Supporting Better Online Lives

Aims: We will evaluate an innovative pilot project to improve support for Greater Manchester Combined Authority care leavers.

How: Using funding from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sports (DCMS), Internet Matters and Greater Manchester Combined Authority will scope out the unique challenges faced by care leavers when it comes to digital technology. This will find out the issues they experience, and how they think they can be overcome. A group of care leavers and professionals will then be trained to become ‘Digital Champions’, whose role will be to provide support to the wider pool of care leavers in a friendly and flexible way.

To evaluate the impact of this programme, we will undertake a mixed-methods process evaluation collecting quantitative and qualitative before, during and following the end of this pilot.

Funded by: Department for Media Culture and Sport (DCMS)

Project start and end date: January 2023 – January 2024

Outputs and Outcomes:

Hammond, S. P. Markovich, G., & Bartholomew, K. J. (2024). Bee Smart Media Literacy Programme: Improving the media literacy of care leavers. Internet Matters and Department of Science, Innovation and Technology.

Full report: Bee Smart Media Literacy Programme report | Internet Matters

Partners: Internet Matters and Greater Manchester Combined Authority

Key contact: Dr Simon P Hammond

Aims: Online risks are not evenly spread across the population as young people with offline vulnerabilities are more at risk online and, very often, less supported. Evidence indicates that knowing which offline vulnerabilities children and young people (CYP) have enables professionals to predict the type of online risk encountered. Risks that can be predicted offer mechanisms through which to intervene and prevent risks from escalating. However, interventions can only be meaningful if the adults supporting CYP with vulnerabilities are confident, competent and resourceful as well as have the tools required to help the CYP they support. But how does this happen, or not, in practice?

How:

1. Review literature to find out what is already known;
2. Interview professionals who support this population and ask about how they support CYP with vulnerabilities online;
3. Hold focus groups with parents and carers of CYP with vulnerabilities to find out how they would like professionals to better support this group.
4. Hold focus groups with CYP with vulnerabilities to ask them about how they view things currently and what could be done better.

Funded by: Internet Matters and Huawei

Project start and end date: June 2021 – January 2022

Outputs and Outcomes:

• Academic Paper: Connection Brokers: How educators work within and between social networks to cultivate community digital resilience to support children with disabilities using the Internet
• Academic Paper: A discursive psychological examination of educators’ experiences of children with disabilities accessing the Internet: a role for digital resilience.
• Policy Report
• Read this recent blog: How can educators better support children with disabilities using the internet?
• Press Release: More support needed for children with disabilities using the internet

Partners: NA

Key contact: Dr Simon P Hammond

Aims: The digital passport aims to help children, young people and their carers make the most of technology through relationship building and communication. One of the most important ways of keeping children and young people safe online is for them to have regular conversations with a trusted adult about what they do, why they love it and if they have any concerns.

How: Supporting the creator of the Digital Passport Adrienne Katz and alongside other experts from the United Kingdom Council for Internet Safety (UKCIS) Vulnerable Users Working Group, Dr Simon P Hammond has helped developed a practice guide for having conversations with children and young people with care experience.

Funded by: NA

Project start and end date: ongoing

Outputs and Outcomes: pending

Partners: UKCIS Vulnerable Users Working Group

Key contact: Dr Simon P Hammond