Survey Feedback
QUESTION 1.
Have you personally found this book useful?
Why?/Why not?
Response 1 (phone interview)
· Yes.
· We are currently re-evaluating how we do welfare. The book can be used as a resource for establishing protocols.
Response 2 (phone interview)
· Yes. Her first thought was “How excellent!” and she was planning to get in touch with us. As sector support it is very comprehensive and written in accessible English. It covers a whole range of ER topics.
Response 3 (phone interview)
· Yes.
· Written in an easy and user friendly way.
· I work on my own and can relate to it.
· The Chapter headings make everything easy and logical giving a breakdown of different parts of the service
· It gives guidelines in an area that is not clear-cut.
· Book supports worker flexibility while acknowledging the clients as individuals.
Response 4 (phone interview)
· Helen said they are no longer running ER. She set up ER in the area and it was operational for 3 years. It has now stopped and they are not picking it up again. The 7-8 staff have now been moved off-site to a central location. The book is useful to her as a reference.
Response 5 (returned survey)
· Yes. I found it very concise and it was easy to find the information I needed.
Response 6 (phone interview)
· Yes. It’s very well put together, resourceful, handy.
Response 7 (returned survey)
· Yes. It is a very useful ready reference on a range of practicalities associated with ER and as such is an aid to a more effective understanding in the satisfaction of clients requirements.
Response 8 (phone interview)
· Yes, because I am the training coordinator and I have already used it in training sessions with volunteers.
Response 9: (by letter)
· We, the Committee of Operation Larder Inc, agree that this book is very well written and easy to read and should be a useful training tool for many of the smaller community groups.
Have volunteers at your organisation found the book useful? Why?/Why not?
Response 1 (phone interview)
·
No. Only
one copy. The book hasn’t been looked at by volunteers.
Response: (by letter)
·
As we do
not deal directly with the public this book does not help us in practical
terms but all found it very informative. The size, layout and visual
presentation of this book is excellent.
Response 2 (phone interview)
·
Cheryl
can’t answer this question. She will contact her ER Director.
Response 3 (phone interview)
·
No
volunteers – work alone.
Response 4 (phone interview)
·
No
volunteers.
Response 5 (returned survey)
·
It deals
with a lot of different situations, and gives good advice as to how to cope
with all of these. Simple to use.
Response 6 (phone interview)
·
Yes, we
only have one copy – but I’ve shown it to a few people.
Response 7 (returned survey)
·
Yes – for
the reasons mentioned above.
Response 8 (phone interview)
· Yes, but we only have two copies and it needs to be available to everyone.
Do you think this book will become a useful training tool at your organisation?
Response 1 (phone interview)
· Yes – but not primary. Secondary, because the Salvation Army has its own training material and courses.
Response 2 (phone interview)
· She thinks it is not actually a training tool but an information tool. It would be useful to give out to volunteers in team discussions. They could pick different topics for discussion. A keen volunteer could read through the whole book or it could be left on the staff table.
Response 3 (phone interview)
· Yes. Really good – easy to understand and covers a lot of grey areas.
Response 4 (phone interview)
· I bought the book as a reference.
Response 5 (returned survey)
· Yes. It is very clear and easy to follow. Covers a lot of lot of different situations.
Response 6 (phone interview)
· I think so – yes.
Response 7 (returned survey)
· Yes. It will compliment the literature already in use at our organisation.
Response 8 (phone interview)
· Yes.
Can you think of any topics that should have been included in the book, but weren’t?
Response 1 (phone interview)
· No.
Response 2 (phone interview)
· Multicultural topics. Issues for newly arrived refugees. This is an issue in SA with many Africans being released from detention centres.
Response 3 (phone interview)
· Not offhand. It was quite comprehensive.
Response 4 (phone interview)
· The book is quite comprehensive, looks excellent, really impressed.
· Can’t think of any other topics.
Response 5 (returned survey)
· No.
Response 6 (phone interview)
· No – it’s a great job.
Response 7 (returned survey)
· No.
Response 8 (phone interview)
· Not offhand, but…
If ‘Yes’, please give an indication of topics of interest to you?
Response 1 (phone interview)
· (not relevant)
Response 2 (phone interview)
· Cultural issues with food parcels – to be aware that some people may need a balance of different ingredients ie more rice etc.
Response 3 (phone interview)
· I was confused about Question 9 in survey as I couldn’t find it in the book.
Response 4 (phone interview)
· —
Response 5 (returned survey)
· —
Response 6 (phone interview)
· (not relevant)
Response 7 (returned survey)
· —
Response 8 (phone interview)
· When reprinted, have a section where people are invited to contribute innovative ideas on ER programs.
· ER extension for clients who keep returning to the service – suggestions of innovative ways to deal with it. The book has a lot of focus on 1st timers.
What is your opinion on the size, layout and visual presentation of the handbook?
Response 1 (phone interview)
· Excellent, very user friendly, well published.
Response 2 (phone interview)
· The size is good – not overwhelming, very welcoming. The layout is fine – it didn’t reach out to me but it was OK. It was very clear – straight forward, not too busy.
· Its strength is that it is a more user friendly resource than the Acoss handbook.
