Description and rationale
Adopt a collaborative, whole-Council approach to digital inclusion, where the Digital Inclusion Lead coordinates efforts across all services and each service area takes ownership of digital inclusion within its remit.
This principle underlines that digital inclusion is a collective responsibility – success requires all parts of the Council working together, rather than isolated initiatives in silos. In practice, “Work as One Team” means Somerset acts as a unified front: the Digital Inclusion Lead serves as the central coordinator and champion, bringing together representatives from every directorate (e.g. Adults, Children’s, Libraries, Housing, Customer Services, IT, Communications, etc.) to plan and implement inclusion efforts coherently. At the same time, each service area is empowered to drive inclusion in ways that make sense locally, but with support and alignment to a common strategy.
The background is that there are many digital inclusion efforts underway across the Council, but in the past they often operated independently. For example, a team in Adult Social Care might apply for a digital inclusion grant unaware that the Libraries or Transformation teams are working on similar goals, leading to missed opportunities for unified bids or shared learning. This principle addresses that gap by establishing formal collaboration mechanisms. The rationale is that by working as one team, we can maximise our collective impact – pooling expertise, avoiding duplication, ensuring consistency, and presenting one voice to external partners. It also provides clarity: it formally acknowledges the coordinating role of the Digital Inclusion Lead, and it signals to every service that digital inclusion is part of their business-as-usual responsibilities, not something that sits elsewhere.
This principle strongly aligns with our organisational values of collaboration and with the TOM’s vision of “One Council”. In effect, it is about making the whole greater than the sum of its parts: bridging departmental boundaries so that initiatives support each other and all staff and members are pulling in the same direction. By doing so, we ensure no community or issue “falls through the cracks” due to siloed working, and we can tackle larger challenges with a unified strategy, which is more likely to succeed than fragmented efforts.
Maturity levels
Level 1 – Initial
Highly siloed efforts. Each department or service that does anything for digital inclusion does so independently, with little awareness or coordination with others. There is no central oversight; information isn’t shared. It’s possible some areas do nothing because they assume it’s not their job. Outcomes: duplication (e.g. multiple teams approaching the same external partner separately) and gaps (some needs fall between departmental remits and get missed).
Level 2 – Developing
Some coordination emerges. A working group or steering committee exists, but not all parts of the Council are actively engaged yet. The Digital Inclusion Lead is in post and starts to be consulted on some projects, but not consistently. There have been a few joint initiatives between services (e.g. Libraries teaming with Adult Social Care on a pilot), but these are informal or project-based rather than systemic. Awareness of others’ work is improving through meetings, but silos still persist in places.
Level 3 – Mature
A formal governance and collaboration structure is in place for digital inclusion. The Digital Inclusion Lead coordinates a cross-departmental Digital Inclusion Working Group that meets regularly with representation from all key service areas. All major digital inclusion-related projects are communicated through this group (no one goes for external funding or launches a big initiative without syncing up). There is a shared strategy or action plan that everyone contributes to. Joint actions are common: e.g., multiple departments pooling budgets or staff for a single inclusion programme. When a new challenge arises, a multi-team response is quickly formed rather than each doing separate things.
Level 4 – Leading
The Council operates as a fully integrated team on inclusion. Collaboration is second nature. It’s normal that when, for instance, a new digital service is being designed, the project involves people from various departments (accessibility experts, community outreach, etc.) from the outset. The Digital Inclusion Lead has clear authority and is routinely involved in strategy discussions across the board. The working group or governance body might evolve into a formal board with decision-making power on resource allocation for inclusion. Externally, Somerset speaks with “one voice” on digital inclusion. Partner organisations see us as coordinated and our bids/proposals reflect collective strengths. Internally, success in one area is rapidly scaled across others via the network. The collaboration is so embedded that even if certain individuals leave, the one-team approach continues as a cultural norm.
Metrics
Participation in Working Group
Representation of departments in the inclusion working group.
Target: 100% of key directorates actively participating. (Measure attendance and contributions from each service area at meetings.)
Joint Initiatives
Number of joint cross-department projects or funding bids on digital inclusion.
Target: Increase; aim for all major initiatives to be joint by default. (Track instances where 2 or more departments collaborated on a project, or a project spanned multiple services. For example, a unified funding bid counts as one.)
Communication and Information Sharing
Instances of information sharing and reduced duplication. For example: count of a shared repository or SharePoint site visits for inclusion resources; or before-and-after examples of consolidation.
Target: Qualitative improvement (no contradictory or duplicate actions in different departments). We could also use surveys asking group members: “Do you feel informed about other teams’ inclusion work?” aiming for high positive responses.
External Recognition/Funding
Success rate of external funding bids or partnerships due to a coordinated approach.
Target: Secure at least X external funding or partnerships per year.
Internal Efficiency
Reduction in overlapping efforts / improved resource use. This is hard to quantify, but we might document cases where a one-team approach saved money or effort (e.g. a single training program used by multiple departments vs each creating their own). Over time, track resource pooling as a sign of maturity.
Strategic alignment
Target Operating Model
Organisation and Governance: The TOM emphasises One Team working and ending silos. It explicitly calls out that “we will reduce, remove and end siloed working across the organisation and with others.” This principle is exactly that, applied to digital inclusion. It ensures we operate as one unified organisation. The TOM’s Service and Process Design theme and Governance theme both envision integrated approaches; by coordinating through the Digital Inclusion Lead and working group, we bring the TOM to life in this domain. Additionally, TOM’s partnership emphasis (working “with others” to achieve our vision) is supported by this principle. If we’re one team internally, we can engage external partners more effectively (speaking with one voice, aligning goals), which is exactly what TOM prescribes for partnership working. In short, this principle is a practical implementation of the “One Somerset” ethos in the context of service inclusion initiatives.
