Supporting digital inclusion in diverse populations: Co-located welfare advice in health and community settings

This paper shows how co‑located welfare advice services embedded in health and community settings help tackle digital exclusion among disadvantaged families in East London. Using interviews with parents and stakeholders, alongside financial outcome data, the study demonstrates that these services enable digital engagement through three mechanisms: proactive identification of digitally excluded families by health practitioners, face‑to‑face support that overcomes both technical and emotional barriers to online applications, and sustained relational engagement in trusted environments that gradually builds digital confidence. Together, these mechanisms form a human infrastructure that supports families facing intersecting disadvantages—disability, poverty, language barriers—as welfare systems become increasingly digital.