Many charities developed digital services during the pandemic, with 53 per cent offering new online services, according to the Charity Digital Skills Report.
So how are these issues likely to affect the people who the sector supports, and what can we do about it?
The sight-loss charity the RNIB is growing concerned about how the digital divide is affecting the people it helps.
Sophie Dodgeon, the charity’s head of policy and public affairs, says the squeeze on household budgets also means that its beneficiaries will struggle to afford assistive technology, such as screen readers or video magnifiers.
This is causing high levels of worry and anxiety.
“Without this technology, many blind and partially sighted people will be more isolated socially, and be less likely to be able to find the best money‐saving deals or choose the cheapest options,” says Dodgeon.
Scottish social innovation charity People Know How is also worried.
It works with low income families affected by the poverty premium, which means paying more for essential goods and services.
This can result in people being pushed into data poverty when they do not have the time or resources to research different internet packages.
Claudia Baldacchino, communications and digital manager at the charity, told me: “This is because data and digital should be seen as a basic human right – something we’ve made an action point in our Connectivity Now campaign to end data poverty.”
Stories such as these show how digital inclusion is a multifaceted issue. People need more than devices.
They also need an internet connection and the digital skills to get online and make the most of the opportunities it offers.
The RNIB is combatting this issue by adding additional funded items to get blind and partially sighted people online as part of its grants offer.
The charity is also providing information and advice about accessing and using digital technologies via its Technology for Life team, as part of its Sight Loss Advice Service to people with who are blind or partially sighted, as well as their families, friends and professionals from the sight-loss sector.
Good Things Foundation has resources to help charities that are concerned about digitally excluded beneficiaries.
The foundation has set up the National Databank, which offers free mobile connectivity data for those who need it across the UK.
Charities can also join Good Things Foundation’s Online Centres Network, organisations across the UK that help people get online and use the internet.
Helen Milner, chief executive of the foundation says: “With the network’s support, community organisations can provide free mobile connectivity data, digital skills support and, in the longer term, a refurbished device.”
Milner and her team are also calling for the government to remove VAT from broadband social tariffs and pass on the cost saving to the consumer.
This winter is going to be difficult for many of the people charities support.
As well as working with organisations such as Good Things Foundation, the best thing we can all do is keep the spirit of collaboration going across the sector that we saw during lockdown.
The more we can all learn from each other about how digital exclusion continues to affect people, the better an understanding we will have of the issue. And that’s exactly what’s required if we are to lobby for effective change.
The digital divide should be back on everyone’s agenda again, because it never really went away.
Digital inclusion is a social justice issue, and we need to champion the right for everyone to get online so they can benefit from the information, advice and services they need to improve their lives.
Spotlight is GOOD’s new event series for the third sector, examining the most pressing issues facing society today, and the impact of these issues on charities.
The first event shines a light on the cost of living crisis, and we were joined by a brilliant panel:
Lindsey MacDonald PhD, CEO of Magic Breakfast,
Matt Downie MBE, CEO of Crisis and
Lindsay Boswell CBE, CEO of FareShare.
The event was hosted and moderated by Nilesha Chauvet, Managing Director at GOOD and opens with an introduction and provocation by Pete Grant, Planning Director at GOOD.
Here are the highlights.
A collective call for honesty and humility
All three panellists shared candidly and honestly about those things keeping them awake at night, and their very real concerns about the crisis. Lindsay Boswell shares that FareShare is ‘focused but pretty terrified about the demand that is coming downstream.’ His fear concerning the mounting pressure on services and to keep up with the ‘phenomenal increase’ in demand is also echoed by Matt Downie. Downie recognises the discomfort felt by those on the front line at Crisis when they must ration support due to overwhelming demand. He states that Crisis, as an organisation, handles this by being as ‘effective as [we] can be, for the people that [do] come to us.’
Similarly, Lindsey MacDonald shares that her key learning, emerging from a global pandemic into a cost of living crisis, is that organisations need to be clear about why they exist. Concerning Magic Breakfast, she states, ‘we need to have that clarity of purpose alongside a good amount of humility.’ She speaks collectively to the sector about the need for openness to collaboration. MacDonald’s view that if all organisations take a moment to pause and evaluate with humility, the sector can move forward, and this safeguards services, provision, and support for those who need it most.
