Childrens services the challenge we face today

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Jenny Brogden Doug Maclean
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Digital Inclusion What has it got to do with
us?
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The Workshop Format

• Background to Digital Inclusion
• The project
• Early findings
• Over to you

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In the last three decades globalisation has
transformed our lives New technologies have made
it quicker and cheaper to communicate
long-distance Creating opportunities that didn't
exist before 7 out of 10 businesses communicate
directly with customers through the web In 2005
100 billion of UK business was over the web
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UK Government is shifting services online
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We can enjoy the benefits of technology in every
aspect of our day-to-day lives
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ICT now lies at the heart of most of
the activities which are seen to constitute
social inclusion futurelab
"In today's society, access to information by all
citizens is a right as well as a condition for
prosperity. It is neither morally acceptable nor
economically sustainable to leave millions of
people behind, unable to use Information and
Communications Technologies to their advantage,
Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Information
Society and Media.30/11/07
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BUT Not EVERYONE in the UK is benefiting from the
opportunities provided by new technologies
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The divide within the divide

• 11 don't have a mobile phone
• 27 don't yet have a digital TV, and 26 of those
  who do, have non-interactive forms of Digital
  Terrestrial TV
• 33 of UK households don't have a home computer
• 39 of adults in the UK don't use the internet
  and 27 of adults have never used the Internet
• 23 of children have never accessed the internet
  from home and 29 lack such access
• 47 - do not want to, do not need to or have no
  interest

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• An estimated 22 of the population (11.3) people
  are socially excluded
• They suffer three or more disadvantages such as
• unemployment
• living in workless households
• no qualifications
• social housing
• overcrowded
• poor mental health
• poor health
• living alone
• lacking consumer durables
• or
• enduring financial stress.

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75 of socially excluded peopledo not use the
internet
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What are the main barriers?
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The Barriers

• Cost
• Connectivity
• Capability
• Content
• Community

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The Project

• The research project is about identifying why
  digital inclusion is often not embedded in social
  inclusion projects and how best to build
  professional capacity to tackle digital exclusion
  and to ensure that digital inclusion becomes
  mainstream.

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Digital Skills Specification

• Commissioned by Communities and Local Government
• Anecdotal evidence that there was a skills gap
• What needs to be in place for a local authority
  to take forward Digital Inclusion

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Taking the project forward

• Questionnaires over 3,500 to all English and
  Welsh LAs
• 4 Different questionnaires
• Heads of Service
• Heads of ICT
• Front line Staff
• Members of LSPs

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Taking the Project Forward 2

• Analysis
• In-depth Interviews
• Workshops
• Work with providers
• Report

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Initial findings from research and questionnaires

• Despite developments in technology the uptake of
  ICT has largely plateaued.
• Access to ICT is not enough a proportion of
  non-users of the internet reside in connected
  households.
• There is a demonstrable correlation between
  social and digital exclusion.

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Initial findings from research and questionnaires
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• Still learning some of the early lessons
• People issues, not just technology
• Listen, listen, listen
• Measurable benefits
• Not always the benefits you expect
• Digital exclusion is unlikely to be adequately
  addressed in isolation from other policy areas.

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Initial findings from research and questionnaires
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• A significant proportion of the digitally
  excluded are at risk of deepening exclusion.
• Penetration by market forces is unlikely to
  eliminate digital exclusion.
• Digital exclusion is also unlikely to disappear
  over time through demographic developments.
• Extending digital inclusion can have tangible
  beneficial impact for national productivity and
  GDP

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Initial findings from research and questionnaires

• Strategies need to be in place
• Corporate working
• Knowledge and experience of staff
• Specific teams in place for social and digital
  inclusion
• Front line staff being able to feed into
  strategies

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Any Questions and then over to you
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What we want from you

• Groups of 7-10
• Ideas for tackling the scenario brainstorm
  using post-it notes one idea per post-it note
• Identify ideas that could be taken forward
  using 3 votes
• How would you take the ideas forward

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Consider

• How you would identify the need
• Who would you partner with
• What are the processes needed to enable the work
  to move forward
• What information, knowledge and skills would be
  needed
• What funding and from where
• Which National Indicators could be addressed

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Innovative uses of technology can support
effective services that improve lives and life
chances whether it is in rural or urban areas