Glasgow-based simulation software specialist, Simul8 has joined forces with AtkinsRéalis, a world-class engineering services and nuclear organisation, to help optimise resource planning for the NSPCC, enabling the charity to improve the speed and efficiency at which contacts are handled.
The project, which is part of a pro bono programme by the Operational Research (OR) Society and contributed to by Simul8 and AtkinsRéalis, will enable frontline staff at the NSPCC to respond quickly and efficiently to members of the public or professionals who contact the charity with concerns about a young person’s welfare. Ultimately, this will result in the charity being able to support more children through their vital work in keeping young people safe.
The NSPCC Helpline responds to around 75,000 contacts a year and, on average, over 200 worried adults a day contact the charity about children who desperately need help to protect them. In order to maximise response times and meet increasing demand, the NSPCC reached out to the OR Society for support. Working with volunteers from AtkinsRéalis, the NSPCC used Simul8 to deploy a simulation-powered digital twin to redefine its resource planning processes and optimise its responses to calls and online contacts.
Ross Copland, Strategic Service Manager at the NSPCC commented: “When a member of the public or a professional contacts our NSPCC Helpline, it’s our responsibility to make sure that we’re there to listen, to support and to help. One contact can be life changing, and this is why we place so much importance on making sure we’ve got people in the right place at the right time to be there when we’re needed most.
“This project has helped us recognise the potential of simulation-powered digital twins and the positive impact they can have on our organisation. The technology enables us to plan and allocate resources more quickly, more accurately and more effectively. We can now make confident decisions on how best to manage our resources, allowing our dedicated staff and volunteers to focus on supporting as many children, young people and the adults concerned about them, as possible.”
Stephen Pollard, Senior Consultant at AtkinsRéalis, OR Society member and project volunteer added: “The NSPCC is an incredible charity doing vital work and our teams were keen to have the opportunity to take the skills they use daily and apply them to a project for social good. That inspired us to go the extra mile and deliver a solution that exceeded its expectations and we’re so pleased to be able to contribute to how the NSPCC targets its resources to make such a big difference to the lives of young people around the UK.”
Following the completion of the project, the NSPCC is now looking to enable this same technology to be applied to its Childline service, which provides almost 200,000 counselling sessions a year with a child contacting the helpline on average every 45 seconds.
Laura Reid, CEO at Simul8, concluded: “The NSPCC provides vital support to children across the UK and is a lifeline to thousands of young people suffering abuse and neglect. We are extremely proud to have been able to support this project. Our software enables organisations to simulate and test processes and systems in a risk-free environment alongside real-world scenarios, removing the bottlenecks which so often lead to delays or disruption of services. Our software is really helping to make a difference, and in turn, the NSPCC can continue to make an even bigger difference to the lives of so many children at risk.”