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Feedback and comments

In this section we would really like to hear from you using our online survey about the content, how easy you find the site to navigate and search and what you liked/didnt like, so we can continue to improve the website to meets your needs.


Sunderland Local Offer
There is a Local Offer Working Group made up with a number of parents from the Sunderland Parent Carer Forum, Together for Children and partner agencies.  The group meets regularly to look at ways of trying to ensure that there are no gaps in the information as well as making sure the information provided is user friendly and relevant.  They would like to hear what you think about the site and how they can improve the information provided.


Please click here to access our feedback form
 and tell us what you think.

You said, we did

We are always keen to get your views and make improvements where we can.  This section gives you some details about on what people have already said, and what we were able to do as a result.  


New website name and design – October 2018
The website has been updated and improved with the help and feedback from those providing and using the services. 

One key area of feedback was about the name Sunderland Community Hub, it didnt really explain what the website was about and how it could be used, the web address was also different to the actual name of the siite. 

We have now rectified this by giving the site a new name Sunderland Information Point, a matching web address www.sunderlandinformationpoint.co.uk and a fresh new look.

We have also added some new features throughout the site which we hope you will enjoy and find useful.

Overall we hope the site is easier to use as we continue to provide instant access to information and advice about services, resources and activities in the city and the local communities.

If there are any comments you would like to make about these changes, please use online feedback form which can be accessed via the link at the top of this page.



New area:  Digital Assisted and Supported Living

This is a new area which can be accessed through Sunderland Adults / Help to live at home category.

Digital assisted and supported living demonstrates how assistive technology can be used to help you or the person you care for, take control and manage aspects of your care, health and wellbeing.

Technology products are not a one size fits all solution and won't replace all aspects of care, however they can be used as a form of prevention that could delay a need for formal care services and help you retain your independence for longer. 

If you would like to find out more, please visit this area to view a range of technology products that we feel can be used to help you retain independence and empower you to live in your own home for longer. 

 

New Local Offer Logo Development
The Local Offer Working Group tries to ensure that the Local Offer contains as much information, advice, guidance and service details as possible.  They also try to ensure that people know about the website and encourage them to use it to find the information they may be looking for. 

The Local Offer has been in existence for quite some time now but there are still a large number of people who do not know what it is or haven’t even heard of it. 

As a result the group felt that it would be useful if the Local Offer could have its own logo which could be used to promote the Local Offer.  In turn this could give it an ‘identity’ that people could associate with the Local Offer and help it to become recognised as a useful resource.   

We invited two of our local schools; Columbia Grange and Oxclose Community Academy to select a group of young people to be involved in the design of the logo.  Two consultations sessions were held with the groups during which the young people discussed what the local offer was; what it was designed to do; and, who it was aimed at.  The young people had some tremendous ideas but unfortunately we could not use them all.

One idea was selected from each school and sent to a design company.  The end result is the logo that is now being used to signify the ‘Local Offer’ in Sunderland and we hope to include it in as much documentation as possible.  The new logo also neatly ties in with the promotion poster and leaflet that had already been printed.

 

Previous feedback suggestions and actions can be viewed below

I found it difficult to find out what resourced provision was available in Sunderland schools.

All resourced provision is detailed within each individual school record however work is now taking place to create a document that will detail this information separately.  This document will then also be included in the Sunderland Council's School's Directory.

Query received from a professional working with children and young people.  

Can you use symbols on the category buttons?

Symbols have now been incorporated onto the category lozenges on the local offer page, and replicated on the category landing pages as well. 

In addition to this, we have also now installed some software that displays symbols for words on the website page when the user hovers their mouse over a word. 

Request from parents.

Can the image on the Local Offer homepage be changed to something more appropriate?

We obtained images of Sunderland children and young people with disabilities that have now been used throughout the site.

Request from a group of parents.

Young people stated that all of the FAQ's seemed to have been asked by adults

We were keen to ensure that children and young people were able to be involved with the work developing the Sunderland's Local Offer and worked with City Equals, an advocate group of young people with learning disabilities or difficulties.  They gave us their frank and honest opinions about our website and how they would like to see it changed and worked on some frequently asked questions that we published on the site.

As a result the young people noted that “all of the FAQ’s seemed to have been asked by adults”.  The young people were right. 

We requested the young people create their own set of Frequently Asked Questions.  These have now been received and once we have finished drafting the responses, we will post them on the site.

Comments from City Equals - Young person LDD advocate group.

Website Design changes – September 2014

Our existing Families Information Service website was very dated and badly in need of improvement.  We spoke to the designers and came up with some initial designs.  These designs were then taken out for consultation with parents / carers at a number of events and venues across the city including, Parent Carers' Centre, parents coffee mornings, support groups and an family information event.

A PDF document showing the original pages of the site and the initial designs for the proposed site is attached.  There is also a document attached which shows comments that were received about the initial designs however a summary of comments received is below:

            Comments

Front Page

  • Too dark.  Needs lighter colours.  Symbol on LO needs to be changed.  Maybe to a tree
  • Remove the bullet points and make clear the difference between the two choices i.e. Local Offer and Families
  • Less dark colours.  Needs to be less ‘corporate’ because it restricts access and creativity

Families
Page

  • Better symbol on Local Offer Section
  • Photos - need to be a variety of age groups
  • Don't like the green colour  

Local Offer Page

  • Change image to something more appropriate
  • Use symbols on the category buttons  

General

  • New design looks good.
  • Just remember to keep it simple and user friendly, use easily identifiable images or words with quick links. Not everybody is computer literate.  

After completing the consultation and collating all of the comments, the suggestions were taken back to the design company.  Subsequent designs were created and after discussion with our Communications team the end result is now live and in use.

Action taken following feedback

Following comments and feedback received about the Local Offer website, we have made some changes. Click on the question / comment below to reveal the detail of what action we have taken.

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