Supporting digital in social care
Social care is evolving, and technology is playing an important role in enhancing services, supporting staff and improving the experiences of people who use care and support.
Being able to confidently and effectively use digital tools can improve care quality, enhance decision-making and create more efficient ways of working.
But simply having access to technology isn’t enough. It’s about embedding it in ways that make a real difference to people’s lives and work.
The ambition for digital in social care is described in A Vision for Social Care in Wales:
“Digital transformation of health and social care has a key part to play in the future of our social care services.
"We need to move from a system where digital technology is an add-on and digital innovation processes too often exclude people who draw on care and support, to one in which appropriate and affordable digital tools enhance the experience of providing and drawing on care and support.”
We're working with the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) through its Digital in Social Care (DiSC) framework to help social care organisations use digital tools, data and technology more effectively. We’re also working with a range of other relevant partners and stakeholders.
This collaboration supported our work to develop the digital potential tool, which enables staff at social care organisations to better understand their digital skills and capabilities. The tool also supports organisations to identify skills gaps and target support where it’s most needed.
We'll use the tool's findings to help guide our approach to supporting digital in social care.
Digital potential tool
As well as giving individuals and organisations a clearer picture of their own digital skills and capabilities, the digital potential tool gives us a snapshot of the situation across Wales.
In July 2025, we published a national report based on the responses of 1,200 people to the tool across 295 organisations.
We've also published a series of summaries, which break down the report's key findings and recommendations into three themes:
Even if you've already completed the tool, you can continue to use it to track your progress over time. Visit our digital potential tool page to find out how.
Find out more
Keep an eye on this page for more information about our digital projects.
If you have any questions about our digital work, please contact digital@socialcare.wales.