Driving Digitally Locally
North Lanarkshire Council · 6 February 2023
Back to Communities Committee — 6 February 2023 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Communities Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes ☒ No Ref KH/LG Date 06/02/23 Driving Digital Locally From Katrina Hassell, Chief Officer Business and Digital E-mail HassellK@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 07903 096 121 Executive Summary North Lanarkshire Council is acutely aware of the scale of change underway, and the responsibility associated with providing secure and accessible online solutions that serve communities across North Lanarkshire. This report provides an update on the progress to date on the development of the Driving Digital Locally framework amongst key stakeholders, communities and elected members. Several next steps are highlighted within the content of the report including the progress of the Driving Digital Locally Digital subgroup, shaping of the community benefits through Commsworld connectivity contract and the success and progress of the intergenerational project within retirement complexes in conjunction with local primary schools. Recommendations It is recommended the Communities Committee: (1) Note the contents of this report. (2) Endorse the next steps outlined herein. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority All priorities Ambition statement (19) Improve engagement with communities and develop their capacity to help themselves
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1. Background 1.1 The DigitalNL Programme aims to provide online, anytime services which meet the needs of our citizens, so it is crucially important for the Council to truly understand those needs. The programme therefore looks to drive effective collaboration and engagement with our citizens, staff, and elected members. 1.2 A detailed overview of the DigitalNL programme was presented to all nine Community Boards in March 2021. As part of that presentation members of Community Boards were invited to become involved in a new initiative, Driving Digital Locally, to drive multi-channel engagement. 1.3 The group was set up in August 2021 and consists of 2 members from each board area, representatives from across the council where there is a digital and communities’ responsibility, and key stakeholders from priority groups and voluntary organisations. 1.4 The group meet virtually monthly and have an overall aim of maximising the use of digital services for communities across North Lanarkshire. A Terms of Reference has been developed and approved by the group. 2. Report Digital Subgroup 2.1 The Driving Digital Locally group has been operational for over a year and although there are currently a few vacancies, the group is progressing well. In its first year of operation, the group have concentrated on recruiting members and agreeing their Terms of Reference. Collectively, they have provided feedback on the Council’s Digital and IT Strategy and have crucially been involved in the testing of the new Learning Platform for Community Boards and the promotion of its use to Board Members. 2.2 In early 2023, the group will concentrate on mapping the digital services within their own areas and be responsible for identifying where the opportunities exist to achieve community benefits from the Council’s connectivity contract with Commsworld. 2.3 Progress reports are delivered to each Community Board every three months with representatives continuing to work alongside the Community Partnership team to ensure the group is feeding into the priority of the Local Outcome Improvement Plans (LOIPs). CommsWorld – Community Benefits 2.4 As part of the connectivity contract with Commsworld, three key areas were included in the bid as part of the community benefits, specifically aimed at North Lanarkshire Communities.
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• Commsworld will invest to support local decision making. Engaging with communities in association with North Lanarkshire. • Commsworld will invest to seek to address digital inclusion. Working with Community Boards in association with North Lanarkshire Council. • Commsworld will invest actively focusing on socio-economically disadvantaged areas harnessing the TechShare NL initiative. 2.5 The digital subgroup is currently working with CommsWorld to shape what these community benefits will look like for nine communities. Two sessions have already taken place with feedback being sought from the group. A report will thereafter be prepared outlining the possible options and opportunities for community benefits. The group will consider this and take it to the February cycle of community boards. This will be the subject of future reports to this Committee. Intergenerational Project 2.6 Previous reports to the former Transformation and Digitisation Committee detailed an opportunity for officers from DigitalNL Programme and Housing Solutions to work together to build on successes from Kerr Grieve Court initiatives to encourage residents of retirement complexes to adopt technology to help with loneliness and social isolation and improve their overall happiness and mental health. 2.7 Having successfully gained 200 devices and MiFi boxes through the Connecting Scotland Fast track round of funding, these devices and connectivity solutions were allocated across all 9 community board areas as detailed below: • Airdrie – 13 • Bellshill – 21 • Coatbridge – 27 • Cumbernauld 23 • Kilsyth – 6 • Wishaw – 52 • Northern Corridor – 7 • Motherwell – 22 • Shotts – 29 2.8 This project also saw 25 digital champions across the council recruited and trained to support these elderly tenants for a period of 6 months. Their role was to build a relationship with the tenant, find out their interest then use this to set up the device and support them to explore those interests using basic digital skills. 2.9 With the Digital Champion phase completed successfully, the Council sought to maintain momentum through an intergenerational project, linking interested tenants within retirement complexes - who had received devices per the details above - with the local primary schools. Recurring waves of the pandemic saw these proposals paused however, as guidelines and restrictions resulted in
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school children being unable to attend the 5 complexes that had expressed interest in this initiative. 2.10 With restrictions gradually easing, a pilot was established at Drummond Drive, Wishaw to monitor the success or otherwise of an intergenerational project. This pilot is presently live, with 6 tenants working alongside Primary 6 pupils from Thornlie Primary in Wishaw, again focussing on showcasing how tenant interests can be explored digitally. 2.11 Working alongside the Digital Education Support Officer in Education and Families, a three-week course commenced in October 2022. Using a one-to- one buddy system, the tenants and pupils discuss the elderly tenants’ childhood memories from school life, food, songs etc, with the pupils then bringing elements of this to life digitally. 2.12 The project focused on downloading apps, creating posters together based on their chats, emailing and facetiming. Based on feedback from the elderly tenants after the course, the Education Officers created a “How to Guide” for the elderly tenants which detailed everything they had learned during the course. Both the tenants and the children had an enjoyable experience not only increasing their digital skills but their confidence levels too. The plan is to move onto James Dempsey Garden in Coatbridge early next year, and again Committee will be updated on progress in future reports. Online services Business Waste/Bisaccount 2.13 In April 2022, our Business Waste collection moved online. To date three postal communications/social media/press campaigns have been carried out to promote this change for business waste customers. The move online has however seen slow progress, but going forward, business will need to register to Bisaccount to facilitate online interactions with the council. 2.14 A short “how to register” video has been created and uploaded to the Bisaccount webpages to make the sign-up process simpler and easier to follow. A target date of 31 March 2023 is being widely communicated to businesses, with additional campaigns planned for January and February 2023. MyAccount 2.15 Previous reports to the former Transformation and Digitisation Committee detailed the launch of a campaign to promote the sign ups to MyAccount, the most effective way for people living in North Lanarkshire to self-serve and track the progress of requests they make to the council's online services. 2.16 As part of this campaign to increase the number of our residents, the “Its quicker to click” webpage, (MyAccount) has been updated with further simple and easy to follow information available for residents. A short video has also