An urgent need for unity
Downie argues that the sector is at serious risk if ‘we don’t get our lines straight and hammer out our policies to present to government.’ All three panellists agree that it is critical to unite as one voice, and to elevate a cohesive narrative to government to influence and to unlock financial support. MacDonald states that to achieve results, we need to better co-ordinate efforts. All three panellists agree that this is difficult to achieve when there is a tendency to pitch organisations against one another. Downie suggests we should avoid allowing ‘competition between charities [to] do us down in terms of the bigger picture.’ Boswell calls upon umbrella bodies to ‘step up’ and provide more leadership. He states they could be the ones to bring different organisations together to help drive real change.
‘Everyone’s a fundraiser’
‘I am absolutely a fundraiser. The more everyone recognises the importance of that the better,’ states Boswell. The importance of keeping fundraising front of mind is a red thread running throughout the conversation. Downie comments that he’s unashamed to say ‘fundraising is the number one priority at the moment’ for Crisis. Our panellists agree that now is not the time to remove investment into fundraising, even though there are great financial burdens upon donors and we’re all competing for a share of a smaller wallet. Instead, the strategy is about making sure the ask is the right one: asked in the right way and at the right time. MacDonald goes further and states that it’s also about asking with compassion. At Magic Breakfast they have seen the average donation halve but the number of people giving is double. This, she states, proves that generosity is still prevalent. People still care, so organisations need to understand it’s just about showing some empathy that supporters are going through a difficult time. She offers a timely reminder that this means charities should hold themselves to account concerning how they spend donations. Transparency is key now, more than ever before.
Watch the most up-to-date and specific research on the Cost of Living Crisis and Individual Giving.
There’s no doubt that the Cost of Living Crisis is changing the way people live and the way they spend. Many charities are already seeing an increased demand for services – and are worried about what the future might hold in terms of donations.
We’ve seen lots of facts and figures quoted but very little in the way of up-to-date research on how the cost of living crisis will affect individual giving programmes. So we decided to do our own.
Our YouGov survey of 1,000 UK donors makes for fascinating and worrying reading. From Direct Debit cancellations to Christmas appeals, things could be about to get challenging. And there will definitely be some winners and losers when it comes to cause areas.
This webinar covers:
Real life commentary from supporters
Where and when supporters are expecting to make changes to their donation plans
Understanding the lived experiences of those eligible for a SMI Health check from their GP or health provider.
We want to understand the…
Experience of having a health check
Barriers to taking up a health check
Changes people would like to see made
During November we want to engage with as many individuals, groups and organisations as possible. The goal is to capture people’s lived experiences through existing groups and forums and talk to the organisations that are currently supporting them.
We will also be providing opportunities to join online focus groups and telephone appointments.
For more information about taking part, please contact Anna Worpole on 07880 070600 or email at [email protected]
As part of a new pilot which has been funded by NHS Charities Together, East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) is launching a new service which aims to capture our patients who fall under the radar when it comes to non-medical unmet needs. Over the course of a shift our crews visit many patients and are in a prime position to observe when they are struggling. This could be for example with loneliness or support to remain independent.
Our crews do their best to try to address these issues where they can but are often left wishing they could have done more, especially whilst the service is under extreme pressure.
The Unmet Needs Project aims to plug this gap by offering referrals to local authorities, charities and outreach groups across our Trust’s regions. Examples of where we are looking to help are (but not limited to) carer support, housing, dementia, wellbeing, addiction recovery, budgeting, poverty, energy bills, bereavement support etc. However, whilst we have a good idea of what unmet needs our patients experience, we recognise that unmet needs is a vast area.
Crews will be able to complete a simple referral form which will be picked up by the unmet needs team, they in turn will contact the patient or family member to signpost them to a service who will be able to support.
We are extending our current Directory of Services (DOS) and we are keen to include as many local projects as we can to better support our patients. EEAST covers Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. We believe as a regional player we can tap into the local resources to make a difference.
We want to keep our patients safe, well and at home and we will do anything we can to keep them that way. By working together, we can all make a difference.
If you have any further questions or useful contact information, we would like to hear from you and if you wish to be included in our Directory of Service (DOS) please email: [email protected]
PLEASE NOTE THAT REFERRALS ARE VIA OUR CREWS ONLY. PLEASE DO NOT USE THE EMAIL ADDRESS FOR REFERRALS.
