The Help Hub is coming

Since 2020, The Parish Trust has been supporting individuals, households, families and referral partners through services such as the CARE Project and Baby Bank. As the years have gone by, demand for our support has grown significantly. That growth is something we are deeply thankful for, but it also means our existing systems are now working much harder than they were originally designed to do.

To help us serve people better, we are introducing a new Help Hub.

The Help Hub is a new online system designed specifically for the way The Parish Trust works. It will make it easier for service users to request support, easier for referral partners to make and manage referrals, and easier for our team to process requests safely, consistently and efficiently.

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Why are we introducing the Help Hub?

At the moment, many people have to repeat the same information every time they ask for help. Service users often need to complete a form again and again, even when their details have not changed. Referral partners also have to re-enter similar information each time they make a referral.

For larger organisations, it can also be difficult to know who is already registered with The Parish Trust, who is authorised to make referrals, and who else in a team needs access.

Behind the scenes, although some of our work is already online, much of the process still relies on manual checks, manual updates and manual communication. This takes time and can slow down the help we are trying to provide.

The Help Hub changes this.

What will change for service users?

The new Help Hub will make it simpler to ask for support.

Instead of filling in the same information every time, service users will be able to create a Help Hub account. This means core details, such as contact information, household information and support needs, can be stored safely and updated when needed.

Service users will also be given a unique H Number. This will replace the need to remember different referral numbers each time support is requested.

Through the Help Hub, service users will be able to:

• Register once and keep their details up to date.
• Use their H Number when contacting The Parish Trust.
• Make requests more quickly when eligible to do so.
• See clearer information about their support.
• Reduce the need to repeat the same information.
• Help our team process requests more accurately.
  
  

This should make the whole experience easier, clearer and less frustrating.

Service Users who continue to access our services over the telephone will continue to be able to do so. They will also receive a H number.

What will change for referral partners?

The Help Hub will also make referrals easier for professionals, organisations, agencies and community partners.

Referral partners will be able to register their organisation and, once approved, manage users within their team. This means larger organisations will have a clearer way to know who is connected to The Parish Trust and who is authorised to make referrals.

Referral partners will be able to:

• Register their organisation with The Parish Trust.
• Add approved team members.
• Make referrals through a clearer online process.
• Avoid repeating the same organisational information each time.
• See and manage relevant referral activity.
• Support service users more efficiently.
• Help us keep referral information accurate and up to date.

This will be especially helpful for larger organisations where several people may need access to the referral programme.

What will this mean for The Parish Trust?

The Help Hub will help us serve people better.

It will allow our team to spend less time repeating admin tasks and more time focusing on the people who need support. It will also help us maintain better records, improve communication, reduce duplication, and strengthen the way we report on the impact of our work.

This matters because good systems help us provide better care. They also help us show funders, partners and the wider community how our services are being used and why they are needed.

The Help Hub will support:

• Faster processing of requests and referrals.
• Better communication with service users and partners.
• More accurate information.
• Safer and more consistent decision-making.
• Improved reporting and service planning.
• A better experience for everyone using our services.

Is the Help Hub live yet?

Not yet.

We are currently preparing for the rollout. During this transition period, we are asking service users and referral partners to register their details in advance so that accounts can be set up before the new system is fully switched on.

This does not mean that requests and referrals will move immediately to the new system. For now, our existing processes will continue until we are ready to complete the transition.