Carer Connect
Supporting Unpaid Carers with trusted information, advice & personalised services
WHAT IS CARER CONNECT?
Carer Connect has been developed to provide a single point of information and advice for unpaid carers in South Yorkshire. Co-designed with carers from across the region and delivered in partnership by Barnsley Council, City of Doncaster Council, Rotherham MBC and Sheffield City Council, Carer Connect seeks to support the 140,000 people who care for someone regularly.
Carer Connect is a destination website with a wealth of advice and local services. One place for carers to go to ask questions about their caring role, themselves and the people they care for. The website offers information about benefits, local services, assessments, local events and much more. But critically, the website is the way in which carers are introduced to their personal digital advisors, available 24/7 on WhatsApp.
Whilst the website has a lot of information and advice, the WhatsApp digital assistants have so much more. Clear, comprehensive carer focused information and guidance from over 100 trusted sources, always up to date, always available and able to answer any question a carer might have.
Robin in Rotherham, Barney in Barnsley, Dee in Doncaster and Sophie in Sheffield are the four digital advisors that have been co-designed, tested and developed with carers, 70% of whom use WhatsApp daily (with 86% using it weekly). Once carers are introduced to their WhatsApp digital assistant, they have an always available, trusted advisor in their pocket.
WHY WHATSAPP?
Once signed up and engaged with their digital assistant, carers can ask any question or outline any situation and the digital assistant will empathetically work with them to share the right advice and help them with next steps. There is a wide range of benefits delivering that service on WhatsApp, here are the top ten:
Blended information from trusted local, regional & national sources – actively updated
Available 24/7
Clear, concise immediate answers
Contextual questions for clarity & personalisation
Record of questions & answers to return to/reference
Ability to communicate in voice
Multilingual (40+ languages supported)
Interfacing with local directories
Memory of the situation, ability to reference person being cared for in responses
Ability to actively monitor all conversations and identify people in crisis or with safeguarding needs
As WhatsApp is a two way messaging system, the digital assistants are able to actively support people in the moment, whether it’s finding the right telephone number or helping in a crisis.
BENEFITS
Co-designed with councils and unpaid carers
Available 24/7, 365 days a week
ISO 42001 accredited service
Bespoke AI model, with content curation decided by clients
Available via WhatsApp, one of the most popular UK communication channels
Hundreds of conversations managed simultaneously
CARER CONNECT WEBSITE
Combining the key personalised services requested by unpaid carers.
- ‘Share My Story’: the ability to collate all the relevant details, events, health and care updates pertinent to the person they are caring for, as well as themselves, and securely share that with health & care professionals
- Respite Care: Bringing together local and national respite options and eligibility criteria in a comprehensive and clear way
- Unpaid Carer Discount Schemes: Helping unpaid carers understand the different discount options available to them both locally and nationally, with the ability to compare and apply
- Personalised alerts around specific services, local events and groups as well as information on specific conditions, wellbeing services and more
SCHEDULED MESSAGING
With WhatsApp being a two way communication service, Robin in Rotherham, Barney in Barnsley, Dee in Doncaster and Sophie in Sheffield are able to keep in regular contact with carers to check in with them. In co-production sessions, carers suggested they would benefit and like this approach (they can also opt out), so following the first chat, a series of messages are sent over the subsequent 18 weeks checking in with carers around their wellbeing, ensuring they have the latest local information on events and services, reminding them of local services such as respite breaks, as well as gathering feedback.
WHAT CARERS SAY
“This makes finding information a lot simpler & WhatsApp is a brilliant idea ”
“Very natural, I liked how the Dee was empathetic to the situation I am in ”
“The conversation flowed really well, remembered previous points & checked back that all points were covered ”
“Useful advice, a listening ear, no need to repeat yourself and provides chat ”
“Robin is professional but with a human touch “
“I like that I have the option to go back and look at it at a later stage ”
“The suggestions & next steps are really helpful ”
User group sessions with unpaid carers helped to shape the build and structure of Carer Connect, with the following feedback discussed and baked into the tool:
“Everything in one place easy to find”
“To know the information is correct and up to date”
“Contact details for all organisations and what they actually do”
“Being able to access advice and help 24 hours a day”
“One centred place, rather than being passed around like a library book”
“Clear information and guide to support available”
“Live chat function to ask questions regarding processes and seeking guidance”
“What is available locally such as respite and things to do where I could take my cared for loved one to as well”
“To be able to get advice and support that is appropriate for someone like me who works full time Monday- Friday”
“Access to guidance and support about navigating benefits, allowances and entitlements”
“A section where you can ask questions, get digital help, it could signpost you, very quickly, not waiting 3 weeks for a response”
“Local groups and information where I live”
“AI advice chat”
“WhatsApp”
“To be able to get answers promptly”
TECHNICAL PARTNER
Bullet Digital Solutions is an AI ISO 42001 & ISO 27001 accredited, UK based company, specialising in web application development and digital transformation services. They help businesses improve efficiency by simplifying complex workflows and building customised web applications. Their team of experienced consultants has a strong track record of delivering solutions in various sectors, including the public sector, healthcare, and finance. Bullet has been working with AI and developing services for the public sector, with AI services live across both Adult Social Care and Public Health.
GET IN TOUCH
If you are interested in finding out more about Carer Connect – or the digital assistants we have built for other councils around the ASC Front Door – please get in touch.
