Government, the private sector, third sector, and others are working together to help answer this question by delivering essential services at scale while working with compassion and care to support and empower those who need it most. At Serco, our work touches the lives of vulnerable individuals every day – from asylum seekers and people living with long-term health conditions to the unemployed and young people at risk.
Local government achievements
In local government, Serco supports more than 365,000 social care and wellbeing referrals and enquiries annually across its contracts with Lincolnshire and Hertfordshire County Councils.
In Lincolnshire, for example, Serco operates a 24/7 Customer Service Centre and delivers a triage service for Adult Services, Children Services and Carers.
“Amid budgetary constraints, we’re proud to be using innovative, tech-enabled solutions that help to protect and empower vulnerable citizens. By making services more efficient and flexible, we’re helping to ensure that those who need it most receive the care and support they deserve.”
Sara Johnson, Head of Local Government
The services use a strength-based methodology to achieve call resolution, provide ongoing support or refer to other services or council pathways. Within our children’s daytime service, automation has been successfully introduced by Serco to process children’s outcome letters, with over 85% of outcome letters being processed via Robotic Process Automation (RPA), freeing frontline teams to focus more directly on supporting people in crisis.
Duty of care
Serco’s frontline teams also play a vital role in responding to emergencies and crises. In Northern Ireland, for instance, Serco manages and delivers the NI Direct Contact Centre, the main gateway to the Northern Ireland Civil Service, providing the public with access to 79 critical services. Its customer service representatives are trained to spot the signs of callers in distress and at risk of harming themselves or others to help keep people safe.
“We have a strong focus on identifying vulnerable callers and taking immediate action to support them. Recently, for example, we had a call from a lady who was suffering a stroke and lived in a rural area. Our call centre representative was able to call an ambulance and keep her on the line for two hours until the ambulance arrived, while reassuring her that she wasn’t alone.”
Dave McCullough, NI Direct Contract Manager
Helping people find employment
A clear example of this people-first approach is the Restart Scheme, a government initiative Serco delivers across West Central England and Wales on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions. The Restart Scheme helps long-term unemployed individuals build the skills and confidence they need to find and stay in work.
Many participants face significant challenges, such as poor mental health or chronic conditions. Often, those challenges prevent them from taking the next step. Through +impact, Serco’s transformation and advisory business, the team identified these barriers and then helped shape a targeted intervention: introducing a health support programme offering up to six personalised sessions with qualified clinicians.
The aim here is to stabilise health challenges early, enabling job seekers to move forward with confidence. Clinicians provide a detailed report at the end of the programme to inform next steps for job coaches. And, so far, Serco has supported over 21,900 people into sustainable employment through the Restart Scheme.
Treating customers with respect and sensitivity
Serco delivers the Health Assessment Advisory Service (HAAS) on behalf of the DWP in South-West and South Central England. The team supports customers with health conditions and disabilities through the benefit assessment process.
Around 850 registered health professionals – nurses, doctors, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and paramedics – have so far delivered over 200,000 assessments that help the DWP make decisions on benefits.
Reducing reoffending through rehabilitation
In the criminal justice system, Serco operates five adult prisons in the UK and supports the rehabilitation of over 5,500 prisoners to create a safer society. This includes evidence-based psychological services and practical programmes to support reintegration.
One standout initiative is at HMP Dovegate, where therapeutic community participants have seen a 50% reduction in reoffending rates. Elsewhere, training programmes in partnership with employers like Greene King help prisoners gain vocational skills and accreditations – boosting their chances of building a life beyond prison.
Animal-assisted therapy, vocational training and trauma-response workshops are all part of Serco’s drive to support safer communities and help reduce future demand on the justice system.
People, not processes
At the heart of Serco’s approach is +impact, which specialises in human-centred design, placing users at the core of public service delivery.
Katie Sola, Principal Consultant at +impact, explains: “We start by listening. Through trauma-informed research and ethical codesign, we uncover how people experience services – particularly those with the most complex needs – and work with them to make those services better.”
This work includes thoughtful research protocols for people who have experienced trauma, including survivors of trafficking, those managing long-term health conditions, or people facing long-term unemployment. Every participant is fully informed, supported, and offered compensation in a way that’s sensitive to their circumstances.
Listen, improve, deliver
The scale of today’s challenges – rising inequality, stretched budgets, increasing need – requires a coordinated effort across public and private sectors. What Serco offers is more than operational scale. It brings a unique combination of delivery capability, design expertise, and a deep understanding of what it means to serve vulnerable people with respect and care.
At the core of our approach to public service is a framework of three pillars: empowering the vulnerable, enhancing outcomes, and elevating value.
Echoing Katie’s thoughts above, the process of empowering and supporting the vulnerable starts with listening. Serco ensures services are tailored to the unique needs of those who have experienced trauma or disadvantage, helping them regain independence and dignity.
Enhancing outcomes is achieved through coordination with government, the third sector and local stakeholders. And elevating value means delivering services that are not only effective, but efficient and accessible, too.
“We take pride in delivering vital services on behalf of our government clients,” says Antony King, Managing Director of Citizen Services at Serco. “But our commitment goes further – we’re dedicated to shaping safer, better futures for all citizens. Our work touches the lives of millions, and we are passionate about using the opportunity to support the most vulnerable in society.”
Serco’s mission is to build better outcomes – by putting people first.
To learn more about how Serco are supporting
and empowering vulnerable people across society, visit Serco.com