Award winning webchat
Get Connected's webchat service wins the ICT Hub award for Delivering Social or Environmental Benefits through ICT.
On Tuesday 11th March the ICT Hub announced Get Connected's webchat service as the winner of one of the sector's only ICT awards. Awards were also made for the most innovative use of ICT, the best use of ICT accessibility, the most improved ICT management and for individual contribution to ICT in the voluntary sector.
Get Connected's webchat service - the third channel through which young people can access the helpline - was praised for empowering young people to talk freely and confidentially in a medium they felt comfortable with, and for offering particular support to those dealing with self-harm or abuse, who make up 49% of young people using the webchat service.
Dan Whitbread, Helpline Manager, thanked the ICT Hub for their recognition, saying 'We now help as many young people via webchat each week as we helped in the whole of 2006, when we established the service, so it's clearly a successful medium for enabling young people to get in touch.'
The webchat service is available 7pm till 10pm every day of the week, and with demand high outside of opening hours, Get Connected will be aiming to increase the number of Helpline Workers trained in this medium and extend opening hours to match the telephone and email services.
