About the Community Services Directory

About the Community Services Directory

The directory helps people find information from local groups, services and activities.

What is the Community Services Directory?

The Community Services Directory is a platform for all residents in Worcestershire to find helpful information about registered health and wellbeing groups, services, and activities locally and across the county.

It is a way to enable people to stay informed, healthy, and independent, by providing relevant information, when they need it. It is a great way to connect people to local services and to the variety of voluntary and community groups across Worcestershire.

The directory is also a valuable way for local service providers to create awareness about what they do; a way to showcase groups and activities in the county and increase awareness about the choices available.

As there is a wealth of information to benefit people across Worcestershire, the directory also provides an easy-to-use reference tool for practitioners.

To help you on your way, we’ve compiled a list of frequently asked questions.

How can the directory help me?

It can provide you with helpful information on services available in your area- there is a wealth of information that covers the following areas:

  • learning, work, and volunteering including adult education, business, employment, training, and refugee support
  • travel and transport
  • money matters including, benefits, budgeting, advice and advocacy, housing and more
  • mental health and wellbeing for adults and children, including befriending and isolation, advocacy and support, and more
  • looking after someone, whether that’s adult, young or parent carers
  • staying healthy including, alcohol, drug and smoking support, keeping active and eating well, managing stress, relationships, long-term conditions, and sexual health
  • activities and things to do including arts, museums, libraries, countryside and more
  • help at home including maintaining independence, food banks and supplies, energy support, briefing and isolation or help around the home and garden 

How do I search for information on the directory?

There are various ways to search:

  • if you know the organisation you are looking for you can search for them by name
  • if you are looking for a service or type of group you can search keywords such as ‘Mental health,’ ‘Food bank’ or ‘Scouts’ to find organisations in your area
  • search by type of support from the prepopulated ‘Type of Support/sub-category” dropdown lists
  • you can type your postcode the postcode box or select a district to search for organisations, services or community groups near you
  • if you leave the postcode and district box blank, all listings will appear regardless of distance
  • search directory listings that have a location to visit displayed and pinned on the interactive map
  • search other useful directories i.e., District Council Directories, Care Choices, NHS Service Finder by following quick links on the directory homepage

Top tip: When searching using words or phrases, keeping your search terms short e.g., put “walking” rather than “walking groups.” This will give you the most inclusive results. If you do not find a result it might be worth looking for different variants of your search.

Top tip: You must enter a postcode into the search bar if you would like to view travel routes or display a link to Google Maps for directions, when viewing a directory listing. Please note, this will only be visible for services that offer in-person support or have a community venue or location to visit.

Top tip: If you have used the search bar and then wish to do a new search using the location and category filters, make sure you use the clear search button to reset the search.

Can I save, send and share information?

Yes, the directory allows you to save listings to a shortlist whilst browsing. Click the ‘Add to shortlist’ button on the search result page or when viewing a directory listing.

By saving to your shortlist, you will have quick access to your favourites listings or those you may like to revisit. You can access your shortlist by clicking the ‘view shortlist’ button displayed at the top-right of the directory page. 

You can share directory listing information by automated email too. Open your shortlist, tick the box of the listing(s) you would like to share, click ‘Share selected services’. Enter your name, the email address of the person you would like to share the directory listing with, type a message for the recipient, and finally click the ‘share list’ button. The directory will automatically email the contact with your message, name and a weblink to the directory listing. 
 

What area does the Community Services Directory cover?

The directory has been developed primarily for residents of Worcestershire. There is also information on some national organisations who provide services or activities in Worcestershire or those who provide digital services.

The directory is also a great resource for people moving to the county, and for people looking out for friends or family living in the county. We also have an informative ‘Your Area’ resource that will help you find out more about your local schools, GP services, councillors etc. You can find out more by visiting Worcestershire County Council - My Local Area.

How do I know the information is up to date?

We ask all organisations that register on the directory to manage their own listings, so they are responsible for updating their information. We do regular checks on records to make sure links, and content is relevant, and we run a regular review cycle where we ask registered organisations to check and confirm their listings. 

We hope that this means the information you find on the directory will be correct. If you do see something that you know is out of date or incorrect, please do let us know by using the “Report incorrect or missing information” button in the organisations record.

What if I can’t find the service I am looking for or want to give feedback?

If you are unable to find what you're looking for during your search, please use the ‘Can't find what you’re looking for?’ button to let us know if there are services or organisations that you would like to see included in the directory.

If you would like to provide feedback about the directory, please email the Strengthening Communities team at StrengtheningCommunities@worcestershire.gov.uk with the subject line “CSD feedback”

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