Help
1. Help with searching
There are three different ways you can search on this website.
- If you want to look at a range of services to meet a specific need you can choose from seven main topics.
- If you are looking for a specific organisation or service you can start by entering a keyword, or a postcode or placename.
- You can then sort your search results and narrow them down based on a few different options.
a. Search by topic
Main topics
Along the top of the page there are seven main topic headings. If you click on one of these you will see a list of all results related to that topic.
b. Search by keyword or postcode/placename
Keyword
Typing in a word or a few words into the 'Keywords' box brings you back all entries that contain at least one of the words you have entered.
You can also use special characters to limit your results more closely.
The plus sign (+) before a word means that each of the results must contain that word, so the example search below brings back only records results containing both of the words nursery and ofsted, for example: +nursery +ofsted
Using double quotes (") around your search words brings back only results that contain those words as an exact phrase, for example: "childminder"
Location
Entering a place name (e.g. Parkstone) in the box marked 'Located in' will bring back results of services based in and around that location.
Entering a full postcode in the box marked 'Located in' will bring back results in order of closeness to that postcode.
Entering a the first part of a postcode (such as BH15) in the box marked 'Postcode or place name' will bring back a list of services and activities located in your postcode area.
c. Further search filters
If your search has produced a list of 10 or more records, you can make your search more specific by selecting one or more of the search filters which are displayed in lists to the right of your results. The more use you make of the filters, the more focused your results will be, however you may want to include services that are countywide as well as those that specifically serve your area, or those that are not age or disability specific as well as those that have a specific focus, in order to ensure you do not exclude general information which might be relevant to your search.
d. Sorting your search results
Certain records relating to key information or organisations have been given priority in the list of records. However, you can change the sort order of your search results using the options that are shown in the section just above your results. Depending on the type of search that you have done, your results can appear in any of the following sort orders:
- Sorted by relevance (i.e. the best match to your search)
- Sorted alphabetically (i.e. in A-Z order of title with numbers first)
- Sorted by distance (only if you have done a full postcode search)
2. Choosing and printing results
As you look around this website you can build up your own personal shortlist of services and activities. You can add items to your 'shopping basket' by clicking the 'Add to shortlist' button displayed alongside each item on your search lists or when viewing the details of an item. Items can be removed by selecting 'Remove from list' alongside that item.
When you have finished searching you can click on My Shortlist to see all the results you have chosen. You can display a short version or a detailed version of the shortlist by clicking the appropriate button. You can email or print your results.
Your shortlist information is stored in a temporary part of your browser, so if you close down your browser the shortlist will be cleared. You can also clear the shortlist at anytime by going to the shortlist and selecting 'Clear shortlist' from the onscreen options.
