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Digital Flintshire Hub

Recent Updates


New Digital Support Squad @ Flintshire Connects

Digital Poverty is a priority for us at Flintshire County Council, as an organisation we are committed to ensuring our residents are not excluded from a digital world.

One of the ways we plan to do this is through our Digital Support Squad. These volunteers will provide face to face support to help people use digital technology – free of charge.

The first of these drop ins will be introduced at our Holywell Connects Centre and we’d love for you to share this with your Flintshire networks and help us spread the word about this fantastic service!


How it works

Customers will bring their own device and they will be supported by a team of Digital Support Squad. 

Our Squad have been trained by Digital Communities Wales on a range of digital subjects including: money, health, social, employment, communication.  

The Digital Support Squad will:

  • Help and encourage people to get online with their support. 
  • Support people to use modern channels of communication including the internet.
  • Encourage people to use the Council’s online services to report, request or pay for services.
  • Promote My Account as a means of connecting with the Council. 
  • Plus any other generic digital needs people may have.

Find out more

'THE Digital Support SQUAD are here!' - Illustration of diverse group of people dressed in both common work clothing and superhero capes

Digital Switchover

There are changes happening to the way the telephone system works across the UK and it is important for our residents to understand how this will affect them.

In partnership with BT, we're sharing important information about ‘Digital Voice’ to ensure residents know what changes are coming and the support that is available.

This update from BT outlines how the telephone infrastructure will change, BT's plans, and how residents can prepare for the transition to Digital Voice.


Landline

"Landlines in the UK are going digital.

By 2025, the existing analogue technology (the PSTN - Public Switched Telephone Network) which has supported phone and broadband services for decades will be switched off and replaced with newer digital technology.

This industry wide, once in a generation upgrade will see the vast majority of customers provided with a broadband line, making calls the same as they do today, but using ‘Voice over IP’ technology that uses an internet connection.

Most people have been using this type of technology for years through video or voice messaging apps used on connected mobile phones.

Voice is BT’s new home phone service, delivered over a broadband connection. For most customers, the switch to Digital Voice will be as simple as connecting your home phone handset to a router rather than the phone socket on the wall.

BT’s regional approach is being supported by local general awareness communications, local events and advertising campaigns to raise awareness and help customers understand the simple steps required to make the move to Digital Voice.

Customers will be contacted at least four weeks in advance before making the switch, to ensure they are ready to move to Digital Voice.

Initially, BT won’t be proactively switching anyone who falls under the below criteria, where it has this information available:

  • Customers with a healthcare pendant
  • Customers who only use landlines
  • Customers with no mobile signal
  • Customers who have disclosed any additional needs

BT will take extra time and will provide additional support to customers who are over 70 and are ready to make the switch."


It is important that residents engage with BT to ensure that their individual needs are understood and addressed during the switchover process.

Together, by collaborating with BT, residents can navigate this transition smoothly and ensure a seamless experience for all.

WARNING

As BT reaches out to Flintshire residents regarding the upcoming transition to Digital Voice, residents should remain vigilant as scammers may attempt to exploit this transition period, posing as legitimate representatives to obtain personal information.

Residents should verify the authenticity of any communications from BT.

Flintshire Databank

GoodThingsFoundation2

Flintshire County Council has joined forces with Good Things Foundation to ensure residents on low incomes are digitally enabled by providing them with free SIM cards and data vouchers through the National Databank. 

Free SIM cards and data vouchers are available from our five Connects Centres to eligible residents, taking a trust-based approach. The free data has been provided by Virgin Media O2, Vodafone and Three.  

Good Things Foundation is a charity helping people improve their lives through digital and their vision fits well with the Council’s ambitions.

As part of the Council’s digital vision, we are working with partners to support people to get online, helping residents access the internet, data connectivity and devices, helping to fix the digital divide in communities.


Categories

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My Account

Over 35,000 users have signed up to access their own personalised area on our website, My Account, where you can manage your online requests, access information about our services and more. For more information and to register for a Flintshire My Account, click the button below.

Register for My Account 

Digital Support Squad

Whatever your digital needs are – the squad are here to assist you!

The Digital Support Squad are here for all your digital needs!

Do you need help with: 

  • Accessing the internet or your email?
  • Keeping in touch with your family and friends?
  • Learning about things that interest you?
  • Supporting friends, family or neighbours who are less digitally savvy?

No need to book - just bring your own device to the Holywell Connects Centre for one of our digital drop ins and the squad will do the rest.

