The digital by default service standard sets out the standards that have to be met by government digital services. Part of the standard is about making sure that there is assisted digital support for those who need it.
Each service should put in place assisted digital support to meet the needs of its particular users. This support should help the user complete the whole transaction. Therefore, where a service asks users to prove their identity using GOV.UK Verify, the service will need to make sure that GOV.UK Verify is included in the scope of its assisted digital support.
We’re taking this approach, rather than developing a cross-cutting assisted digital support offering for GOV.UK Verify, so that users don’t have to seek assisted digital support from two different sources to access one service. GOV.UK Verify won’t be available as a separate service, so users will never need support to access it alone.
Users don’t care how government defines different components of its own transactions. They won’t draw a distinction between GOV.UK Verify - not a service in its own right, but how you prove who you are online - and any given government service. Assisted digital users will just expect support from start to finish.
We’re working with each service that will be using GOV.UK Verify to understand their approach to assisted digital and see if there is anything the identity assurance programme needs to provide. This might include, for example:
- information about the types of information users will need to have available to verify their identity if they are doing so for the first time, so they can be advised to bring documents and information with them
- guidance on what technical user support is available from identity providers for all users
It’s important that each service is aware of the legal requirements in relation to privacy and protecting users’ data. It is for each service to make their own judgement about how to ensure that these principles are met in the operation of their assisted digital service.
2 comments
Comment by Geoff Fairclough posted on
We are in the process of responding to an ITT for the GDS - Assisted Digital Service - Lot 1.
Our problem is that we cannot determine which of the current and planned services will require or be covered by GOV.UK Verify. If you have an up-to-date cross-reference between Assisted Digital services and GOV.UK Verify it would be most appreciated.
Comment by Rebecca Hales posted on
Hi Geoff
We’re working with each service that will be using GOV.UK Verify to understand their approach to assisted digital and it's up to those services to ensure that GOV.UK Verify is included in the scope of its assisted digital support.
You may find the following blog posts helpful:
Our most recent guidance on including GOV.UK Verify in a services assisted digital support:
https://assisteddigital.blog.gov.uk/2015/09/15/including-gov-uk-verify-in-your-assisted-digital-support/
And the latest list of services planning to use GOV.UK Verify:
https://identityassurance.blog.gov.uk/2015/11/02/government-services-using-gov-uk-verify-november-2015-update/