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Over the next five years, children’s charities will lose £405 in government funding. According to the study from the National Children’s Bureau, over 70 per cent of the charities who took part in the survey had responded by cutting staff and just fewer than 70 per cent had reduced their services.*How can your organisation reach more people, achieve greater user satisfaction and cut costs?

Research reveals that allowing people to choose between channels such as phone, email, Facebook, live chat and mobile means that more people are likely to engage and do so on more than one occasion.

What benefits does going multi-channel offer the family and children services specifically?

• Sustaining, expanding and improving services.
• A point of connection to those who are already
  using face to face services, or those who would prefer not to visit in person.
• Fathers or other key carers can be
  systematically invited to use the service, ensuring they are fully engaged with
  their child’s health and welfare.
• An effective way of delivering vital information
  on children’s health, smoking cessation, etc.
• Parents who are dealing with difficult
  situations can build relationships and be sent information on key events, etc.

For most parents, attending a children’s centre will never be a first choice. For every person who would walk into a charity premises there will be 10-20 who will pick up the phone, and a further 100 who would rather go online.

The question here is not really if children and family services will go multi-channel but when and how.