Upcoming Sessions with the Digital Support Squad @ Holywell Connects
DateTime
Friday 22 March 2024 14:00 - 16:00
Wednesday 27 March 2024 10:00 - 12:00

Digital Squad Testimonials

Free Digital Learning, Help, and Advice

There are many free online learning materials available for you to develop your digital skills.
Here are a few to help you on your way:

Learn My Way
Learn My Way - free online courses for beginners – develop your digital skills. Over 30 free courses designed to help you get to grips with the online basics. Click on Learn My Way and start your digital journey today!

IDEA Logo
iDEA - The Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award, known as iDEA is an international award winning programme that helps you develop digital, enterprise and employability skills for free.

AdultCommunityWales

Adult Learning Wales – Check out a range of courses available online from Adult Learning Wales – from Essential Skills to Business courses, social care, IT and much more.ing


DigitalCommunitiesWales

Digital Communities Wales
  • All training is free
  • All sessions are one hour long unless otherwise stated

Check out the training available by clicking here or calling 0300 1115050.

Barclays

Barclays Digital Wings - helps boost your digital know-how. Find out how to stay safe online, learn how to navigate social media, discover how to make your business digital-friendly and much more.

AbilityNet
Ability Net – a UK charity which believes in a digital world accessible to all – offering free resources, help at home and much more.

 DigitalUnite

Digital Unite - 400+ how-to guides covers a whole host of digital topics.

Written by subject matter experts and updated regularly, the guides are perfect for supporting others with digital skills or improving your own knowledge.

North East Wales ACL logo

North East Wales Adult Community Learning is a joint venture between Flintshire and Wrexham Councils to provide the very best adult learning opportunities and outcomes in our communities.

Getting Online and Digital Support

Digital technology is now part of our lives – even more so since COVID-19.
But there are still many residents who are digitally excluded and we'd like to change that.

We want to help residents to discover the wonders of digital technology, reassure them and allay any fears or trepidation.

Whether you are a complete novice and don’t know where to start or you just need a bit of advice, we are here to support and signpost you to the help you need.

This could include:

  • Accessing the internet and email
  • Keeping in touch with family and friends
  • Learning about things that interest you
  • Supporting friends, family or neighbours who are less digitally savvy
  • Managing your money
  • Registering for My Account
  • Access resources to promote health and wellbeing including online activities/services (e.g. consultations with health professionals, NHS 111 Symptom Checker, Dewis Cymru wellbeing information and advice)

How can we support you?

There are a range of free services and support to help you get online or to help you get a friend or family member online. Browse this Hub to find out more, including:

Choosing a device

What do you want to do online? Thinking about this will help you decide which is the best device for you.

What will you use it for? Does it need to be portable? How often will you use it? Just some of the questions that you need to consider.

Here are explanations for the four main types of devices available to help you decide: 

  • Laptop - great for everyday use and entertainment, bulkier to carry around. 
  • Desktop - great for all work, stationary fixed device. 
  • Tablet - useful for browsing the internet and entertainment purposes. The small screen could make some tasks more time consuming, such as writing long emails, great for beginners.
  • Mobile phone - portable, use on the go. The small screen could make some tasks more time consuming e.g. writing long emails, great for beginners.

Useful Resources

How to connect with friends and family

Here are some of the FREE apps to help you stay connected with friends and family:

  • Facebook - Sign up to Facebook on your computer, download Facebook for Android mobiles, or Apple mobiles
  • Microsoft Teams for your mobile phone, tablet or computer.
  • Skype - for your mobile phone, tablet or computer.
  • Zoom - for your mobile phone, tablet or computer.
  • WhatsApp - for your mobile phone, tablet or computer.
  • Facetime - video and audio chat app specifically for Apple devices. 

Staying Safe Online

Once you are online, it’s important that you ensure you stay safe.
To protect yourself, it is important that you follow some simple safety rules.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has lots of advice and information, for example:

It’s important to be aware of illegal attempts to obtain your personal information in order to steal passwords, data or money. The most common risks are:

  • Hacking
  • Phishing emails - if you receive a suspicious ‘phishing’ email, you can ‘forward’ them to report@phishing.gov.uk and the NCSC will investigate
  • Malicious software

Resources, Advice and Guidance

There are lots of websites offering advice and support to help you stay safe online:

You can also get expert advice and guidance on children/student online safety from:

Digital Council

The Council offers many online services to residents of Flintshire - and more are coming on board all the time.

