Amaze, a leading full service digital marketing, technology and commerce consultancy, has transformed the digital services of Childline, the private and confidential 24-hour counselling service for children and young people, provided by the NSPCC.
With Childline celebrating its 30th birthday this year, Amaze and the NSPCC have worked to create a new, seamless online experience, across a range of platforms via the transformation of its digital properties, including the integration of its own call centre workflow systems.
At the heart of Childline’s online service provision is a community where children and young people, aged from nine to 19 years old, can anonymously seek the help they need. Childline has nearly 750,000 registered users, with more than half of those opting to contact the organisation via its website. As such, Childline’s digital services have become of vital importance, with the counselling service requiring a robust, secure, and fully optimised service in order to safeguard children.
Following a competitive tender, the NSPCC selected Amaze and Episerver, a leading certified content partner, to deliver a fully integrated and digitally optimised service for Childline.
Faced with a growing online network of service users requiring digital support, plus a network of 1,500 volunteer counsellors in need of a simpler interface, Childline required a bespoke solution, capable of guaranteeing the security and anonymity of users. As such, Amaze retired Childline’s existing MOSS system in favour of new Episerver 8.5. and Microsoft Dynamics Case Management.
The NSPCC digital team, with support from Amaze, has transformed content to take into account the diverse age range of users between the age of nine and 19, as well as the complexity of themes and topics faced. The new, fully responsive platform with enhanced SEO visibility, together with the introduction of new, self-help and peer-to-peer features to the platform, enables children to access self and counsellor-led therapies across a range of devices.
Custom-built tools include synchronous and asynchronous chat, plus emotional indicators and therapeutic tools such as the bespoke and innovative Drawing Tool to help service users express their feelings if they cannot convey their thoughts easily through words.
Helena Raven, Associate Director at the NSPCC said: “Working with Amaze and young people to design this website was an exceptional experience. We knew that we needed to create something that was technologically robust and able to safely deliver the vital service that so many children and young people need. We also knew we needed to use the very best in digital UX and design, in order to meet the growing expectations of young people, and provide the most user-friendly experience for all children, no matter their ability, or how they are feeling.”
Natalie Gross, Chief Executive Officer at Amaze comments: “We’re delighted to launch Childline’s new, innovative and ambitious platform. Childline offers such an important service to children and young people and we’re proud to help provide a digital service that safeguards users, providing essential therapeutic support to those in need.
Our unique partnership with Episerver and our experience with the NSPCC as its lead digital agency has enabled us to understand, advise and implement a successful and improved digital service offering to Childline and its users. The new website will provide a forum for children to talk together, access articles, use therapeutic tools or talk to a volunteer counsellor in a safe haven, where anonymity and security is of absolute importance.”
James Norwood, EVP Strategy and CMO at Episerver said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Amaze and Childline. The Episerver digital experience platform was chosen to deliver an extensible content management solution, providing Childline with a scalable platform capable of delivering their current and future content needs with a wide array of flexible controls over content and design.”