A robust and secure digital solution for one of England’s most experienced providers of children’s social care

Founded in 1989, Five Rivers Child Care is a leading national provider of practitioner-led services for vulnerable children. Working with over 100 local authorities, they offer foster care, residential children’s care, education and clinical services, helping young people recover from trauma and reach their full potential.

Over the course of Summer 2024, we took over the management of ten distinct websites for the organisation, each playing a vital role in supporting Five Rivers outreach, recruitment and engagement efforts.

Five Rivers needed a trusted digital partner to help modernise the websites, each presenting its own unique set of challenges. Our initial challenge was to enhance the user experience across all sites, and deliver scalable, secure and easy-to-manage solutions. This included re-platforming the hosting approach, and evolving the CMS’s with new components and functionality.

Following an in-depth onboarding phase, we took over the management of all ten websites and initiated a carefully planned strategy focused on performance and user experience, as well as code review and quality analysis.

To improve speed, uptime and scalability, we migrated all websites to a modern, cloud-based hosting environment. This migration improved overall performance and provides a robust foundation for future enhancements, with improved security, resilience and disaster recovery.

We audited the existing CMS setups across all sites, identifying areas for improvement and consolidation. We replaced third-party plugin dependencies with bespoke code where appropriate, enhancing long-term stability and maintainability. Our refinements also streamlined content workflows, enabling internal teams to manage website edits and updates more efficiently.

To support ongoing maintenance, we produced comprehensive technical documentation. This ensures the Five Rivers team can confidently manage and scale their platforms with clarity and independence.

In close collaboration with the Five Rivers team, we continue to introduce updated visual elements and refine user journeys. These improvements deliver a more cohesive, accessible and engaging experience across all sites.

Our partnership with Five Rivers Child Care continues to grow as we support them in their mission to turn children’s lives around. By modernising their digital infrastructure and user experience, we’ve helped lay the foundation for future outreach, engagement and impact.

The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive - Five Rivers has told us that working with our team has been a marked improvement. They’ve appreciated our prompt response times and hands‑on problem‑solving approach. It’s a great demonstration of how a successful agency client partnership should work. We share Five Rivers’ passion and commitment for their vital work, and their dedication fuels our own. The websites are essential to their mission, and we’re proud to play an integral role in ensuring smooth, reliable digital operations.