These include:


My Account - a personalised area with information relevant to you.  For more information and to sign up, click on My Account.
Housing Services - information for tenants in Council properties - any issues can be reported through My Account.
Pay for it - pay for Council services securely through our Payment Gateway.
Report it - report issues such as dog fouling, potholes, missed bin collection, street lighting, fly tipping, and more.
Our Digital Strategy sets out how we will embrace the opportunities that digital technologies, innovation and information offer us to ensure we deliver modern, efficient public services.

Digital Community

With digital technology here to stay, it is vital that everyone has the necessary skills for life and work.
There are many places in Flintshire where you can get free access to computers and other devices and help to get online if you do not have access at home.

Connects Centres - at Flintshire Connects, you can speak to one of our trained Customer Service Advisors about a range of Council services.
FLVC – Flintshire Local Voluntary Council is the umbrella organisation for over 1200 voluntary & community groups based in Flintshire.
Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) offers online, telephone and face to face help when you need it most.
Coleg Cambria offers digital literacy courses for adults and also has a Facebook page detailing free courses for adults.
Flintshire Libraries offer free access to computers and online learning resources.

Digital Events & Activites

There are lots of free online events and activities out there – take a look at the links below and discover a whole new digital world of adventures!


Free group activities for over-75s with Reengage

Reengage is a national charity offering sociable group activities for people over 75 in Wales. 

Their groups are fun, friendly, and completely free. For more information, visit their website.


Let’s Move with Versus Arthritis

Versus Arthritis is the UK's largest charity dedicated to supporting people with arthritis. 

Let's Move is designed to support people to get active through a variety of digital content including tailor-made movement sessions, expert tips and advice and the sharing of personal stories. All content is designed to help people find the level of movement that is right for them and to help build confidence both in their own body and the day-to-day management of their condition.

For more information and to take part, visit: Let's Move With Leon or see Flintshire Versus Arthritis.


North East Wales Archives

 NEWA

See what you can discover online at the Archives.

Aura Libraries

AuraCymruLogo

Aura Libraries offer a huge range of services online for all ages.  
It includes their online catalogue and so much more.

Health and Wellbeing Resources

Find help, services and information near you...

Five Ways to Wellbeing - a set of practical actions aimed at improving our mental health and wellbeing.   
NHS Wales Live Well offers lots of information on living and feeling well.
Age Cymru – health and wellbeing for older people.
Flintshire Learning for Recovery & Wellbeing - improve your wellbeing while meeting new friends, developing confidence and learning new skills with one of our activities and courses.
AbilityNet's ITCanHelp volunteers provide free IT support to older people and people with disabilities of any age in their own home for free.

Digital Unite

Written by subject matter experts and updated regularly, the guides are perfect for supporting others with digital skills or improving your own knowledge. 
Click on the images below to see some of the guides on offer.

Digital-Unite-Computer
Computer Basics
Starting to use computers can feel like a visit to a foreign country – things look familiar but you can’t speak the language but getting to grips with them is much easier than learning a new language.
Digital-Unite-Email
Email
Setting up an email should be one of the first things  you do, as it's a free and easy way to stay in touch with family and friends, and the main way that organisations will send you communications.
Digital-Unite-Internet
The Internet
Internet has changed the way that we live our lives. It is exciting and empowering, but also intimidating. It can be hard to know where to start and how to navigate the massive amounts of information on offer.
Digital-Unite-Security
Security
Just as you know to lock your home on leaving it or to keep your bag close to you in a crowd, there are also some simple rules for staying safe online that will keep you and your information secure.
Digital-Unite-Hobbies
Hobbies

When it comes to pursuing our interests, finding information or just having fun, the internet contains spectacular new possibilities. The following guides show you just how easy it is to make the most of the many exciting, fun and useful things that the internet has to offer.
Digital-Unite-Shopping
Shopping

Banking, shopping and applying for government services can both be done online. There’s endless fun to be had in rootling out bargains and browsing through the enormous range of products in online shops as well as having the convenience of making payments and applying for benefits online.
Digital-Unite-Smartphones
Smartphones
Powerful, convenient and multi-purpose, smartphones and tablets are the two key players in the fast-growing world of mobile computers.
Digital-Unite-TV
TV
It’s now possible to watch TV programmes you’ve missed and films you thought you’d never find again – all online. Our guides will tell you how. 
Digital-Unite-Photography
Photography
Storing memories through photographs is easier than ever with computers, as they offer the ability to store them safely, print off your own copies of them and share them with others alongside much more.
Digital-Unite-Music
Music and Audio
One of the most revolutionary changes that the internet has brought with it is to the way we listen to music, the radio and other audio content. Suddenly, almost anything you can think of wanting to hear is a mouse click away.