· It is just as relevant to ER programs in larger agencies who don’t get a lot of support.
· It is an accessible tool – particularly useful for smaller groups who are “Out of the loop”.
Response 3 (phone interview)
· Good. The size (*length) was good and the small size was good. The pictures were good.
Response 4 (phone interview)
· Easy to find information – it doesn’t go on and on.
· Language is good.
· User friendly and succinct
Response 5 (returned survey)
· Size is good – easy to handle – layout is clear and concise. Visual presentation is interesting – very readable – keeps your interest – doesn’t waffle on.
Response 6 (phone interview)
· All positive, great resource, great tool. Personally don’t like brown.
Response 7 (returned survey)
· Excellent.
Response 8 (phone interview)
· The size is terrific for a training tool.
· For training purposes it would be better if changed to ring bound to fit into a training folder.
· The information is not new but way of delivery is. It is volunteer focused and has user friendly language.
Have you visited the Emergency Relief handbook project webpage on www.frankston.net?
Response 1 (phone interview)
· No (but has Internet connected.)
Response 2 (phone interview)
· No.
Response 3 (phone interview)
· No – I work part-time and don’t have a computer.
Response 4 (phone interview)
· Just to find the address and phone number
Response 5 (returned survey)
· Yes
Response 6 (phone interview)
· No, but organisation is connected to the Internet.
Response 7 (returned survey)
· Yes.
Response 8 (phone interview)
· No.
Do you have any comments about the website, or any suggestions about how it may be improved?
Response 1 (phone interview)
· (not relevant)
Response 2 (phone interview)
· No.
Response 3 (phone interview)
· No.
Response 4 (phone interview)
· No.
Response 5 (returned survey)
· Thought it was well laid out – easy to find the information.
Response 6 (phone interview)
· (not relevant)
Response 7 (returned survey)
· No. It is very comprehensive.
Response 8 (phone interview)
· Cannot answer.
Do you think that the Emergency Relief Service Consultancy Service found on the website will be useful to your organisation?
Response 1 (phone interview)
· (Description given of website Consultancy Service) It could be useful - maybe in the future.
Response 2 (phone interview)
· Cannot answer.
Response 3 (phone interview)
· From what I understand it sounds good.
· Good to have contact with other people working in the same situation.
Response 4 (phone interview)
· No.
Response 5 (returned survey)
· Yes. It is presenting all the emergency information in one easily accessible place.
Response 6 (phone interview)
· (Description was given of website Consultancy Service) A good idea but not sure whether our organisation has a particular need for it.
Response 7 (returned survey)
· It is a good ready reference.
Response 8 (phone interview)
· (I explained this concept to her). She thought it was a good idea.
How do you think the consultancy service might be useful to other organisations distributing emergency relief?
Response 1 (phone interview)
· It could be useful. We have support from the Salvation Army. Other organisations without networking would find it useful.
Response 2 (phone interview)
· Not sure. She would expect that sort of thing to be coordinated through Vcoss.
· Yes. It would be useful in support and encouragement – anything where people can ask questions and get feedback and advice.
· SA is forming an E-Groups community to network.
Response 3 (phone interview)
· The Food Bank run where I work have volunteers facing the same issues.
· The consultancy and support good for volunteers.
· Their issues are questioning whether they are actually helping or creating a dependency.
Response 4 (phone interview)
· There is now a central intake for services in the area and the book could be very useful. She is taking it to their first formal meeting on Thursday.
Response 5 (returned survey)
· Perhaps looking to see what other organisations they can link with.
Response 6 (phone interview)
· It probably would be.
Response 7 (returned survey)
· This will be useful especially for those organisations new in the field and also those which only operate in a limited sphere of ER activities and who may experience situations which they have not met in the past.
Response 8 (phone interview)
· Yes.
Are there other comments that you would like to make on the book?
Response 1 (phone interview)
· Thank you for producing it.
· It is a good tool to have on the shelf at your fingertips.
· I’m surprised no-one has done it before.
Response 2 (phone interview)
· The Acoss ER handbook is usually sent to sections in the organisation not directly involved with ER.
· She suggests we should get in touch with a person working on a nationally accredited TAFE course to ‘get in on the ground floor’. The book would be a good resource for training material.
· Cheryl is interested in ordering more books for non-Acoss funded agencies. She feels she could put together a substantial order from contacts in SA, NT and WA – maybe enough for another printing.
Response 3 (phone interview)
· Really, really good.
· Only other books I have are resources from FaCS. This is real and easier to read – from a real service – real people.
· The government has no face–to-face contact. This book is from people in direct service.
· It is interesting to read about Frankston as compared to Geelong. More people are moving into the Geelong area for a more relaxed and rural lifestyle. Geelong is new in this field.
Response 4 (phone interview)
· All positive feedback
· Liked the language used in the explanation of poverty.
· Easy to read.
Response 5 (returned survey)
· Congratulations – it’s a great book – a good teaching tool – thank you.
Response 6 (phone interview)
· Great resource.
· Congratulations to the Centre for producing it.
· It was a long time coming.
Response 7 (returned survey)
· No thanks.
Response 8 (phone interview)
· It would be good to see it as a long term project with updated editions produced on a regular basis.