Case Study: Croydon Voluntary Action achieves rapid, coordinated support for vulnerable adults with Simply Connect Solutions

How we Used Technology and Partnership Working to Support Vulnerable Adults During COVID19

Croydon Voluntary Action was asked by the local authority to coordinate community support for vulnerable adults during COVID‑19, but referrals arrived on spreadsheets from multiple sources and tracking cases became unmanageable. Croydon Voluntary Action partnered with Simply Connect Solutions to co‑design a case‑management and referral tool to centralise referrals, coordinate volunteers, link workers and partner agencies, and underpin their "Check, Chat & Connect" befriending service.

Simply Connect Solutions built and iterated the system in 2–3 weeks, giving partners secure logins, SMS reminders, a linked Directory of Services, and reporting tools for the council; volunteers now update tasks and make referrals directly in the platform. The solution supports about 100 volunteers making weekly calls to roughly 150 clients (some volunteers manage up to three people), improved coordination and response times, and enables Croydon Voluntary Action to provide regular activity reports to the local authority.

Croydon Voluntary Action

Karen Chillman

Head of Volunteering