A net:gain centre saves £1,500 a year
Hartlepool Carers has found huge benefits from joining
net:gain at their local centre: Belle Vue in Hartlepool. A
forward-looking organisation, with excellent roots in the community
from which they sprung in 1994, Hartlepool Carers have become reliant
on ICT for communication and promotion. IT systems are also vital for
their team of 9 staff and over 30 volunteers, who co-ordinate and
deliver day-to-day services to over 500 local carers. However, ICT
maintenance costs were just too high – and didn’t fit their needs. ICT
had become more of a headache than a help, and it was time for a
serious re-think.
Project Development Manager Scott Jobson praises the practical and down to earth nature of the net:gain programme. It helped them to be both selective and objective: “Hartlepool Carers wanted to avoid being drawn in by technical sales people and gadgetry. Some people get carried away by how wonderful technology can be, but net:gain made us think more about what we require from technology. Impulsive or poorly thought through decisions can be very costly, as well as frustrating. We wanted to be very clear on our well-defined needs when inviting service providers to tender.”
Scott and his team used the net:gain Ten Step planning framework to work through their needs and reach a technical specification. The net:gain programme helps the delegate organisation to align ICT carefully to the needs of the organisation, think through options, and cost a proposal fully – including all the support and training needs it will bring. Help ranges from mentoring at the centre, exchanging tips with peers, expert help from the national Experts Online service (which all delegates get for free) and signposting to a range of advice and services, such as the ICT Hub web portal. Each centre also offers its own range of non-profit or discounted services. Belle Vue has developed several, including technical support and web-design.
On seeking quotes, Hartlepool Carers found they could get exactly what they wanted by joining Belle Vue’s own technical support service. They have been delighted with the ethos, the response times, and the price: “We were amazed at the quote - we have an immediate saving of at least £1,500 a year, ” says Scott.
The net:gain process also helps with funding, ensuring bid-writers can link their ICT requests directly to their organisation’s mission and its clients’ needs, and show exactly what impact it will have. Using this approach, Hartlepool Carers won funding for 3 laptops for a new project and are now implementing a learning and support programme for young carers.
With an ICT Action Plan underway, Hartlepool Carers already reports a less problematic working environment, enabling staff to concentrate their efforts on delivering services.
Scott says: “Although it is difficult to allocate time to ICT planning, it can save effort, duplication and money in the long run.”
net:gain centre - Belle Vue, Hartlepool
