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Good practice Imported

Get Online Greater Manchester — Digital Poverty Pilot for Care Leavers (Salford)

United Kingdom · Salford · See the United Kingdom profile

Evidence: Observational / pre–post Top 24% 92/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

A Salford City Council/GMCA pilot gave 48 care leavers free devices, 12 months' free mobile data and digital skills support; the approach was praised by England's Children's Commissioner and rolled out region-wide via the 'Bee Connected' app.

48 people
Care leavers supported in the Salford pilot (pilot phase)
60 %
Pilot participants successfully connected with data and devices (pilot phase)
20 %
Pilot participants who signed up for additional digital skills support (pilot phase)
61 %
Pilot participants who were unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (pilot phase)
4,000+ people
Care leavers eligible region-wide via the Bee Connected app (from October 2022)
Get Online Greater Manchester — Digital Poverty Pilot for Care Leavers (Salford) Get Online Greater Manchester — Digital Poverty Pilot for Care Leavers (Salford)

Details

Maturity
Scaling
Promoter
Salford City Council / Greater Manchester Combined Authority
Period
2021-2026
Keywords
care leavers, digital poverty, device donation, connectivity

Context

Young people leaving the UK care system are especially likely to be digitally excluded. Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) estimates around 4,000 care leavers up to age 25 across the region need support, many lacking the devices or connectivity to access education, employment and welfare entitlements they are owed.

Objectives

Salford City Council piloted a package for local care leavers combining free devices, 12 months of free mobile data, and digital skills training, delivered with support from leaving-care teams so young people did not have to navigate the offer alone.

Activities

The pilot combined free devices through Salford's device-donation scheme, 12 months of free mobile data, and digital skills training support, delivered with leaving-care team involvement.

Results

The pilot supported 48 care leavers: 60% were successfully connected with data and devices, and 20% signed up for additional digital skills support. 61% of those supported were unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, pointing to acute need within that subgroup.

Conclusions

England's Children's Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, reviewed the pilot and recommended it be made available to care leavers nationally. From 2022 the offer was rolled out across Greater Manchester, and in October 2022 GMCA and developer Focusgov launched the 'Bee Connected' app, co-designed with care leavers, giving the region's 4,000-plus care leavers a single place to access free devices and connectivity alongside other entitlements, as part of the region's Care Leavers Guarantee (launched 2019).

Implementation
Indicative cost
Medium (€50k–€500k) — No cost figures given; inferred as medium, combining device donation, 12 months of paid-for mobile data per participant, and subsequent app development (Bee Connected) for region-wide rollout.
Time to results
Medium (1–3 years) — Inferred as medium: from the Salford pilot to the region-wide 'Bee Connected' app launch in October 2022 was roughly one to two years.
Staffing & skills
Salford City Council leaving-care teams supported delivery so young people did not have to navigate the offer alone, GMCA and developer Focusgov built the 'Bee Connected' app

Conditions for success

  • Delivery through existing leaving-care teams rather than a stand-alone offer
  • Endorsement by England's Children's Commissioner, which supported wider rollout
  • Co-production of the Bee Connected app with care leavers who said entitlement information was too hard to find
  • Integration into the pre-existing Care Leavers Guarantee (launched 2019)

Where it fits

Governance type
local authority (Salford City Council) pilot scaled via the Greater Manchester Combined Authority
Scale
local pilot scaled region-wide across Greater Manchester
Income level
not stated in source

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

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