Overview
Multiply is a new Central Government 3-year scheme to increase adult numeracy skills (19+), funded by the Department for Education and delivered through Local Authorities. At the end of June, Essex County Council submitted its Multiply investment plan – emphasising applying Maths to real life situations. Essex was awarded a £7.9m Multiply Grant agreed and the First Year allocation is £2.4m.
Multiply in Essex
Multiply supports Everyone’s Essex commitments on Good Jobs, Future Growth, Levelling Up, and Lifelong Learning. It also allows good join-up with Education (e.g. parents’ numeracy skills and Year of Numbers); health/social care (via Anchors); and new work on Financial Wellbeing and the Cost of Living. In Essex, NVQ3 qualifications are 8 percentage points lower than the national average. In addition, Essex is 114th out of 151 top tier local authority areas (or 38 th from bottom) for such qualifications, and as well known, Maths is a key barrier to progression beyond NVQ2.
Essex Multiply Interventions
The training will be delivered by local colleges and training providers and is in the process of being commissioned. The courses will be based on the below areas:
Helping people use numeracy to manage their money. To help to address cost of living pressures. Linked to ECC’s Financial Wellbeing project.
Numeracy skills required in the workplace delivered with employers. Develop Maths skills pledges with partners, anchor institutions and businesses.
Helping parents increase their numeracy skills to help their children & help with their own progression. Bringing together providers & schools – linked to Year of Numbers 2023/24
Engaging the hardest to reach learners – eg. those not in the labour market, care leavers. Working with partners, skills providers & VCS supported by community grants.
Additional relevant maths modules embedded into other vocational courses
Confidence with numbers – tasters or access courses to overcome barriers to entry.
New intensive and flexible numeracy courses targeted at people without Level 2 maths, leading to a Functional Skills Qualification. Delivering a flexible progression route throughout the year – rather than being locked into a September start. (From April 2023)
How Voluntary and Community Sector Organisations can get involved with Essex Multiply
We have budgeted £1m of community grants over the 3 year period to award to voluntary and community sector and public partners to help to support individuals from all communities to engage with Multiply. You are the experts in relation to your client base, and we are approaching you as partners who meet people everyday who have challenges with numeracy. Being interested in what wraparound support you can offer to Essex Multiply, we ask you to consider the following questions:
• How can Multiply complement your existing offer?
• What new opportunities could it create?
• What cohorts do you work with? What places do you support?
• Would any of your staff benefit from Multiply interventions?
• Can your premises be used as delivery locations?
• How can we promote this to other organisations you work with in your area?
Essex Multiply Community Grants
Multiply will enable providers to deliver bite-sized training for adults and we are offering VCS and Partners opportunities to enhance your support to communities and cohorts, notably around the cost of living and life skills to support the Multiply provision.
The quid pro quo is that you will deliver additional outreach, triage and wraparound support and ultimately participants in Multiply training (c. 40-60 starts per £10k grant depending on the cohort – a unit cost of £167-£250).
If you already deliver numeracy training that works for your clients, we would be interested to hear about it)
Call for proposals for year 1 (up to March 2023):
Community Grants of up to £10k – closing date 11th November 2022
Community Grants will also be available in 2023-24 and 2024-25
Contact our Multiply team at [email protected] for an application form
The Essex Alliance and Essex Map will be attending the Third Sector Summit at Basildon Sport & Leisure Club on Wednesday 2nd November (2-8pm).
You’ll be able to speak to us about joining the Essex Alliance newsletter, Third Sector information sharing and how best to promote your organisation on the Essex Map.
Other organisations you’ll see on the day include;
Networking opportunities with:
Active Essex
Adult Social Services
Basildon Council
Basildon Rotary
BBW CVS Funding and Development
BBW CVS Projects
BBW CVS Trustees
BBW Volunteer Network
Benjamin Mann – Senior Policy and Strategy Advisor
Billericay Street Pastors
Clarion Housing
Community Agents
Creative Basildon
East of England Ambulance Service Unmet Need Team
Enable East
Essex Community Foundation
Essex Fire and Rescue
Fowler Smith and Jones
Health Watch Essex
Interact
Lightbulb
National Lottery
NHS Commissioners
Peabody
Population Health
Safe4Basildon
Social Prescribers
Stockvale group
Swan Housing
The DBS Regional Outreach service
Plus…
Come and chat to the many likeminded organisations already telling us they are joining in!
