BT Global Services announces today that Liverpool Direct Limited (LDL) has agreed a £33 million agreement with Liverpool City Council to expand its support to the authority's Careline service. LDL, a public private partnership between BT and Liverpool City Council, has supported Careline, a social care call centre service, since 2004 as part of its multi-million pound contract with the council.
As part of the agreement, Careline customer contact support will be transferred to the LDL contact centre, which will supply 80 desks to the council. Trained advisors supported by a team of qualified social workers will provide 24/7 advice and support, aiming to resolve difficulties for citizens on a range of topics, including sensitive subjects such as homelessness, safeguarding adults, domestic violence, child protection, adoption and fostering. Careline currently receives around 20,000 calls and 10,000 emails per month.
LDL has supported Careline since 2004 and has driven through a number of service improvements such as data cleansing and provision of remote access to electronic information to ensure adults and children receive timely care. LDL also design and implemented the technology used in the Careline Service.
Stuart Smith, Executive Director for Children's Services, Liverpool City Council, said: "Careline is the cornerstone of our provision of care and support to the cities most vulnerable. Liverpool Direct has provided an excellent service to Careline over the last four years and I am delighted to be able to extend the relationship further. It will benefit the service users, as well as providing extra resources for Liverpool's citizens."
David McElhinney, chief executive at Liverpool Direct Ltd, said: "Taking this service on board we will deliver a caring, high quality service which will provide significant cost savings for Liverpool City Council. The successful handling of calls of this nature is an extremely important element of an authority's responsibility in caring for vulnerable members of society. The fact that we are able to offer this service to the council is a reflection on the skills and expertise of our contact centre staff and demonstrates our capability in the social care market."