from hospital, and avoid loneliness.
This project is informed by research and best practice from across the UK and is inspired by a well-established model in Somerset. Since 2015, their approach has supported over 1,250 local micro-providers, who together deliver more than 30,000 hours of support each week to around 6,000 people, and has generated over 2,700 enquiries from people looking to start or grow small, local care and support businesses.
This evidence shows that when care is delivered by local people, it is effective and sustainable, care remains personal, flexible, and better value for money — while staying rooted in the community.
Our long-term vision is to build a connected network of trusted local micro-providers across all areas of Staffordshire, expanding choices available for people to find the right support close to home to help them live well independently for longer.
By putting both carers and clients physical and mental wellbeing at the centre of everything we do, and by focusing on what matters most to each person, we move away from one-size-fits-all care and support truly person-centred approaches that improve everyday quality of life.
Support Staffordshire has been working in communities across the county for over 20 years, supporting voluntary and community organisations involved in health and social care. They help local groups and individuals provide services that make a real difference to people’s lives, working closely with councils, health services, and local partners.
This long-standing experience means Support Staffordshire is well placed to lead Local Help My Way. They understand how health and social care works at a local level, the importance of quality and choice, and how to grow reliable, community-based services that meet people’s needs in a practical and sustainable way.
