Anchor Website

Anchor for Families is a service designed to provide support to families under pressure by offering guidance and connecting people with appropriate services for their needs. It was created due to an understanding that it is not always clear where people should be directed when needing help, resulting in people being passed between services without finding long-term solutions. Anchor for Families support is provided so that people get the help they need in good time.

At the start of the Anchor Project, in 2018, it was felt to be beneficial to have a section dedicated to Anchor on the Shetland Islands Council website, to promote the work. The website provided information to the community about how to get in touch and the types of support they could access.

A few years into the Project, it was acknowledged that the webpages were not really designed to be open and friendly to those who need to access the support the most.

What was the desired outcome?

That a user appropriate web page would be designed, launched and serve as a means of sharing information about Anchor for Families, to make people aware of the services’ purpose. It would detail what work was currently being carried out and how to access support if needed, ensuring the language was friendly and non-stigmatising.

What was already known?

The Anchor Project Officers had good relationships with those they supported and a good idea of what information should be included on the website. It was also important to take a fresh look at how information was presented as, at the time, information was presented using traditional public sector website style language, which was not the appropriate tone for the users.