Strategic Objectives
Collaboration as an enabler for all priorities: A Fairer Somerset is better achieved when services collaborate, ensuring that help reaches those in need without departmental boundaries causing delays or misses. For example, tackling digital exclusion among vulnerable groups often requires input from adult social care, health, community and voluntary services together – One Team working makes that possible. For Ambitious Somerset, a unified approach allows us to undertake bigger, bolder projects. For Resilient Somerset, it means the organisation itself is more resilient. Knowledge and effort are shared, so staff absences or changes in one area won’t derail progress. Also, the Corporate Plan’s values of empowering and enterprising are mirrored: we empower each other internally by sharing expertise, and we act enterprisingly by avoiding duplication and innovating collectively. In essence, whatever the strategic goal, be it improving health outcomes, economic growth, or caring for the vulnerable, a collaborative internal approach ensures consistency and maximises the effectiveness of interventions towards that goal.
Wider Corporate Plan
“One Council” and Partnership with Communities: The Corporate Plan stresses that we are one organisation working for the community. This principle cements that ideal for the digital inclusion agenda. It turns the Plan’s high-level commitment into action: by having all departments jointly address digital exclusion, the community sees a coordinated effort (for example, residents get a seamless experience where one point of contact can route them to various support on digital matters, rather than being bounced between departments). Moreover, when we work as one internally, we can form stronger external partnerships – the Plan notes “we can achieve so much more for our residents, working closely with our partners and communities”. With this principle, when we collaborate with, say, the NHS or a charity on a digital inclusion project, we bring the whole Council’s weight into that partnership instead of a fragmented piece. That reinforces the Corporate Plan’s drive for collaborative public services. (like the Local Community Networks approach). Essentially, this principle ensures that digital inclusion is not a side project but is integrated into the Council’s core business and its network of partnerships, reflecting the Plan’s vision of unity and collaboration across the board.
Actions to ensure maturity
- Strengthen Governance and Accountability: Elevate the Digital Inclusion Working Group into a formal governance body. For example, establish a Digital Inclusion Steering Board chaired the Digital Transformation Lead, with senior representatives from each Directorate. Give it a clear mandate: to coordinate all major inclusion initiatives, approve strategy, and monitor progress. This formalises the one-team approach – it’s someone’s job (collectively) to ensure we collaborate.
- Unified Strategy and Action Plan: Develop a single Digital Inclusion Action Plan that all services have contributed to and signed up to. This document will list the key initiatives, who’s involved, and timelines – covering everything from infrastructure to training to accessible services. By having one plan, everyone’s efforts are visible and aligned, and we can identify overlaps or gaps more easily. Update this plan annually with input from all areas. It essentially becomes the one-stop reference for all inclusion work.
- Central Coordination of Funding and Bids: Implement a protocol that any external funding opportunities or partnerships related to digital inclusion are communicated through the Digital Inclusion Lead. The Lead (with the working group) can decide whether to pursue jointly. For instance, if a government grant for digital skills comes up, instead of three separate teams applying, we coordinate one strong Somerset bid.
- Improve Communication Channels: Set up effective channels for information sharing across the Council regarding digital inclusion. This could be as simple as a dedicated Teams channel or intranet site where all related projects, meeting notes, data dashboards, and resources are posted for anyone to see. Ensure all relevant staff know about it. Encourage team members to post updates (e.g. “Community team in West Somerset ran a tablet workshop, here are results…”). This transparency helps foster that one-team feeling and keeps everyone informed between formal meetings.
- Joint Training and Workshops: Use cross-departmental workshops to break silos. For example, hold quarterly “Digital Inclusion Labs” or knowledge-sharing sessions where staff from different services come together to discuss challenges and solutions (one session might focus on reaching rural communities, another on helping disabled users – with multiple teams contributing their perspective). These sessions help build personal networks among staff in different departments and spark collaborative ideas. Additionally, when training champions or staff (from Principle 4 actions), train them together across departments – e.g., library staff, customer service staff, and adult social care staff all in one training about assisting customers online. They’ll learn from each other and develop a common approach.
- Unified External Engagement: Present a single front to partners. For instance, designate the Digital Inclusion Lead (or appropriate person) as the liaison for county-wide or regional digital inclusion networks so that Somerset speaks and acts cohesively. When engaging with the voluntary sector or health or central government, coordinate our messages and offers. Internally, if a service is planning to start a new partnership (like Libraries with a local charity on device donation), encourage them to inform the working group – perhaps other services can join or support. This avoids multiple people approaching the same partner separately and shows partners we are coordinated (which they will appreciate).
- Celebrate One-Team Successes: Reinforce the behaviour we want by highlighting collaborative successes. If working together led to a great outcome, publicise that internally. Give credit to all involved teams, not just one. This not only thanks those involved but also demonstrates to others the power of working as one team and encourages them to collaborate on future efforts.
- Maintain Flexibility and Inclusiveness in the Team: Ensure that the collaborative framework doesn’t become static or exclusive. Welcome new participants – e.g., if Public Health or Education weren’t initially involved and later show interest, bring them into the fold. Similarly, keep political leadership (Members) informed and involved – perhaps an elected member champion for digital inclusion could periodically join the working group or be briefed, reinforcing Member support and oversight. One team truly means everyone: from the executive to field staff to politicians, all understanding the shared plan and contributing where they can.
By implementing these actions, we will entrench a collaborative approach where digital inclusion is recognised as a cross-cutting mission. This ensures that improvements happen “as individuals, as teams, and as an organisation together”, and that Somerset Council leverages the full strength of its combined resources and knowledge to close the digital divide.