Relaunch of the online consultation platform
Platform in cooperation with all 27 of Caritas’ diocesan organisations and the five professional associations.Andrea Bartsch
People seeking advice expect digitalservices that are flexible and aimed at their needs and their regular media usage. Caritas was conscious of how people’s habits were changing so they used the potential of this technological development to improve the online consultation. A concept for a new consultation platform funded by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs will be gradually implemented in cooperation with all 27 of Caritas’ diocesan organisations and the five professional associations (SKM - Catholic Association for Social Services in Germany, Catholic Women’s Welfare Service, IN VIA Association of Social Work for Girls and Women, Kreuzbund, and Raphaelswerk).
Anonymous, free, and safe consultation
Since October 2019, all of the existing online consultation services were migrated to the new platform. Now people can receive anonymous, free, safe, and user-friendly consultation in a new messenger design. Since December, people can safely access the self-help chat offered by Kreuzbund and the self-help for addicts using the group chat.
Several experts are currently working on a new consultation concept to combine physical and online consultation and the specialised services. The goal is for anyone looking for advice to be able to get the right consultation no matter which option they choose.
Planned developments include new functions like video consultation or a more user-friendly website. Providing barrier-free access to consultation services via an appealing platform meets the demands of the people who need Caritas’ aid most urgently. That can be people who may not be very concerned about anonymity but who live far away from the next office or who have limited mobility. In cases like those, professional online consultation is increasingly important.