Digital Help Finder: SECH case study

The South Essex Community Hub (SECH) is a charity in Southend that helps people who are digitally excluded.

They run the Help In Hub and Youth Hub, providing computers, guidance, and a safe space for young people to learn new skills and get involved in community projects. SECH has also started the Wellbeing Hub and Sports Hub to support more locals. A key highlight is the Digital Help Finder, which helps people learn digital skills and access online services. This case study explores SECH's work and how the Digital Help Finder from Digital Essex has positively impacted residents, making it a key part of their digital inclusion strategy.

 

Can you describe the primary mission and activities of your organisation?

South Essex Community Hub (SECH), is a small charity based in Southend. We support our community through two main programs: our Help In Hub and
our Youth Hub.

The Help In Hub offers digital access and guidance, focusing on those affected by digital exclusion. We have computers available for anyone without access, and our team provides one-on-one assistance with everything from housing applications and parking permits to job searches.

The Youth Hub is a safe space created for young people to grow, get involved in community projects, and learn new skills. Our youth workers provide creative arts and skills for their future, empowering young people to explore their potential and make sure their voices are heard.

We have also recently started two new exciting projects: the Wellbeing Hub and the Sports Hub. We are looking forward to these new opportunities that will allow us to help support more of the local community.

 

In what ways does your organisation benefit the local community?

SECH seeks to provide digital support to those who lack digital access and confidence. As many local services move online, SECH initiates and delivers
programmes to bridge the digital divide.

At our Help In Hub, situated in Southend's Victoria Shopping Centre, we are a registered Warm Hub where local people can connect with staff and volunteers who offer support and advice on housing, benefits, debt and online forms:

We support the community in a number of ways, including:

- Supported access to computers.

- Support with benefit applications online (Local Government and Central Government), as well as supplying relevant supporting documentation.

- Assistance with other applications such as Blue Badge’s, railcards, passports and bus passes.

- COLCEP (Cost of Living Clinic Educational Programme): Support with understanding clients finances amidst cost of living difficulties
Cadent Centre for Warmth Support: Items such as Slow Cookers, Carbon Monoxide Alarms, benefit discussions and support with applying for Priority Services Register.

- SIM Cards provided by Good Things Foundation to enable digital inclusion.

 

Could you explain the roles of the different members of your team and how their work interconnects?

Our team is composed of volunteers and staff members who work together collaboratively to support clients who visit SECH. We have been able to use our diverse backgrounds and experiences to support people in need with a wide range of problems.

 

How does your organisation address and combat digital exclusion?

60% of those we assist come from the Kursaal, Victoria, Milton and Shoeburyness wards of Southend, all of which are among the 10% most deprived areas in the country. The Help In Hub located in the centre of these underserved areas and acts as an essential access point for those in need.

47% of our service uses have told us they lack internet access outside of our service. Our effects are dedicated to supporting those who are unable to access essential online services themselves, whether it’s due to a lack of facilities, a lack of ability or a lack of confidence.

By continuing to focus on digital inclusion, SECH aims to create a more connected and supportive environment for our community, ensuring no one is left behind in our increasingly digital world.

Our drop in centre is focused on providing appropriate support and access to computers and the internet. We are a warm space where people without devices can get supported with accessing the internet. Our staff and volunteers offer personalised assistance, helping people complete applications and navigate online portals.

 

Do you have any specific examples of how your digital support has positively impacted a local resident?

Over the past year, we have had the pleasure of helping a very nervous man in his 60s, who had no experience using a computer. This client suffered tremendously with anxiety, but wanted to learn how to use the internet. He journeyed from Basildon every week to visit our Help In Hub.

Our friendly volunteers were able to make an account with him on Learn My Way and supported him over several months as he progressed through all the topics. As we progressed through the course with him, his confidence grew and he became extremely social with us. The client continued to come in when he had finished the course as he wished to pursue further digital development.

He proceeded to use our resources to look up things for his local area, finding out up-to-date news about what’s going on in his neighbourhood and the local community. We have also been able to help him buy a smart phone online, and have been assisting in teaching him how to use his new device to connect to the online world.

He had also been having issues with his housing situation, and has struggled to resolve these due to the housing association moving their tenants support online. Our support has been vital in helping him contact his landlords and start the process of booking in repairs to his property.

The client was also shown the Digital Help Finder, and was walked through the process of answering questions and understanding ways that he could further
his digital journey. He has been able to use the tool to find new online resources to expand what he has already learned.

 

What demographic groups do you primarily serve?

SECH serves all residents in the local area and surrounding areas but supports mainly those who struggle or do not have digital skills, and those who lack access to digital facilities. Our clients come from a variety of backgrounds and our Hub is welcoming to anyone and everyone.

 

What are your future plans for the organisation, and how do you intend to expand your services?

SECH are always looking at opportunities to expand and extend the services that they offer to members of the public, especially as the cost of living increases and changes to benefits affect incomes. As more services become exclusively online, we will continue to support clients to access what services they need.

With the upcoming changes to a majority of benefits, we are expecting to support a lot of underprivileged people in the local community. We will also use the Digital Help Finder as a part of our growth to support clients with their digital journeys.

 

What drives your passion for your role within the organisation?

Teaching and supporting those who struggle with digital, as well as improving the circumstances of those who are struggling financially, working to improve prospects in the local community and areas. Empowering local residents and giving them an opportunity to feel heard within their communities and access the resources and support they need; helping facilitate digital transformation and freedom in local resident’s lives.

 

Can you share any notable challenges or successes your organisation has experienced?

Demand for the support that we issue has increased massively and has meant that our team of volunteers and staff have been working harder to ensure that as many people who visit our site receive the support that they need.

Our Help In Hub had 6448 engagements in 2024, and 47% of our clients have told us they have no access to the internet outside of our service. We have been able to meet this challenging year with the support of our volunteers, and are prepared to carry on supporting the community throughout the rest of
2025 and beyond.

 

How has the Digital Help Finder been integrated into your organisation's activities?

We have been using the Digital Help Finder in the support that we provide for digital education as well as job skills support. It has enabled us to support clients with their understanding of their digital skills. It has been introduced alongside current Learn My Way offerings to give clients a better idea of what their digital skillset is and how they can build upon what they have and do not have.

 

What has been your experience with adopting the Digital Help Finder?

SECH has adopted the Digital Help Finder into the processes that we run through when supporting clients with digital skills. The tool helps residents understand what they can do currently, what they cannot do, and what resources and support in the areas they struggle in. It provides facilities to help visually demonstrate level of skill with a points system and milestones to help recognise achievement level.

 

Can you describe the benefits that the Digital Help Finder has brought to your organisation and its service users?

It has enabled us to help people understand their current position within the digital skills world and ways that they can advance and develop their skills for both life and work environments; pinpoint ways to build upon missing skills.

 

Do you have any specific examples of how the Digital Help Finder has helped your service users improve their digital skills?

The Digital Help Finder has enabled SECH to support a client with understanding what resources are available to enable him to further develop
his skills with learning what he can do online.

It has also allowed SECH to support a resident with learning what ways he can develop his skills as he is being supported by SECH with job searching and
applying for various jobs. SECH supported him to access the tool.

 

How do you see the Digital Help Finder tool supporting your future plans and expansion efforts?

The tool will enable us to support more residents and clients within the local area with their digital personal development as our demand grows. It will also enable us to help residents understand their digital skills and abilities, allowing them to develop and grow and better understand online services available to them. It will enable clients to have a better idea of how to directly address their digital learning and how they can improve the skills that they may not have or lack in.

 

For more information, please visit SECH's website, or find out more about the Digital Help Finder.