Hi Longman,
I agree it is not easy to be certain what the mood of the Community is. The number of posts goes up and down over time. We have not received or been made aware of (by the mods) any particular concerns (other than here) being expressed. I don't see any evidence of a "massive" loss of trust.
Of course people may just be disengaging without telling us why .. but I suspect this is just a lull that sometimes happens. I am not in denial that we should work to improve the Community but neither should we jump to conclusions.
Best regards; Bob
PS: Glad you are posting again
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Taking up previous points...
I think you guys are raising questions that are of real concern some of which we have discussed internally but not openly with community members.
The community is certainly recognised as an important service among the many the charity offers. The reality is that need outstrips capacity in almost every area. The irony is that the more successful we are at raising awareness the more we are called upon for help.
I can understand why but it’s easy to think (and I don’t think you think this way) that the NAS has unlimited resources to deploy to meet every need. Of course we actually have earn or fundraise for everything we do and then prioritise. What we do try and do is be creative about how to provide support in particular. For example in regard to support, we looking at ways to recruit and train many more volunteers over the next few years.
Peer to Peer support plays an important role. One where NAS can facilitate without incurring significant costs. Our Parent to Parent support line is an example along with this online community. This benefits the advice givers, who are moved to help, and the recipients who know they are talking to someone with authentic experience.
What might be happening is that our (necessarily) low level of direct support (from mods and or helpliners) is seen as insufficient to the expressed need and that this is perceived as inadequate by long term members who may feel they are shouldering the load with little support. I can understand this and, if true, this is an area that needs acknowledging and addressing. I can see that some advice and support for members who may feel overburdened would be worthwhile?
Yes our paid helpline staff are well trained and supported and do have supervision. They do sometimes refer people to the website, but this is more often part of an in depth discussion. We also have some specialist advisors but the numbers of cases they can deal with each year is limited. We would, of course, love to have enough staff to answer all the calls, emails, community posts and social media questions in depth.
As I have said already the community does need a re-think. How we meet the calls for help and advice and support community members who offer it must be part of this.
Bob
Hi Longman,
I agree it is not easy to be certain what the mood of the Community is. The number of posts goes up and down over time. We have not received or been made aware of (by the mods) any particular concerns (other than here) being expressed. I don't see any evidence of a "massive" loss of trust.
Of course people may just be disengaging without telling us why .. but I suspect this is just a lull that sometimes happens. I am not in denial that we should work to improve the Community but neither should we jump to conclusions.
Best regards; Bob
PS: Glad you are posting again
============
Taking up previous points...
I think you guys are raising questions that are of real concern some of which we have discussed internally but not openly with community members.
The community is certainly recognised as an important service among the many the charity offers. The reality is that need outstrips capacity in almost every area. The irony is that the more successful we are at raising awareness the more we are called upon for help.
I can understand why but it’s easy to think (and I don’t think you think this way) that the NAS has unlimited resources to deploy to meet every need. Of course we actually have earn or fundraise for everything we do and then prioritise. What we do try and do is be creative about how to provide support in particular. For example in regard to support, we looking at ways to recruit and train many more volunteers over the next few years.
Peer to Peer support plays an important role. One where NAS can facilitate without incurring significant costs. Our Parent to Parent support line is an example along with this online community. This benefits the advice givers, who are moved to help, and the recipients who know they are talking to someone with authentic experience.
What might be happening is that our (necessarily) low level of direct support (from mods and or helpliners) is seen as insufficient to the expressed need and that this is perceived as inadequate by long term members who may feel they are shouldering the load with little support. I can understand this and, if true, this is an area that needs acknowledging and addressing. I can see that some advice and support for members who may feel overburdened would be worthwhile?
Yes our paid helpline staff are well trained and supported and do have supervision. They do sometimes refer people to the website, but this is more often part of an in depth discussion. We also have some specialist advisors but the numbers of cases they can deal with each year is limited. We would, of course, love to have enough staff to answer all the calls, emails, community posts and social media questions in depth.
As I have said already the community does need a re-think. How we meet the calls for help and advice and support community members who offer it must be part of this.
Bob
