New SCRA research report exploring digital poverty published

We have published a ground-breaking piece of new research today.

The report ‘Digital Poverty and Exclusion in Scotland: Digital Lives of Care Experienced Children’ looks at digital exclusion in the Children’s Hearings System. It also explores how digital poverty and exclusion was heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the start of the pandemic, the Children’s Hearings System quickly had to move to a digital platform. We wanted to look at what impact this had on children and young people and the wider issue of digital poverty and exclusion for care experienced people.

The research tackles the assumption that all children and young people are ‘digital natives’ and that there is a high level of access to digital devices and the internet. In addition, the research highlighted the rural v urban digital divide.

The report ends with 10 recommendations which suggest ways in which the Children’s Hearings System could make changes to bridge the digital divide for those with lived experience of the care sector.

You can read the report here. There is also a one page summary version available.