When West Northamptonshire Council set out to implement the Liquidlogic Adults’ Case Management system (LAS), the challenge wasn’t just about going live—it was about doing so confidently, at scale, and without service disruption.
The Challenge: Enabling Confident, Skilled Use of a Complex System
The Council needed to train over 600 staff, including teams from Adult’s Directorate; social work, safeguarding, therapies teams as well as teams across the Council i.e. the Corporate Contact Centre. These were professionals with varied roles and technical familiarity, all of whom needed to adopt a new system quickly while continuing to provide essential services.
With just nine months to implement the system, the Council faced the complex balancing act of ensuring staff readiness without overloading them too early or too late in the rollout cycle. Adding to this, a pre-project survey revealed strong demand for better system training—focused not only on how to use the system, but when and why to do things within real-life care scenarios.
The Solution
To meet the scale and complexity of the challenge, West Northamptonshire partnered with Me Learning to deliver a scalable, blended learning programme tailored to LAS. The core components of the solution included:
- System C Liquidlogic Adults digital learning suite for 600 users
- Virtual Classroom training for 350 staff – including those within the Community Social Work teams, Safeguarding, Prevention and Therapies.
- Hosted and delivered on Me Learning’s Form LMS, with integrated access to the Event Booking System (EBS) to manage scheduling
- Business as Usual (BAU) digital learning suite: ensuring continuity for new starters and refresher learning
This blended model allowed staff to learn at their own pace while also engaging in live, scenario-based virtual training sessions led by Vivien Jones. Each training session had a minimum of 10 delegates, with some sessions oversubscribed – demonstrating strong staff engagement.
It gave staff the flexibility to learn in their own time, while also benefiting from interactive, scenario-driven training. This model ensured that training was not just delivered but embedded.
The Results
The project saw exceptional staff engagement. Sessions were often oversubscribed, and dropout rates were as low as 4.7% – an unusually strong result in public sector training.
What stood out most was the confidence uplift reported by delegates after training. Through careful pacing, relevant content, and a knowledgeable trainer, the Council successfully turned what could have been an anxiety-inducing transition into a moment of shared growth and learning.
As one delegate noted:
“After the first training session, I was surprised how much more confident I felt. The training was beneficial – and I really liked how the system flags errors or missing fields. It felt intuitive.”
And from Karen Emms, Assistant Director, West Northamptonshire Council and project lead for this rollout:
“This wasn’t just a training exercise – it was a full change journey. We knew we only had one chance to get it right, and Me Learning helped us build a training model that worked for our people. Their team understood both the system and social work practice, which meant staff didn’t just learn which button to press but understood how to use the system in the context of real care decisions. That’s what made all the difference.”
The Outcome: Confidence, Continuity and Long-Term Value
From the outset, West Northamptonshire set out to achieve what every local authority strives for: a confident workforce, smooth onboarding, and a system that’s not only implemented – but fully understood and embraced. Achieving that vision required the right learning partner – one that could align with their goals, bring sector expertise, and deliver training that truly enables change.
The project delivered a fully operational LAS system in just nine months – a really quick turnaround in a local authority setting. Importantly, it did so without closing services for a single day.
The Council now has a digital board, monthly super-user groups, and a structured change management process to ensure the system continues to evolve based on real-world needs. They’ve built a foundation not just for compliance – but for digital maturity.
West Northamptonshire’s success offers clear takeaways for other local authorities preparing for digital system rollouts:
- Embed learning from the start: Involve L&D from the business case stage, not after procurement.
- Adopt a blended learning model: Combine flexible digital modules with virtual or face-to-face training to suit diverse learning needs.
- Track participation and feedback: Low dropout rates and strong feedback are key indicators of readiness and adoption success.
- Think beyond go-live: Include ongoing access to training (Business as Usual) as part of your core contract.
As Neil Cox, Director of Adult Social Care, West Northamptonshire Council put it:
“This investment in high-quality training will pay off for years to come. We’re already seeing improved confidence, more timely and accurate case recording. Getting this right up front avoids years of inefficiencies and frustration.”
The scale, speed, and success of this LAS implementation have positioned West Northamptonshire as a standout example of how digital training – especially when combined with live support—can enable transformation without disruption.
Looking ahead
The success of West Northamptonshire’s LAS rollout was rooted in a strong and forward-thinking partnership. By embedding learning and development from the outset, the Council demonstrated a clear commitment to supporting its workforce through change- not just deploying a new system but enabling confident and capable use of it from day one.
At the heart of this success was the seamless integration of Me Learning’s digital training expertise into the council’s transformation journey. By combining deep knowledge of adult social care with intuitive, high-quality learning content, Me Learning ensured that training wasn’t just a task to tick off – but a strategic enabler of adoption.
For more information, please contact Anne Clayton, Digital Learning Consultant at Me Learning – anne.clayton@melearning.co.uk or explore our services here.
