Essex County Council needed to improve the accessibility, usability, and overall digital experience of their SEND Local Offer website. By adopting LocalGov Drupal, they created a cost-effective, user-friendly, and WCAG-compliant platform tailored to the needs of parents, carers, and young people.
To implement the new platform effectively, Essex County Council partnered with Annertech and Invuse as their chosen suppliers. Annertech developed the website and contributed the new features and components back to LocalGov Drupal. Invuse did the user research and discovery, ensuring that the LocalGov Drupal implementation met the council’s requirements, focusing on accessibility, usability, and seamless content management.
Challenges
The original SEND Local Offer website presented several barriers for users:
- Difficult navigation – Parents and carers struggled to locate relevant content due to unclear navigation and an overwhelming amount of information.
- Accessibility issues – The previous platform did not meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards, making it harder for users with disabilities to access information.
- Limited content management – The council’s digital team needed a CMS that allowed them to update content efficiently without relying on external developers.
- Outdated technology – The existing system required modernisation to improve performance, security, and scalability.
Why Essex County Council chose LocalGov Drupal
To address these challenges, Essex County Council selected LocalGov Drupal as the foundation for the redesigned SEND Local Offer website. This open-source platform provided several key benefits:
Accessibility by design – The platform adheres to WCAG standards, ensuring an inclusive experience for all users.
User-friendly navigation – A clear structure and improved search functionality make it easier for families to find relevant services and information.
Empowered content teams – The intuitive CMS enables council staff to manage and update content easily without technical expertise.
Cost-effective and collaborative – As an open-source platform, LocalGov Drupal allows councils to share resources, reduce costs, and benefit from continuous improvements.
The impact
The redesigned SEND Local Offer website has delivered significant benefits:
- Quick to set up – Building the website took only four months.
- Improved accessibility – The platform now meets WCAG 2.1 AA standards, ensuring an inclusive digital experience.
- Better user experience – Families and carers can quickly find the support and information they need.
- More efficient content management – The in-house team can update content quickly, reducing reliance on external support and lowering costs. For example, it is now 40% quicker to add listings.
- A future-proof solution – The flexible and scalable nature of LocalGov Drupal means the site can evolve with user needs.
Contributions to LocalGov Drupal
The accessibility of LGD itself was boosted by this project due to the additional testing done by real users. More than 20 accessibility improvements were made to LGD core.
Plus, anything fixed on the SEND website was also fixed on the LGD platform.
Key features
A number of new features were developed for the SEND website. These include:
- A ‘did you mean’ prompt – When a user searches for something and misspells a word, a “did you mean" message pops up with close alternatives. For example, if a user types “austim“ into the search box, they will be presented with a “did you mean autism“ message. Although this is a very important function for a SEND website, which may have many users who are dyslexic, anyone can misspell a word.
- Expansive directories – The Essex SEND website is essentially a directory for people looking for SEND services. A new functionality allows for extra information to be shown to users. For example, if a child has a special need, a caregiver can see a venue's facilities. This was made possible with an “expansive directories” content type created for this website.
- Suggesting edits – The “suggest an edit“ feature allows users to help keep the information on the website up to date. It’s a form system that allows users to report any incorrect information. This information is relayed to the content team, who can verify the information and update the website accordingly.
Looking ahead
With the new SEND Local Offer website, Essex County Council has built a strong foundation for continuous improvement. By embracing open-source collaboration through LocalGov Drupal, the council can continue refining the platform, ensuring it meets the changing needs of families and young people. This investment in accessibility, usability, and efficiency supports a more inclusive and responsive digital experience for the community.
Thanks to Invuse and Annertech for contributing this case study.