Council staff take on new roles to support people in need

With some Council facilities closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic and some services reduced, many staff are taking on new roles to contribute to the Bwd Help Hub.

Set up to protect the borough’s most vulnerable residents, the Help Hub offers a range of support, from organising deliveries of food and essential supplies to people in need, providing information and advice, and making regular wellbeing phone calls.

Staff have taken on a variety of roles – from taking calls in the contact centre, and following up requests to arrange the right support for each individual, to setting up a brand new system to deliver food to the most vulnerable residents.

Council employees from different departments, including leisure, highways, business support and Young People’s Services, are adapting to their roles, supported by relevant training.

Denise Park, Chief Executive of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, this week visited the food warehouse where staff are pulling together to get deliveries out to people in need.

Denise praised staff for their willingness to pitch in and help. She said:

The Help Hub is a brand new Council service and an incredibly high priority for us, as we work to protect our most vulnerable residents during this difficult time.

It’s been absolutely amazing to see Council staff pulling together for the good of our residents, and it makes me very proud. Around 70% of staff live in Blackburn with Darwen and they are happy to do their bit for our Help Hub community support activity.

They’ve been using their existing skills and networks to find the best solutions to our residents’ requests for help and, where necessary, we’ve provided training to help staff feel comfortable in their new roles.

Joanne Grime, who works as a Business Analyst in the Council’s Digital Service, has helped to develop new systems to manage requests for help from residents, and deliveries leaving the warehouse. She said:

We needed an easy online form for residents to tell us their support needs. We also needed to capture and share the right information between our teams to target that support. Systems were set up in a matter of days using our new Digital Customer Portal. We then trained over 40 staff on the new systems remotely, within 12 hours, to get our Customer Contact Centre up and running quickly to take resident calls.

Leisure centre receptionist Emma Wilkinson has been retrained to take calls in the Council’s contact centre. She said:

A lot of our residents, no matter their normal circumstances, are finding the current situation we are all in tough to deal with. We are offering a friendly voice down the phone lines and it’s good to know we are helping so many people and making their day a little brighter.

Sunil Salogee works in the Leisure team and is also taking calls as part of the contact centre. He said:

Being part of our new team has been a fantastic opportunity to help those who need it most in our community. Working in Leisure has taught me many skills that I am now using to help those in need. It really is a fantastic feeling knowing that people are not alone during this time and support is available.

Graham Haley is a Lifeguard and Swim Instructor at Darwen Leisure Centre. He has been working in the food warehouse, managing stock and inbound deliveries. He said:

I’ve enhanced my skills by training to drive the fork lift truck at the food hub, and am enjoying the new challenge.

Planning Manager Gavin Prescott is among Council staff helping to pack food parcels in the warehouse. Gavin added:

I’m very happy to help at the food hub. It’s also a great workout!

Councillor Mohammed Khan, Leader of the Council, added:

One of our greatest strengths in Blackburn with Darwen is our community spirit, our kindness and our ability to work together. It’s been wonderful to see our staff acting as such fantastic role models and pitching in to support our Help Hub in a variety of ways. I thank every single one of them for their efforts.

Anyone who needs support and has no one else they can call on can contact the BwD Help Hub:

• Fill in the online form at blackburn.gov.uk
• Call 01254 588111 – calls are taken 9am-5pm Mon to Fri, and 9am-12pm Sat & Sun

The Council website has updated information about support for residents during the Coronavirus pandemic. The website contains listings of some local organisations who can provide support. Visit www.blackburn.gov.uk for details.