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been created and uploaded onto the page which takes residents through the registration process easier. 2.17 The new look page was launched on 1 December 2022 with communications to residents through Gov delivery and social media posts. On that day alone, 2055 views of the page took place compared to 3547 views in the previous three weeks. Members will be kept updated on progress in future reports. 2.18 To reduce the number of calls made to the Customer Service Hub, residents who are repeat callers will be texted the link to the new MyAccount page and video link to encourage them to sign up and interact online instead of calling. Environmental Assets – Report it forms 2.19 The council continues to make efforts to provide the best possible digital services which both meet the needs of our residents and provide a more efficient and responsive service. A series of new Environmental Assets forms were launched on the Council’s website on 1 December 2022. 2.20 Residents can now report any of the issues below online but will need a Myaccount if they wish to receive regular updates regarding the progress of said reported issue • Dead animal debris or an obstruction • Overgrown shrubs and hedges • Japanese Knotweed and giant hogweed • Street Cleaning • Syringes or Broken glass • Graffiti • Grass/weeds 2.21 All the above webpages have been updated, with a social media and gov delivery campaign also delivered to support the launch of these additional online services. 3. Measures of success 3.1 Success with be measured through the success of the digital subgroup as members support the digital work of the community boards and help improve the digital lives for people in North Lanarkshire. 3.2 Further success will be evidenced through the uptake of the retirement complexes who get involved in the intergenerational project and also through an increase in the elderly tenants’ digital skills. 3.3 Success can also be evidenced through the increased number of residents signing up to Myaccount and the decrease in the call volumes to the Customer Service Hub. We will also measure success on the number of businesses who sign up to the Bisaccount and register for their Business Waste online.
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4. Supporting documentation N/A Katrina M Hassell Chief Officer Business and Digital (Chief Executive Service)
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5. Impacts ( http://connect/report-template-guidance ) 5.1 Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty Does the report contain information that has an impact as a result of the Public Sector Equality Duty and/or Fairer Scotland Duty? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? If Yes, has an assessment been carried out and published on the council’s website? https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/your- community/equalities/equality-and-fairer-scotland-duty-impact- assessments Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.2 Financial impact Does the report contain any financial impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant financial impacts have been discussed and agreed with Financial Solutions? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant HR impacts have been discussed and agreed with People and Organisational Development? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.4 Legal impact Does the report contain any legal impacts (such as general legal matters, statutory considerations (including employment law considerations), or new legislation)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant legal impacts have been discussed and agreed with Legal and Democratic Solutions? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.5 Data protection impact Does the report / project / practice contain or involve the processing of personal data? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, is the processing of this personal data likely to result in a high risk to the data subject? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, has a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) been carried out and e-mailed to dataprotection@northlan.gov.uk
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Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.6 Technology / Digital impact Does the report contain information that has an impact on either technology, digital transformation, service redesign / business change processes, data management, or connectivity / broadband / Wi-Fi? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? The DigitalNL Programme has collaboration and self-service at the heart of its design principles, with all appropriately reflected within both internal and external communications. The work being carried out through the IPAD/intergenerational project seeks to maximise the uptake and benefits of digital technology amongst elderly residents in the community and will have a positive impact on their health and wellbeing. This will also address the impacts of digital exclusion within North Lanarkshire’s communities. Where the impact identifies a requirement for technology, has an assessment been carried out (or scheduled) by the Enterprise Architecture Governance Group (EAGG)? N/A Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.7 Environmental / Carbon impact Does the report / project / practice contain information that has an impact on any environmental or carbon matters? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Providing digital services that offer online, anytime access to services will have a positive environmental impact across several important areas such as minimising waste and recycling, thanks to the limited need for paper forms. 5.8 Communications impact Does the report contain any information that has an impact on the council’s communications activities? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Communications is covered as part of the report. 5.9 Risk impact Is there a risk impact? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the key risks and potential impacts, highlighting where the risk(s) are assessed and recorded (e.g., Corporate or Service or Project Risk Registers), and how they are managed?
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Effective identification and management of risk is considered critical to the success of this programme. A comprehensive risk assessment and Risk and Issue Log (RAIDE) is being managed and monitored throughout the programme with high-level risks and all programme level issues being reported to the Delivery Board monthly. 5.10 Armed Forces Covenant Duty Does the report require to take due regard of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty (i.e. does it relate to healthcare, housing, or education services for in-Service or ex-Service personnel, or their families, or widow(er)s)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the provision which has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the particular needs of the Armed Forces community to make sure that they do not face disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public services.