Information for Councils

Your own e-Marketplace for social care

Helping councils make personalisation a reality

shop4support works with councils to help them achieve the objectives of the Think Local Act Personal agenda. The cornerstone of this is the creation of internet based e-Marketplaces, tailor made to each council's needs, with:

• Rich and detailed online content
• The ability to enable service users to make informed decisions about their support
• Solutions for all types of personal budget
• Market Management tools
• Minimised upfront investment
• A low risk and economically sustainable ongoing commercial model

shop4support is working with all 15 councils in Yorkshire and Humber, to create the biggest ever social care e-Marketplace for the region. The arrangements also allow for other UK councils to use this e-Marketplace solution without having to undertake their own lengthy and expensive procurement processes. The first to do this is Manchester City Council.

The e-Marketplace will allow your citizens to:

• Find support products and services - similar to other websites, such as Amazon, the e-Marketplace contains stores owned by service providers, full of support products and services. Unlike with other solutions, citizens are able to actually buy these through the e-Marketplace
• Find free and low cost local groups and activities - encouraging social capital
• Receive and share help and advice
• Discover how to make a support plan
• View useful council contacts
• Manage their own personal budget online, if appropriate. shop4support's Budget Manager enables councils to manage multiple citizens' personal budgets on their behalf.

shop4support works in partnership with councils, their providers, voluntary organisations and citizens, to ensure that their e-Marketplace is working for them - the interaction of all stakeholders is key to enabling citizens to take control of their own support.

Award winning

In 2010, Harrow Council's shop4support e-Marketplace won the Support for Independence award at the London regional finals of the NHS Institute Health and Social Care Awards. Find out more about shop4support's partnership with Harrow Council.

A long term solution with a manageable cost

shop4support's e-Marketplace has been developed as a result of feedback from councils, with a robust business case detailing efficiencies that ensure a substantial return on investment.

As each council has different needs and will want to progress at their own pace, options are bespoke and range from a stand alone website to a solution which can integrate fully with a council's finance and case management systems.

In response to feedback from the overall market, the e-Marketplace has:

• Substantially lower setup and operating costs than previously
• No ongoing costs for providers
• An entry level for a council of only in the region of £45,000 - for a package that has significantly more functionality and usability than that of other online portals and resource directories