Community and Strategic Digital Signposting for West Berkshire

Tell us about your experience

Consultation status Archived

Start date: 2022-04-25

End date: 2022-05-11

Results 2022-08-30

Category: Caring for Children and Families, Health and Wellbeing, Schools, Learning and Libraries, Adult Care and Housing

Ward:

Activity closed. Results published.

Background

Community and strategic digital signposting helps people improve their health, wellbeing and social welfare by connecting them to non-medical, community-based support and statutory support services. It also provides information for organisations, and our partners.

Our current digital signposting platform is the West Berkshire Directory, which provides information and advice on how to find support in your local communities, help at home, leisure activities, financial guidance, care homes, support for those caring for and with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities, and voluntary organisations.

Everyone in West Berkshire has a range of needs, some of which may lead them to search, find and connect with local support. We've commissioned Invotra Consulting to undertake a review of the needs of all users of the West Berkshire Directory, and digital signposting in general. The research will help us to understand what information people need, and how best to provide it.

We can all signpost, whether we're friends, police, social care workers, health care professionals, volunteers, or members of the community, to help people find the information and support they need, stay connected and enjoy all the great things that West Berkshire has to offer.

Why we want your views

We'd like to hear about your experience of using the West Berkshire Directory, and whether you use any other digital signposting platforms, and are keen to hear from as many people as possible from all parts of our community. Whether you live, work or support someone, your feedback will be valuable in helping us to understand what information you need, and how you prefer to access it.

How to take part

If you'd like to take part, please complete our online survey by midnight on Wednesday 11 May 2022. It should take 5-10 minutes. Any personal information you choose to provide will be kept confidential and used in accordance with our privacy notice.

Should you have any queries about this survey, please email publichealthandwellbeing@westberks.gov.uk

If you have any questions about the West Berkshire Directory, please email directory@westberks.gov.uk

What happens next

All feedback will be taken into consideration and used to inform future provision of our digital community signposting platform.

What you told us

We received 277 responses to our survey from a range of residents, partners and Council employees. The most frequently searched areas of information included Family and Local Offer, Adults Social Care, Health & Wellbeing and Activities, Clubs and Events. Almost half of respondents found the Directory easy to use, the search results relevant and information accurate, whilst around a third of respondents reported finding the information they were looking for difficult, or very difficult to find. Feedback indicated that many people are not using the West Berkshire Directory for a variety of reasons. Some were not aware of the Directory, whilst others had not had a need, haven’t found the information they needed on previous occasions or use alternative sources to get the information they need. Information was not always found to be up to date, with only 30% of respondents agreeing that the layout is nice and pleasant to look at. Residents would like the Directory to have more comprehensive information, and include more information around local events.

What we did

The feedback gathered during the engagement was used to inform options for the future provision of our digital community signposting platform. A final recommendation has been prepared for consideration of a governance board, with further information to follow once a decision on next steps has been made.