Digital Communities Wales

What do we do?

Our focus and aim from April 1st, 2024 – 30th June 2025 is to embed and mainstream digital inclusion within identified thematic areas ensuring ownership of digital inclusion.

Our support is free and covers a range of different thematic areas: Health, Social Care, Social Housing, Older People, Ethnic Minority Communities, and Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities. We are here to work with organisations within these thematic areas to support them to embed digital inclusion, ensuring ownership and collective resilience.

We know that the best way to reach communities experiencing digital exclusion is to work with the trusted faces and organisations that directly support them. Our support will reflect this as we work with organisations to ensure their staff and volunteers have the necessary skills to support others.

We will work with you to develop a plan that is in line with your vision and ideas around digital inclusion support.

Consultation – Our Advisors are available to meet with you to discuss your ambitions and requirements and to explore strategic and operational approaches to develop and embed digital inclusion into your organisation. They can guide you through the varied support, including short-term loan of digital equipment – such as tablets, laptops, MiFis, and smart devices – so you can try new technology and deliver digital activities. Our consultations provide valuable support to take the positive steps required to develop the skills and confidence of your workforce and the people of Wales.

Training – We deliver a wide range of digital inclusion training to frontline staff and volunteers to give them the confidence, knowledge, and skills to use technology themselves and to help others. We have training offers that are appropriate for the different thematic areas  designed to engage a range of audiences, from inspiring staff to use digital, to helping others and being safe online. We can also offer bespoke training designed specifically for your organisation and your digital inclusion needs. The training we provide to organisations and people in Wales goes hand in hand with the digital consultation support from our expert team of Advisors.

Digital skills audit – You may be interested in understanding the digital skills, confidence and access of your staff or volunteers. We have created a skills survey that helps you to understand this.

Digital Champions – Digital Champions play a crucial role in helping people get online in Wales, and can help organisations with their digital transformation journey and can embed new ways of working. They are people with basic digital skills who want to help others benefit from digital technology. We can help to improve the digital skills and confidence of staff and volunteers and support the development of digital champions programmes.

Digital Inclusion Charter for Wales – The Digital Inclusion Charter allows you to show your organisation’s commitment to alleviating digital exclusion so that everyone can make the most of what digital has to offer. Organisations can gain Accreditation by successfully submitting an action plan.

Digital Inclusion Alliance Wales – We build partnerships between organisations, where working together can progress digital inclusion aims across Wales. Any organisation is welcome to join the Digital Inclusion Alliance Wales Network, which has been developed with stakeholders across multiple sectors to take joint action to shift the digital inclusion agenda in Wales.

Now, more than ever, it is crucial that digital inclusion is embedded into, mainstreamed and owned by organisations and communities across Wales. Digital inclusion is not one organisation’s responsibility, and it cannot be championed by one programme alone. It requires collaboration, cooperation, and commitment by various stakeholders, working together, so we can create a digitally inclusive nation in Wales that benefits everyone and leaves no one behind.

Digital Communities Wales is a Welsh Government programme, delivered by Cwmpas.