…and not forgetting
Funding displays on cost-of-living funding and current opportunities to help support your organisation
Training Opportunities
and lots more!
Seminars
14:15 Building an Alliance Andy Archer Hamelin Trust
15:15 The Power of Data for Bid Writing Samantha Glover Health Watch Essex
16:15 DBS Checks Georgina Mitchel Disclosure and Barring Service
17:15 Bid writing Danny Lawrence BEM BCAC Gateway FM
he NHS and partners across Essex are calling on everyone to help ‘Do Your Bit’ this winter as hospitals, GPs, paramedics and care services prepare for a rise in demand for local services.The most recent data shows that the NHS was already experiencing record demand for emergency services, with ambulances across the region responding to over 55,000 face to-face-incidents in September alone. In the same month call handlers have responded to more than 112,000 contacts, including 83,000 calls from the 999 service.
GP services are also seeing a huge rise in demand. From the start of April and the end of July 2022, local GP services provided over 1.9 million consultations, an increase of 31,000 compared to the same time the previous year.
While the NHS is here for local residents when they need it, there are lots of things people can do to stay well and help others in your community. From accepting invitations for important winter vaccinations to reduce the risk of serious illness, choosing the right NHS service or wearing sturdy slippers to help prevent falls, local health and care partners are calling on everyone to do their bit.
To support residents, a new campaign has been launched to help share important information about how the public to do their bit and take action to look after themselves, loved ones and the local NHS.
To mark the launch, the local NHS and wider health and care partners are encouraging local people to subscribe to FREE winter advice.
Subscribers will receive regular information about how people can support the #DoYourBit movement with useful tips and advice from local GP, Dr Anna Davey.
Dr Anna Davey, local GP leader for NHS Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board said: “Every part of the health and care system is currently under pressure treating and supporting increasing numbers of people right across the board. Our staff are doing their very best to make sure everyone can get the care they require but prevention is better than cure. There are many ways local people can protect themselves and others from ending up needing to call on local NHS services.
“This is an increasingly tough time for everyone and we appreciate how difficult it can feel for the public at the moment. However, by accepting invitations for FREE winter vaccinations and understanding all the different ways they can do their bit will allow us to care for the most seriously ill patients.”
We warmly invite you to London City Hall on 21 November 2022 to take part in a big conversation about the potential of new service models to improve outcomes in Adult Social Care.
Join us for a chance to step out of your day-to-day job, be inspired by how others are working to tackle big challenges and think creatively with like-minded colleagues.
About the Day
Adult Social Care is under enormous pressure. Budget constraints are severe and demand is growing. Both social care professionals and the people they serve report that the quality of outcomes is often not where they would like them to be.
Solving these problems will require more than incremental change or just improving the digital tools used by social care professionals. We need to radically rethink the way ASC needs are met: helping prevent needs from arising in the first place and finding more effective ways to support people when they do need help.
In response, LOTI is hosting this innovation day for Adult Social Care professionals and their third and private sector partners to explore the possibility of developing new service models. Participants will learn and be supported to think about radical new approaches to meeting social care needs. The focus will be on delivering better outcomes in more sustainable ways over the long term, using all the tools, approaches and methods that are available in the internet era. The event will be followed by a £200k innovation fund to incentivise, select and pilot the most promising ideas for new service models.
Why attend?
Meet with like-minded people in the public, third and private sectors who want to bring about change
Hear guest speaker, Paul Najsarek, Non-Executive Director, South London ICS
Visit an expo of organisations that addressing needs in radically different ways
Learn about LOTI’s framework for thinking about new service models
Work in groups to develop ideas for how things could be done differently
Find out about LOTI’s New Service Models Innovation Fund and how to apply
Who should attend?
We warmly invite Adult Social Care professionals, from directors to those with front-line experience, to join us and share their ideas.
What do I need to know?
The event opens at 9.30am for a 10.00am start. The event will close at 4.30pm.
Tea, coffee and lunch will be provided. If you have any special dietary requirements, please let us know on this registration form.
A detailed agenda will be provided closer to the event. More details can be found on the LOTI website and in this slide deck.