Digital inclusion after Get Online Week: turn a campaign into a 90-day plan
For housing and community teams across the UK. Evidence checked 5 November 2026.
Get Online Week ran from 19 to 25 October 2026.[1] Event attendance is a useful starting point. The next question is what changed afterwards. Who can now complete an important task independently? Who still needs support? Which barriers remain outside the resident's control?
Digital inclusion is not a login count
A resident can have a smartphone and still be excluded by limited data, an inaccessible service, a broken device, low confidence or a task that is unsafe to complete alone. Measure the real outcome, keep an offline route open and make support easy to return to.
The divide is wider than online versus offline
Good Things Foundation describes digital exclusion as a spectrum and says only one in three UK adults is comfortably online.[1] Ofcom's 2026 research gives the operating detail: six per cent of adults do not have internet access at home, one in five online adults relies only on a smartphone, and 21 per cent of users have a narrow pattern of internet use.
These measures are not interchangeable and should not be added together. They show why a single intervention cannot solve every barrier. A device loan will not fix an inaccessible form. A workshop will not fix unaffordable connectivity. A digital-only service will not become inclusive because a helpline number appears at the end.
Use four pillars for every resident service
Can the resident connect reliably without sacrificing essentials? Signpost appropriate social tariffs and local connectivity support, but check that eligibility and application routes are still current.
Is the device suitable for the task? A smartphone may be enough for messaging but poor for a long form, document upload, benefit check or job application.
Teach a real task in a safe environment: creating a strong password, spotting an advert, uploading a document, checking a payment or recovering an account.
Make support local, repeatable and free of judgement. A resident who needs a second appointment has not failed the programme.
Check accessibility across every pillar, including compatibility with assistive technology.[4] A GOV.UK pilot with disabled working-age adults supports accessible, tailored assistance through trusted organisations, although its small sample and short delivery period limit conclusions about longer-term outcomes.
A 90-day plan for housing and community teams
Find the real barriers
- Follow up Get Online Week participants and non-participants.
- Map high-friction resident tasks.
- Record access, device, skill, confidence and accessibility barriers separately.
- Check every digital journey has a workable assisted or offline route.
Run small task-based tests
- Use short sessions built around one useful outcome.
- Offer a suitable device where the resident's own device is the barrier.
- Work with libraries and trusted local organisations.
- Test accessibility with residents, not only automated tools.
Measure and improve
- Check whether the task can now be completed independently or with less support.
- Review repeat contacts and abandoned journeys.
- Retain the offline route where it is still needed.
- Fund the interventions that remove a proven barrier.
Measure outcomes without punishing people who need help
| Measure | Useful definition | What it does not prove |
|---|---|---|
| Task completion | The resident completed a defined task safely, independently or with the intended level of support. | That every future task will be easy. |
| Retained skills | The resident can explain or demonstrate the key steps at a later check-in. | That one check-in proves they can complete every future task independently. |
| Barrier removed | A documented access, device, accessibility or service-design barrier no longer blocks the task. | That attendance caused every improvement. |
| Assisted route quality | The resident can get timely human help without losing their place or repeating information unnecessarily. | That a digital-only route is acceptable. |
| Safe use | The resident can recognise the main risk in the task, such as a scam, misleading advert or unsafe password practice. | That one session removes all online risk. |
Apply the same standard to resident benefits
If a resident benefits, rewards or discounts service is digital, report reach honestly. Registrations and clicks show activity, not comfortable participation. Check whether a resident can understand the offer, identify advertising, compare the final price and get help without being pushed through a digital-only route.
Rent Rewards is a white-label platform that gives tenants access to exclusive everyday discounts. Housing teams can apply the same four-pillar check to an offer journey: can a resident access it on a suitable device, understand the terms, use any assistive technology they need and reach a person for help? Optional discounts should remain separate from essential housing support and complaint routes.
A practical design rule
Never make the support route harder to find than the digital service itself. Put help at the point of difficulty, preserve the resident's context and explain what information a helper can and cannot see.
What to do next week
- Choose three resident tasks with the highest abandonment or repeat-contact rate.
- Ask residents what stopped them, using the four-pillar model.
- Publish one clear assisted route for each task.
- Agree a safe device-loan or reuse partner where device access is a proven barrier.
- Train frontline staff to recognise digital exclusion without assuming age is the cause.
- Set a 30-day follow-up so event attendance is not the final measure.
Get Online Week is valuable because it creates attention and local energy. The strongest legacy is a support model that still works months later, when there is no campaign badge and a resident simply needs to complete an important task.
Sources and methodology
- Good Things Foundation: Get Online Week 2026
- Ofcom: Adults' Media Use and Attitudes 2026
- DSIT: Digital Inclusion Action Plan, One Year On
- DSIT: Digital inclusion for connection, final report
Figures describe different populations and barriers and are not additive. Recommendations are editorial operating suggestions, not claims of measured Rent Rewards or customer outcomes. Recheck time-sensitive figures before materially later publication.
