Circuit Riders

"Circuit Riders are mobile technology development and support workers, each of whom supports a caseload of organisations."

Circuit Riders

Superhighways employs a number of Circuit Riders across South London, and is a signatory to the "Principles of a Circuit Rider", a statement of the vision, values and working practices that guide our work as outlined below.

Vision and values

  • Recognise and respect the characteristics (vision, values, culture, funding, mission, beneficiaries and services) of the particular Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisation I/we work with and adapt my approach appropriately.

Working practices

  • Work honestly and transparently, declaring any conflicts of interest (including  reselling activities) and be prepared to say when a non-Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solution is the best course of action.
  • Use non-technical language and examples to help organisations understand ICT and their choices.
  • Understand the limitations of my/our ICT skills and knowledge and help to connect VCS organisations I/we work with to other ICT providers and development workers if unable to meet the organisation’s needs.
  • Ensure legal and best practice requirements are made explicit to the organisations I/we work with (e.g. health and safety, data protection, environmental, accessibility, inclusion, confidentiality and licensing).

Learning, professional development and support

  • Engage in continuous learning to maintain the necessary skills and level of knowledge to understand ICT, the VCS in general and any sub-sectors (e.g. health, environment, etc.) I/we work with.
  • Participate in and share my/our knowledge with the VCS ICT community and the organisations I/we work with.

Supporting organisational development and sustainability

  • Help organisations understand the impact ICT can have on staff, volunteers and beneficiaries, taking responsibility to highlight and assist with change management.
  • Equip organisations with tools, knowledge and processes to enable them to make informed decisions and take full advantage of ICT and how to make ongoing strategic decisions with or without external support.
  • Enable organisations to understand the total cost of ownership (TCO) needed to maintain and improve their ICT commitments, offering choice and refraining from prescribing dependency-based ICT solutions.

More about Circuit Riders can be found on the Lasa website at www.lasa.org.uk/circuitriders