Waltham Forest libraries are set to become hubs for community support, offering a range of services to residents in a more accessible and integrated way. Through Waltham Forest Max (WF Max), council services, NHS partners, and the voluntary sector work together within library settings to provide integrated, stigma-free help that meets people where they are.

The initiative, known as Waltham Forest Max, is a key part of the council's Mission Waltham Forest programme, which aims to tackle inequalities and provide early intervention and prevention services. The Waltham Forest Max programme is supported through existing budgets and aligns with the Council's strategic focus on early intervention and prevention. By coordinating support more effectively at the locality level, the programme aims to reduce demand on higher-cost statutory services, offering long-term value for money.

The Scrutiny Coordinating Committee received an update on the Waltham Forest Max programme at its meeting on Wednesday, 16 July 2025. The committee reviewed the approach and its alignment with broader corporate and system-wide transformation.

The Waltham Forest Max programme will be delivered in two phases:

  • Phase 1: Using existing library spaces in Lea Bridge, Leytonstone, Wood Street, Walthamstow, Hale End, and Chingford.
  • Phase 2: Adapting workspace areas within libraries to accommodate the Waltham Forest Max model in Leyton, Chingford Assembly Hall, and Walthamstow.

The core offer available in every hub includes:

  • A safe, welcoming space
  • Digital access and support
  • Information, advice and guidance drop-ins
  • Support with homelessness
  • Activities for children, families and young people

Each locality will also deliver a local offer of enhanced services shaped by resident need, service data and community insight. These may include Early Help, employment support, adult learning, ESOL, health checks, therapeutic advice, and community-led groups.

According to the Waltham Forest Max Scrutiny Paper, the case for this approach stems from ongoing evidence that many residents struggle to find help until problems escalate, often due to fragmented systems and a lack of accessible entry points. This is particularly true for those facing social exclusion, disability, or economic hardship. The Max model seeks to change this by providing early, dignified access to coordinated support, shaped around what matters most to each individual.

Since late 2023, the Max programme has been developed through a cross-sector, co-design approach. Extensive engagement was carried out with residents, frontline staff, and service partners, generating a shared understanding of current barriers to support and opportunities to work differently. Walthamstow Library was selected as an early adopter to pilot the model. This site has been testing new ways of working, including redesigned library spaces, co-located staffing models, integrated service pathways, as well as a programme of tailored events and activities.

Early data from the Walthamstow pilot has hosted approximately 300 residents weekly and hosts 35 voluntary and council organisations delivering advice, activities, and drop-in sessions. So far, 1,131 residents have received triage support to access the right preventative services.

Each Waltham Forest Max locality, north, central, and south, will be supported by a dedicated multi-agency team. These teams will bring together staff from council services, health, adult education, and voluntary and community sector organisations, working collaboratively to meet local needs.

To shape the structure of these teams and determine which additional services should be offered in each locality, strategic locality groups will be established. Led by the Stronger Communities team, these groups will include officers from across the council and will use public health data, service demand, pilot insights, and tools like the Low-Income Family Tracker to design locally tailored preventative support.

To track the impact of the program at a neighborhood level, the council will use Signal, an innovative platform designed to map individual and community wellbeing across multiple dimensions such as income, education, health, housing, and social participation. UCL is also developing a Return on Investment (ROI) model for the overall Max programme.