The Community Outreach Programme is for those people who might not be reached by the switchover public information campaigns. As the charities put it, they are people who might need 'an extra little bit of help', from organisations they know and trust.
The Community Outreach Programme and Digital Outreach Ltd
Digital UK commissioned Digital Outreach Ltd (DOL), a not-for-profit consortium of Age UK, Community Service Volunteers and Collective Enterprises Ltd, to deliver a £3.1 million community outreach programme in support of switchover in the first five TV regions in December 2007. The success of the first contract led Digital UK to sign a second contract for £3.5 million in August 2009 to run to the end of switchover in 2012.
Digital Outreach designed an innovative approach to embedding switchover messages into the work of local voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations for the first five regions. This included:
- Mapping the local VCS networks against target audiences in the five regions
- Selecting lead local charities and voluntary organisations to co-ordinate a network of other local VCS bodies
- Mailing a community outreach pack to all relevant VCS organisations
- Training hundreds of VCS staff and volunteers
- Disbursing £250,000 in grants to the sector to support the cascade of information about switchover to over 350,000 people
- Disseminating information about the switchover via nearly 3,500 voluntary and community events
- Providing one-to-one support to over 80,000 people in weeks running up to, and at the point of, switchover.
Last updated: 04 Feb 2011
The Digital UK partnership with the voluntary and community sector has mobilised local support for switchover and helped thousands of consumers, providing information, advice, reassurance and support.
The model has been commended by the government's Consumer Expert Group, the independent Communications Consumer Panel and by various committees of the UK Parliament, the Welsh Assembly and the Scottish Parliament.
Ed Vaizey, the culture minister, made a direct connection between local community action in support of switchover and the idea of a 'big society'.
Read the full story on the partnership so far.
Management and delivery of the programme
