Helpper, people with support needs connect with people willing to help them

admin on 16 June 2021

Young helpper helping an elderly woman to do groceries. Retrieved from Helpper’s website.

Service that connects people who need some support for their daily life tasks (helppies), with people close to them, in the same neighbourhood or village, who are willing to help them (helppers).

Helppper is a model that seeks the comfort of both sides, because it allows helppers to specify what their availability is (schedule, types of service they can offer, if they offer it free or with remuneration, etc.); and the helppies to select the support to be received (what person, for which support needs, schedule, modality, price, etc.). Helpper offers three subscription modalities: Basic, Standard and Premium, to make it easier for each person to personify the level of assistance they want to receive.

People with disabilities, with chronic diseases, elderly people, parents and mothers who are very busy, and even carers who need help in caring for dependents, can access the service.

The types of assistance or possible tasks to offer/receive include: small home repairs; food aid; support with administrative processes; travel and transport support; company to mitigate unwanted loneliness; babysitting; etc.

The service is available in French and Dutch.

Characteristics of innovation

Aging, Bank of innovations, Cross-cutting intervention, Families and upbringing, Fully inclusive cities, Group intervention, Lab, Link with the community, New service, New technological tool, Personalization of the service, Proximity care, Right of choice of the user, Self-management and participation, Speed up response times

Location

Belgium

Partners/Funders

Mutua Partena, Wheelchairity, mobilant, VZW, onafhankelijk leven, alin vzw, absoluut, Start It, OZ, My Assist, thuiszorg vleminckveld, hoplr, Neutraal Ziekenfonds Vlaanderen, Vlaams & Neutraal Ziekendfonds, Blijf Actief

Genesis

It was created in 2017 to connect people who need simple support for daily jobs, with people willing to help. Helpper provides a complementary service to the services of the Administrations or NGOs, and provides a relief at certain needs, either one time, frequently or permanently.

Level of implementation

Helpper is a service available in six provinces of Belgium. By 2020, their helppers had provided more than 350,000 hours of aid, and the platform received 100 new helppers each day. It currently has about 22,000 helppers (persons offering support) and 4,500 helppies (persons receiving support). Helpper has gained several international recognitions, including the “Startup of the Year 2020” awarded by The Big Squeeze.

Further information

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Outcomes Star, methodology for customizing and objectivising Social Services intervention

admin on 30 March 2021

Working one-to-one with Outcomes Star. Retrieved from Outcomesstar.org.uk

Methodology to evaluate and plan customarily the transformation processes of people served by the Social Services. It is designed to be an integral part of social intervention, not a secondary tool; to achieve the most custom-like relationship between the person concerned and the professional using one-to-one work; and to adapt to their specific needs. It is a comprehensive social intervention formula, which allows users of the Social Services to be involved in all parts of their process and to measure their progress with objective indicators.

There are different star models, so the basic methodology can be applied to different services and social situations, by means of different indicators for each case. There are between 5 and 10 outcome areas, which are shared in a star-shaped diagram, making it a visual resource and easy to understand. These areas can be both positive and negative, allowing a visual map of the person’s life to be displayed and advised from their strengths and weaknesses. Each outcome area has a numerical scale (from 1 to 10 or 1 to 5) that is used to evaluate the initial situation of the person through objective criteria that are specified according to the type of service.

Outcomes Star allows the evaluation of the starting point of the given person, and from there the creation of an action plan and objectives based on the different areas of the star. The star is completed regularly to measure the change being produced and to readapt the action in the necessary cases. The collected data can be used for a specific case or interpreted as aggregated data to allow the overall evaluation of the results of a project or service.

To use Outcomes Star, is mandatory to buy the license and take the initial training provided by the company Triangle, which helps to achieve maximum performance and an adaptation of the methodology for each specific organization or service to be used.