The Local Offer - How to Write a Compelling Provider Profile

It's hard to believe this social enterprise, The Local Offer, has been around for over four years. It launched in April 2014 as a social enterprise and digital platform championing the work of cross-sector, education, health & social care services working on behalf of children & young people with SEN or disability, 0 - 25 years.

There have been challenges aplenty: initial hostility from local authorities fresh to the concept of the local offer, suspicion from private and third sector providers, a slow rate of growth, the struggle to get recognised and have a platform that meets its audiences' needs. And by far the biggest challenge has been a lack of understanding of the SEND reforms of September 2014 and what the local offer is all about.

But there have been gains too and daily rewards. The launch of each new service on the site is cause for joy. Its engagement as a stakeholder in the Government's Green Paper on children and young people's mental health has been gratifying. The growth of the Road Map and seeing the service come to life has been amazing. Invitations to speak at national conferences or to write for specialist magazines helps spread the word and shine a light on the specialist & targeted services it champions, all of whom work hard to make a difference to the lives of children with SEND and their families.

Getting to know a community of dedicated and passionate professionals and service leaders across education, health & social care has been a privilege. Understanding more about the complex world of SEN & disability provision in its broadest sense across the country is an enlightening process. The support of The Local Offer members and connections across its social media platforms is its daily sustenance.

I'm inspired to write this article in support of those SEND services who are prompted to join The Local Offer, either this social enterprise or their local authority offer by their business community or other source of support.

The Local Offer online registration process cleverly takes several pages of information to create a Provider Profile page, which is a stand-alone business page for each service. This is then revised and edited on both sides, until the new member is content with how it looks and the page is 'live' on the site.

There are many business owners, consultants and practitioners who struggle with identifying what it is they offer, and how best to present that to an anonymous audience. The demands of running a business can leave too little time to consider bigger picture stuff, like how to market a service or set out its service offer in the landscape of the SEND reforms.

For some, the language and ethos of the reforms is largely irrelevant to day to day activity. Recognising a service is part of the wider picture of provision specific to a community's needs requires time to step away from the business and look at what part it plays in the local economy of provision.

In conversation with a specialist provider, they mentioned that 50% of their work now was unfunded as they met the needs of more young adults with SEND. This was a challenge to make sustainable. They have formed a Community Interest Company to focus on this aspect of their work which is excellent news for the local community and all the beneficiaries of their service. Its goal is to be more proactive in how it reaches out to its new audience, rather than relying, as before, on word of mouth growth. Having a Provider Profile, being registered with the local offer, supports reach, engagement and sustainability.

The Local Offer site reaches out to thousands of visitors a month through its site, social media platforms and communications, Many site visitors are seeking specific forms of support, or information about the choices they have available. Specialist providers can help that process enormously if they are absolutely clear about what they do and how people can access that support.

So here are some key essentials to writing a compelling Provider Profile page

(1) Know what services you offer and to whom, and break those down into manageable chunks, so that readers can easily see what you do and how to access that support.

Recognising that there are many different forms of therapeutic intervention for children and young people with SEND, I would recommend also not being too precious if people use incorrect terminology, or ask for equine-assisted therapies, when really they mean equine-facilitated.... I have had those conversations too, and always recommend that you rein in the frustration if those who use your service are not so tuned into its precise terminology.

(2) Be lenient with those who are keen to venture into unfamiliar territory and non-mainstream interventions. Their perception of the value and impact of support is as much about the people they meet as it is about the therapy their child receives.

Make it easy for those who are seeking support to access it without complex referral systems, gate-posting or the use of unfamiliar terminology. Provider Profile pages, either on The Local Offer site, or in the context of a provider's Service Offer, should make all information accessible, easy to read and understand.

(3) Be welcoming. Begin with an introduction that sets the context for the service you offer before launching into its many features.

Site visitors often view several different specialist services in one visit, so understanding what is on offer, whether there is a direct cost attached, or if the service is in a fixed location or travels out locally or regionally, is important information to convey. So too, is accurate contact details. Adding contact numbers with no answer phone service or that fail to give the necessary extension number, are barriers to access.

(4) Have correct contact details with any additional information. Many parents & carers already feel disadvantaged, on the wrong side of opportunity. Don't add to that sense of injustice or unfairness by making access to a service a challenge of endurance.

I am enthusiastic about the diversity of specialist provision available locally, regionally and nationally. The mixed economy of cross-sector provision is a reality for most local communities in these austere times. Finding out about what is available to parents, carers, young people and professionals is a challenging task.

(5) If using live links to your site, or adding case-studies, use them sparingly so the Profile page is not overburdened with content. There's a fine line between too little information and too much.

Provider Profiles are only ever one part of the wider portrait of any organisation. As an ideal, this profile sits alongside a website, social media platforms and other marketing material. It can stand alone in its own right but it is not setting out to make up wider deficits if a service has no other way of communicating what it does to its audience, other than word of mouth.

The Local Offer works hard to ensure it is part of the solution, and not the problem. Choice and control are at the heart of its work. That choice can be enhanced considerably when specialist providers take the time to consider their Provider Profiles, their Service Offer, so that those seeking support, understand what it is they do at a glance and can make informed decisions about how that support meets their child's needs.

The Local Offer - Raising Expectations - Changing Lives.

With many thanks for reading this far. If you like this article, why not check out my other articles on LinkedIn or on The Local Offer site. With kind regards, always.

Heather Stack

The Local Offer's Mission Statement

The Local Offer's Provider Search feature