In a county awash with acronyms and restructures, Help and Kindness offers calm clarity and connection, writes Jon Sloper
When my wife and I first had the idea for Help and Kindness ten years ago, it was in response to conversations with people working in the midst of the local government reorganisation that created Dorset’s two unitary authorities. Council colleagues were restructuring and redefining roles. Staff changed jobs, some were made redundant, and almost everyone’s responsibilities shifted. Community organisations who had worked closely with councils pre-unification were anxious – they didn’t know how contracts would work, how they would be paid, or how what they did would link into the new structures.
Many people found themselves building new connections with colleagues, and often didn’t know who to approach within the wider voluntary and community sector (VCS).
The changes were hugely challenging.
Within this turmoil, we soon identified ways in which we felt we could strengthen the VCS, and make it easier for people to stay connected during times of change. Through extensive relationship building and research, our Help and Kindness directory was created. We designed it to showcase the breadth and scale of support across Dorset and to provide a clear point of connection for people looking for help.
It went on to support the community response to COVID. Today it is helping navigate the major changes under way in the NHS and local authorities. Public sector services are continually adapting to meet both community needs and new national directives – this cycle of planned and urgent change is part of life, and reducing the frequency of an “I don’t know” during these transitions is a huge help.
Not knowing who to talk to, or how things work, doesn’t just impact services – it affects us all. Sometimes there is too much choice and it becomes overwhelming, making it hard to know where to start. Other times it feels like being in a vacuum without any signs or guides. We often don’t know what we don’t know.
Unknown great things
The challenge of finding answers is further complicated by the continual redevelopment of services. Even when the changes are for good reasons, they can simply add to the confusion if they come with a new name, a rebrand, a new set of acronyms or a largely different team.
Great things are happening right across Dorset that people simply don’t know about. Resource shortages limit promotion and advertising that could help to increase their visibility. Services can be narrow, or siloed, and don’t always have a connection to related services, within organisations as well as between different ones.
The ‘work together’ element of our strapline reflects our response to this. Every week we link people who share common interests but don’t realise it, perhaps planning a new service that they didn’t realise was already in place. We connect new services with existing ones. We help people share challenges with others who truly understand the situation.
Residents feel these uncertainties too. People contact us because they don’t know how to describe their difficulties in ways that align with available help. They don’t know whether to speak to health, social care, children’s services, housing or trading standards or the police. Not knowing can paralyse us. It creates further worry and frustration, and can quickly turn to anger, fear or despair.
Across Dorset there are skilled and compassionate people and organisations who can release that sticking point. When people call or email us, we can help point them in the right direction.
There is so much good happening in Dorset – we now have almost 14,000 listings in our directory – and real commitment behind the changes sweeping the county. But change inevitably brings new ‘I don’t knows’. We continue to strengthen connection and shared knowledge, offering a compassionate introduction to support when people feel all at sea and simply don’t know where to turn.
helpandkindness.co.uk
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