Autumn updates
It’s not just the leaves that are dropping this autumn. So are our latest updates to Ask:Enact.
There’s been plenty happening behind the scenes, and I’m pleased to share what we’ve been working on.
The aim remains the same: help professionals prevent harm by supporting them to feel more confident taking action. That means making support easier to find, making the tool easier to use and taking care over how we protect information.
Bonfire night might be over, but we are still setting off bangers.
Bringing local knowledge and ALISS together
Knowing someone needs support is one thing. Knowing what’s available and where to start can be harder.
Ask:Enact now brings together information from ALISS with tailored local service information. ALISS is Scotland’s national resource for finding health and wellbeing services, groups and activities. We combine that with our own bespoke workflows for keeping local service information relevant, helping users find support that fits the person and their circumstances.
This is useful because housing concerns rarely happen in isolation. Someone might need help with money, their health or feeling connected to their community. Having those options alongside local housing support gives practitioners more to work with when considering the next step.
More protection for users and information
We’ve introduced multi-factor authentication at login, adding another layer of protection to user accounts. It’s an extra step when signing in, but one with a clear purpose: helping keep access secure.
We’ve also added automatic redaction of personally identifying information. This helps identify and remove personal details from chat content, adding another layer of privacy protection.
And we’re now Cyber Essentials certified. The government-backed scheme focuses on technical controls that help protect organisations against common cyber threats. I’m pleased we’ve reached this milestone as we continue developing Ask:Enact and building confidence in how we operate.
Keeping track of the conversations you need
You can now flag chats you want to return to.
It’s a small addition, but a useful one. You might have a conversation you want to revisit, something to discuss with a colleague or an example that helps you think through a similar situation later.
Flagging it makes it easier to find again, without relying on remembering which conversation it was halfway through a busy week.
These changes all support the everyday work of using Ask:Enact: finding relevant help, protecting information and keeping track of something you need to come back to.
Thank you to everyone who continues to try the tool, ask questions and tell us what could work better. That feedback helps us understand what’s useful in practice and where we need to put more work in.
If you’re already using Ask:Enact, give the new features a try and let us know how you get on. We’d like to hear what helps, what gets in the way and what would make your next conversation a little easier.
There are more updates coming before the end of the year, and some of them are super exciting. I’m looking forward to sharing them with you. Keep an eye out!