The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and Salford City Council have launched a pilot project to help care leavers avoid digital poverty.
It said the pilot is the first of its kind and will support 40 care leavers with a package of support, including free devices through its donation scheme, free data and free digital skills training.
Salford Council said most of the young people have low disposable income so struggle to afford digital devices and connectivity, and the GMCA has calculated that there are 3,900 care leavers aged 17-25 years old across the city-region, all of whom are excluded in some way from the benefits of digital.
In May 2021, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham announced an ambition for it to become one of the first city-regions in the world to equip all under-25s, over-75s and disabled people with the skills, connectivity, and technology to get online.
As part of that, a Digital Inclusion Action Network has been set up to lead targeted action to combat digital exclusion in Greater Manchester and this pilot is one of the first outcomes of that collaborative network.
Not left behind
Burnham said: “We know that young people leaving care are in particular need of support, which is why we have launched this vital pilot, as an outcome of our wider digital inclusion agenda, to ensure these young people are not left behind and can benefit from the same opportunities as their peers.
“The time has come where we need to see digital connectivity and the ability to participate digitally as a basic human right. Without it, people are shut out of the conversation, lose access to essential services, risk becoming increasingly socially isolated, and miss out on a range of opportunities including education and work.”
Following the initial pilot phase in Salford, the GMCA will collate and build on learnings and will then work with organisations and professionals across all 10 local authority areas to roll out the programme as an offer of support available to all care leavers living in Greater Manchester.
The pilot is being delivered as a partnership between Salford, GMCA, Good Things Foundation, Salford Foundation and Virgin Media O2. The free data is being donated through the National Databank, set up by Good Things Foundation and Virgin Media O2 to provide free SIM cards and mobile data to people in need.
