Guidance for publishing resources on Hwb

Criteria for Hwb resources

All resources on Hwb must meet the following criteria.

Bilingual

We cannot publish any materials that treat the Welsh language less favourably than the English language. This is a statutory requirement under the Welsh language standards. All resources must therefore be fully bilingual. This includes videos, audio clips and all other elements of the material.

The production of fully bilingual material may present some challenges such as producing videos. It is important to resolve any potential issues at the outset to ensure that Hwb is able to accept and publish your materials.

Please seek advice in person, if needed, from Catrin Parri, Senior Adviser on Bilingual Communication Catrin.parri@gov.wales. Early dialogue with Welsh Government will help ensure adequate quality assurance and a better end product in both languages.

Free to use/access

All resources should be free to use/access and not require a login. Where possible, avoid linking to websites within your resource that require a further login or request for details. The exception is linking to resources or tools that are behind the Hwb login.

Non-commercial

All resources must be non-commercial in nature and cannot promote any service or organisation where there is any commercial activity. A user should not have to purchase an app or software to access the resource.

Accessible

All elements of a resource must be accessible to be uploaded to Hwb. Read our creating accessible documents guide for more information.

Curriculum for Wales

To ensure that your resources are suitable for the Curriculum for Wales, please read the Resources and supporting materials guide.

Copyright

Text

Wherever possible you should create and use your own text in a resource for Hwb. The only permissible use of an original text in a resource is for the purpose of quotation. This needs to be accompanied by an appropriate citation and must be limited to what is necessary for the purpose of illustrating the point made. You must not scan textbooks, newspapers, magazines or any other printed material and use it in a resource for Hwb, even small extracts from such publications. Copying by hand or typing out the text is still an infringement of copyright.

Images

Photographs and illustrations, including those found on search engines such as Google Images and Bing Images, are protected by copyright and cannot be used without the permission of the owner.

Some websites, such as Wikimedia Commons, host images for reuse under Creative Commons licenses – some are ‘public domain’ which are free to use but be aware that some are subject to ‘attribution’ licenses which require you to credit the copyright owner.

Use sites such as Pixabay, Pexels and Unsplash which have a number of copyright-free and attribution-free images available to download. Search for photographs on Flickr under the filter ‘No known copyright restrictions’.

Audio/video

Audio and video clips are protected by copyright and as such should not be used in a resource unless you have created them yourself or have the express permission of the creator. Buying a CD or DVD or digital file does not give you the right to use the content without restriction – you are only buying the physical media and the right to listen to the music or watch the film for personal use. As with images, just because a clip is already online doesn’t mean it’s in the public domain and therefore free to use.

Instead of embedding an online video in your resource, link to the clip-on video hosting sites such as YouTube or Vimeo. Beware of using audio clips such as sound effects that you have ‘bought’ online – the licence terms may be limited to personal use only.

For more information on copyright, refer to the Copyright Licensing Agency or the Intellectual Property Office.

Secure

If the resource is not hosted on Hwb, the website must be HTTPS secure.

What is a resource?

A resource should provide an educational activity that can be undertaken by a teacher or learner to support a learning goal.

The types of resources could include:

display materials (such as posters)
links to useful websites
guidance
learner materials
information sheets/handouts
videos/audio clips
INSET materials
good practice guides
case studies

Hosting v signposting

We can host resources on Hwb or we can signpost by linking to a webpage or online file from the resource card.

Resources should only ever be hosted in one place. If the resources are already hosted on your website then we would prefer to provide links directly to them from Hwb, such as to BBC Bitesize. An exception would be if the materials are hosted behind a login but you want to make them publicly available on Hwb.
If your resources are not already hosted anywhere then we can host them on Hwb. If you choose this option you will need to ensure that any links to the resources on your website direct users to where they are hosted on Hwb. Meic Cymru have taken this approach. This should also be considered if there are issues with an existing website such as limited lifespan, dependency on funding or lack of updates.

Quality assurance

Resources created by external organisations

You will need to have quality assurance processes in place before sending the materials to Hwb.

You may be asked the following questions by a member of the Hwb digital content team when it comes to reviewing the documents.

Who wrote the content? Are they a subject specialist?
Has the content been fact-checked by more than one person?
Has the content been copy-edited by someone other than the author?
How was the Welsh version created? Did it go to a professional translator?
When was the resource written and created?
Has the correct housestyle been applied when writing the materials? For materials produced for Welsh Government, please refer to the GOV.WALES style guide.
Have all copyrighted images, videos, music and any other materials been cleared for inclusion? For resources created for or by Welsh Government has the model release form been completed to obtain permission?
Do the materials take account of issues of representation (such as English and Welsh examples of learners’ work, mix of genders, ethnic minorities) and any accessibility considerations?

Resources commissioned by Welsh Government via third parties

If the resources have been commissioned, the Hwb digital content team will then be a part of the development process once the contract has been awarded. The team will advise on:

the correct housestyle to be applied when writing the materials
approved translators who can be commissioned to supply Welsh versions
materials commissioned for inclusion in the resources – such as images, videos or music – and the correct permissions for their use that must be obtained from any participants (for example utilising the Welsh Government model release form)
the use of extant copyrighted materials in the resources, and the proper permissions that must be obtained from copyright holders for their inclusion
issues of representation (such as English and Welsh examples of learner work) and any accessibility considerations

Hwb resource upload form

If your resource complies with our criteria, please complete our Hwb resource upload form.