Driving Digital Inclusion programme

The Digital Services Consortium has launched a new programme to tackle digital disadvantage and empower over 20,000 disabled children, young people, and families across the UK to access the support and services they need.

Support services

Programme aims

  • Support over 20,000 disabled children, young people, and families with the equipment and skills to boost digital access and confidence.
  • Give families the tools and skills to access a wide range of services – both online and through face-to-face support
  • Free devices and SIM cards for those who need it most, to help tackle affordability barriers.
  • Gather ongoing feedback to ensure disabled children, young people, and families shape future services and digital experiences.
  • Tailor accessibility support and training to ensure people can use their devices and access online services that meets their needs.

Support services

The programme brings together 12 charities, each offering their own support services to help bridge the digital divide.

Kids

Kids will deliver an Online Wellbeing and Resilience Support Programme to help young people with SEND (13 – 25 years) build resilience, positive self-regard and meaningful connections. Our goal is to reduce isolation and protect mental health through a supportive, inclusive digital environment. We’ll begin by consulting directly with young people to understand what they need most. Together with young people we’ll co-create new online content and resources that truly reflect their voices and experiences.

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Sense

Best Start is an online service offering specialist advice, activities, and support for children (0-11 years old) who are deaf, blind or have complex disabilities, along with their families.

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Ambitious about Autism

Ambitious about Autism aims to engage and support autistic young people who are shut out of opportunities – particularly those not in education, training or employment. Through this programme, they will enhance their information offering, delivering tailored webinars as well as offering virtual careers sessions, providing autistic individuals with the tools and confidence to fulfil their ambitions. They will also support them to access the wider Ambitious about Autism services, such as the online Ambitious Youth Network and introducing parents and carers to their Talk about Autism community.

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Dingley's Promise

Develop a free training course for early years educators and families to encourage safe and effective use of digital technologies and services to support children under 5 with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

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Family Fund

The national charity gives families digital devices and supports parents and carers of disabled or seriously ill children aged 8-25 to gain digital skills and enhance digital confidence, including help accessing the internet and how to safely set up and use devices. It also offers creative workshops for children, to learn, socialise and have fun online.

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National Deaf Children’s Society

We’re here for every deaf child who needs us – no matter what their level or type of deafness or how they communicate.

Our My NDCS app is a free, member-only digital tool designed to support parents and carers of deaf children aged 0–17. It offers tailored information based on a child’s age, stage, and location, alongside real-life stories, a journaling tool, and clear pathways to further support. The app empowers families with accessible, relevant advice—right when they need it most.

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Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity

Rainbow Trust already provides online practical and emotional support to families caring for a child with a life-threatening or terminal illness across the UK. Each family is paired with a Family Support Worker who offers tailored sessions from diagnosis through treatment and bereavement. This includes play sessions for the sick child and siblings which helps them express themselves through play.

This new partnership will further enhance our ability to reach more families digitally and provide vital social palliative care for seriously ill children who might otherwise have missed out: in doing so it will reduce isolation and loneliness among families, increase their self-esteem and their ability to cope with the reality that their child might die.

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Whizz Kidz

The Whizz Kidz Information Hub is an accessible digital content service run by Whizz Kidz, primarily for parents, carers and family of young wheelchair users. It will provide multimedia content including information about disabilities, wheelchairs, accessibility, occupational therapy, accessing NHS services, wheelchair skills and more.

It will answer many of the medical and practical questions young wheelchair users and those close to them have.

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Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity

The Marvellous Digital Peer Support Groups are available for children, young people, and their families.

These sessions will give young people and their siblings the chance to meet others who truly understand what they’re going through, make new friends, and build a strong, supportive community. We’ll be working side-by-side with families to shape the support they receive – because their voices matter.

Online social groups will give parents and carers the opportunity to talk openly, share experiences, and support one another emotionally and practically. The parent and carer workshops will equip parents and carers with tools to make everyday life easier.

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The Children’s Trust

Provide three tiers of support for children and young people and their families who are learning to live with an acquired brain injury, including Bumps Happen digital information, targeted advice and consultation via telehealth/virtual platforms and specialist community rehabilitation pathways.

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WellChild

The WellChild Family Tree is a growing online network of families from across the UK, all of whom have children with complex medical needs. It enables parents to connect with others who “get it”  for mutual support, advice, and friendship at any time of day or night.

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Contact

Information, advice and support via family workshops, information sessions, and one-to-one support services to help parents and carers of disabled children navigate key topics, including finances, behavioural issues, and online safety.

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Why this programme is important

Carly Blake, a young person with SEND, shares why this programme is so important for children and young people with SEND, and their families.

Programme partnerships

Thanks to National Lottery players, the DSC has received over £1.5 million over two years from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest community funder in the UK. The DSC has also received a grant of £400,000 from BBC Children in Need for two years to provide digital support for disabled or seriously ill children and young people and their family members across the UK. Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone have generously donated devices and data through the Good Things Foundation National Databank and Device Bank which will help address affordability barriers.

Partners

UK charity AbilityNet has more than 25 years’ experience of empowering disabled people through technology at home, at work and in education. In its mission to create a “digital world accessible to all,” it works with individuals, charities, and community groups to champion inclusive digital design, and its experienced consultants empower the private and public sectors to deliver accessible websites, services, and apps.

AbilityNet offers free IT support at home and online to older people and disabled people via its nationwide network of 450+ AbilityNet Tech Volunteers. To access the free service, call the helpline on 0300 180 0028 during UK office hours, email to enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk or visit: www.abilitynet.org.uk/at-home

AbilityNet will provide specialist accessibility and IT support and training to ensure that the accessibility needs of end beneficiaries are identified and met, so people can use and benefit from their device and from online digital services provided by the DSC. To find out more visit this link: abilitynet.org.uk/free-tech-support-and-info/driving-digital-inclusion-children-and-families

CAST is a charity that supports UK charities and social impact organisations to make the fullest use of digital technology, in order to be as responsive and resilient as possible. CAST works to remove barriers, create opportunities, spark connections and nurture the supporting conditions that enable organisations to accelerate their agency, presence and influence in the technologies that affect us all. All services are free of charge to charities and social sector organisations.

CAST is the Evaluation and Learning partner for the programme. CAST will work with the 12 service delivery organisations to embed shared principles, establish robust learning loops and impact measurement and ensure true collaboration and evolution across the programme as they create and grow the digital and hybrid services.

Good Things Foundation is the UK’s leading digital inclusion charity. They work in partnership with community organisations via the National Digital Inclusion Network, businesses and government to further our mission to fix the digital divide for good.

Good Things will enable programme partners to provide those supported by their services with free data and devices via the National Databank and National Device Bank.

community fund logo
supported by BBC children in need logo
AbilityNet logo
CAST logo
Good things foundation logo

What is digital disadvantage?

Digital disadvantage is when individuals are unable to fully benefit from technology – even when they have devices or internet. For many disabled children and young people, barriers like inaccessible design, financial hardship, or lack of confidence can create a cycle of exclusion and barriers to vital services.

This is why Kids and the Disabled Children’s Partnership launched an initiative during the Covid pandemic to better understand these challenges. Our Locked Out report found that, when done well, digital access can be a lifeline – enabling access to friendships and vital services including therapies, information, advice and mediation.

Read the Locked Out report
Only 60% of disabled people have internet access at home, compared to 81% of non-disabled people.

– Survey across European countries

Get in touch

If you’re looking for support or have any questions about this programme, please complete the form below.

Partner with us

If you’re an organisation keen to collaborate, or a funder wanting to create long-term impact, please contact DSC@kids.org.uk

For all press enquiries, please contact press@kids.org.uk.