Supporting people with everyday technology

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Social care staff need to be ready to help people they support and their families to make choices about using technology to stay connected and contribute to their communities, especially while social distancing restrictions are in place.

Using technology is now as much a part of life as any other aspect of life that someone might need support with. This means social care workers and volunteers need to help people understand, choose, and use everyday technology for things like:

using the internet to stay up to date on guidance, apply for benefits, housing or jobs; doing online shopping or ordering repeat prescriptions
accessing track and trace/booking COVID-19 tests and checking results and booking vaccinations
video calls to get support instead of in person
navigation apps to check public transport times
mobile phones to send photos of ailments securely to their GP
making three-way calls when they need support to call someone about house repairs or legal issues
apps to track fitness, diet and nutrition, sleep, alcohol use, periods and so much more.

New resource funded by Skills for Care: Ace Anglia - Supporting people in a digital world

Skills for Care has funded and supported Ace Anglia in the development of a new resource designed to support people with learning disabilities to get online and connect with friends and family. It allows people to pursue opportunities that would otherwise be hard to access and attend health appointments such as workshops and conferences. Find out more and view the resource

Recorded webinars

Introduction – Identifying the barriers and risks of not having access to everyday technology

Acknowledging technology barriers and what people have found helpful as well as identifying the risks of not having technology and internet access.

Lead speakers include Charlie Crabtree, Marketing & Communications Manager(KeyRing Living Support Networks) & Andrea Clark, Manager (Ace (Anglia) LTD)

Duration 5 min 20 secs

Safety – helping people understand and balance risks and benefits

How to positively work out what will be useful to you and how to manage the potential risks of being online; emotional, mental wellbeing, financial and from being shown material (sexual or inciting hate). Privacy and using team viewer to help with safety.

Download Individual Risk Assessment for Loans of YVC Gadgets

Lead speakers include Amy Broughton (Your Voice Counts) and Matthew Campbell (United Response)

Duration 9 min 43 secs

Technology and accessibility

Making sure people with sensory differences or impairments are included and have equal access and how to help people use accessible information.

Lead speakers are Chewy and Andrea Clark (Ace Anglia).

Duration 15min 41secs

Creating good video 'spaces'

Supporting people online has been new and challenging. To ensure we maintain providing 'good help' we want to ensure our online spaces hold the same warmth and welcome we work so hard to create in community spaces. A few tips here to help you create the environment online that will enable people to feel comfortable, included and confident.

Lead speaker is Naomi Madden (Grapevine)

Duration 10 mins

Supporting mental and physical health

Matthew and David share tips, tricks and useful websites they have discovered to help us all stay well.

Lead speakers include Matthew Campbell (United response) and David Mahon (Foundation for people with learning disabilities)

Duration 14 mins

Toolkit supporting people with learning disabilities to use everyday technology

Helping people with learning disabilities to use everyday technologies can be a challenge and people may need support to develop their skills, knowledge and confidence in this area. Jane Seale from the Open University introduces a new, freely available toolkit for those who manage services and supervise care staff. View the toolkit.

Lead speakers:Jane Seale from the Open University.

Duration 30 min 27 secs

Further information

Skills for Care resources on technology:

Other useful resources:

Ace Anglia – How to set up Microsoft Teams (Easy read guide)

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